Deck 8: Deviance, Crime, and Society

Question 1

Explain the relationship between deviance and norms. Give some examples of each.

Answer 1

Norms can be defined as expectations about what constitutes appropriate or acceptable behavior in society. Norms may (depending on the society) include holding the door for someone behind you or showering and brushing your teeth regularly. Individual actions are considerably influenced by societal norms. Deviant actions are considered inappropriate or unacceptable behavior by society, based upon a society's norms. For example, robbery, theft, rape, and murder are all violations of norms that society does not merely frown upon but actively condemns. Different societies characterize what is deviant and what is not, so what is deviant in one society may not be in another. Deviant behaviors range from a simple violation like failing to stop at a stop sign to more serious ones like molesting a child.

Question 2

Which of the following is most likely a more?

A) Views of picking one's nose.
B) Views of wearing ear piercings.
C) Views of homosexuality.
D) Views of table manners.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

When one commits a crime:

A) one also violates a norm.
B) one also violates a more.
C) one violates a law.
D) one violates a law, norm, and more.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

_____ would argue that low-income individuals are more likely to commit an "equal payoff" crime than high-income individuals.

A) Sociologists
B) Criminologists
C) Economists
D) Psychologists

Question 5

Labeling Theory is part of the broader theoretical perspective called the:

A) functionalist perspective.
B) symbolic interactionist perspective.
C) psychoanalytical perspective.
D) historical perspective.

Question 6

What role does the rule of law play in the government? Consider the U.S Bill of Rights.

Question 7

Identify and discuss three interrelated problems with the U.S. system of justice. What are the outcomes of these problems?

Question 8

Which of the following theories argues that the desire to rebel is more akin to our natural desire but that certain forces prevent us from doing so?

A) Labeling.
B) Strain.
C) Control.
D) Illegitimate.

Question 9

A universal norm:

A) can never be violated.
B) is held by almost all societies.
C) is called a more.
D) both b and c.

Question 10

The rule of law is designed to limit the behavior of:

A) only individuals.
B) only governments.
C) both individuals and governments.
D) neither individuals nor governments.

Question 11

The idea that there is a criminal type has long been a popular belief among laypeople and among some:

A) Psychologists.
B) Criminologists.
C) Biologists.
D) Geneticists.

Question 12

Compared to U.S. citizens, more Africans see homosexuality as:

A) normal behavior.
B) unconventional behavior.
C) acceptable behavior.
D) deviant behavior.

Question 13

How do sociological explanations of deviance differ from psychological and biological explanations of deviance? Compare and contrast specific theories from each perspective.

Question 14

To what extent is justice applied equally to all people in the U.S?

Question 15

Differential association theory assumes that deviation or conformity is most influenced by:

A) genetics.
B) climate and geography.
C) skull shape and forehead dimensions.
D) group membership and interaction.

Question 16

If a theory of deviance relates to chemicals in the brain, it is most likely a
(n) _____ theory of deviance.

A) anthropological
B) biological
C) sociological
D) economic

Question 17

Society works best when:

A) nobody is deviant.
B) everyone is deviant.
C) most people are slightly deviant but not too deviant.
D) most people are not deviant but a few are highly deviant.

Question 18

Most observers find the U.S. legal structure:

A) both theoretically and practically admirable.
B) theoretically admirable.
C) practically admirable.
D) neither theoretically nor practically admirable.

Question 19

Differing norms and laws can make a subset of society both _____ and _____ even though the people in that subset are following the norms of that subset.

A) innocent and law abiding
B) liked and disliked
C) punished and jailed
D) deviant and criminal

Question 20

The U.S. justice system tends to follow the _____ approach to criminal justice.

A) punishment
B) guidance
C) sociological
D) economic

Question 21

Labeling theory sees deviant behavior as behavior often conforming to norms.

Question 22

A crime is defined as:

A) deviant behavior.
B) deviant behavior that violates society's mores.
C) deviant behavior that violates society's laws.
D) deviant behavior that violates society's norms.

Question 23

According to social scientists, which is the correct view of the purpose of criminal justice?

A) Punishment.
B) Guidance.
C) Neither guidance nor punishment.
D) Both guidance and punishment.

Question 24

Adopting a conflicting norm hurts a subgroup by creating dissension within the subgroup and takes away a subgroup's identity.

Question 25

Social scientists have concerns about genetic theories of deviance because they often mask inherent prejudices.

Question 26

One norm is that it is OK to use language that suggests views that violate broad societal norms within a small group, as long as one recognizes that it is done as a parody, not as a belief.

Question 27

The rule of law is meant to place restrictions on how governments deal with deviant behavior.

Question 28

If a crime's sentencing cannot lead to jail time, it is a
(n):

A) norm violation.
B) felony.
C) misdemeanor.
D) infraction.

Question 29

In the U.S.:

A) it is possible that a defendant will have to pay for the use of the court system.
B) the entire cost of the court system is paid for by the federal government.
C) the entire cost of the court system is paid for by the state governments.
D) the amount people will pay to use the court system depends on their income.

Question 30

Mores:

A) determine what happens in society.
B) are independent of norms.
C) are the opposite of norms.
D) are norms that have great moral significance.

Question 31

Social scientists tend to look within individuals-into their upbringing or into their genetic makeup-to explain deviance. Psychologists, by contrast, tend to look for factors outside individuals-such as social conditions within society.

Question 32

Broken Windows has proven a successful way of deterring crime while preventing instances of racial profiling.

Question 33

A deviation from a more is of greater significance than a deviation from a norm.

Question 34

The number of people in prison and jail in the U.S. increased significantly in:

A) the 1960s.
B) the 1990s.
C) the 2000s.
D) the 2010s.

Question 35

In the common law tradition, previous judgments play a central role in how current judgments are made.

Question 36

An action could be deviant relative to one set of norms but quite acceptable relative to other norms.

Question 37

Relativity of norms is more pronounced the greater the:

A) society one lives in.
B) heterogeneity of the society.
C) homogeneity of the society.
D) diversity of the society.

Question 38

As NWA became rich, the hip-hop group's members learned mainstream society's norms and justified their lyrics by presenting them as a reaction of oppression.

Question 39

Control theory is the theory of deviance, which argues that the question is not, "Why do people deviate from society's norms?" Rather, the question is, "Why don't we deviate more than we do?"

Question 40

If society were to decriminalize drug sales and use, the prison population would:

A) increase because of the added crime committed by drug users.
B) decrease because people would no longer be arrested for using or selling drugs.
C) increase because people would commit more crimes like driving under the influence.
D) neither increase nor decrease since drug laws don't drastically affect the prison population.

Question 41

Crimes can be classified as felonies, infractions, and misdemeanors, with misdemeanors being the least serious.

Question 42

A major reason the number of people in prison and jail increased in the 1980s is because of the war on drugs.

Question 43

Most social scientists believe that our justice system is so deeply flawed that it should be abolished.

Question 44

Illegitimate opportunity theory argues that different social classes have similar styles of crime.

Question 45

Control theory and strain theory both emphasize that deviance is a natural part of society.

Question 46

Strain theory argues that biology creates crime and criminals.

Question 47

A Class D felony is the most serious crime that can be committed.

Question 48

In the enforcement of our drug laws, crack users have received longer sentences than cocaine users.

Question 49

The problems with the U.S. criminal justice system are around the edges and in its application, not at its core.

Question 50

Cheating on an exam is:

A) always deviant behavior because it is wrong.
B) sometimes deviant behavior depending on the society's norms.
C) never deviant behavior because deviance does not relate to cheating.
D) sometimes deviant behavior depending on an individual's genetic makeup.

Question 51

A more violation is a very serious crime.

Question 52

A society's view on wearing ear piercings is most likely a more.

Question 53

An example of a misdemeanor is involuntary manslaughter, where one kills someone by accident rather than doing it with premeditation.

Question 54

The lawyer that one can afford is irrelevant since it is the judge who determines sentences.

Question 55

Policy:

A) determines norms.
B) is independent of norms.
C) is totally dependent on norms.
D) influences but does not determine norms.