Exam 5: Deviance and Crime

According to strain theory, crime and deviance can partly be accounted for the strain caused by the discrepancy between cultural ideals and social reality.

Briefly describe the three-stage learning process that Becker observed in his study of marijuana use among jazz musicians.

Describe the four reasons that sociologists have given for the overrepresentation of Aboriginal people in Canadian prisons.

The process of officially becoming a criminal has been likened to a funnel. In this analogy, which of the following groups is represented by the bottom of the funnel?

The labelling process can act as a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Which age cohort commits the most crimes?

Which theory contends that criminals are those who are likely to have few social attachments, few legitimate opportunities, weak conventional beliefs, and little involvement in their community?

Identify who is likely to be an offender and who is likely to be incarcerated, and why.

Typically, improved economic conditions across a country tend to decrease the crime rate.

Investigate the role of media in shaping both the characteristics of deviance and the public response to deviance and crime.

Research the different stances on crime that the major political parties in Canada took in the most recent federal election. How different are the parties from one another with respect to the issue of crime and punishment. Are there any connections between their positions on crime and their positions on other social issues?

Every year, Canada spends billions on prisons, and Canada's incarceration rate is near the highest in the world, second only to France.

Define the following types of sanctions and describe when they are used: informal punishment, formal punishment, and stigmatization.

Which of the following most correctly completes the sentence, "The larger the proportion of young males you have in a population, ___________________"?

A heroin addict is more likely to enter a methadone program now than in the past. What process does this reflect?

What term is used for the increasing trend in Canada and other modern cultures to treat deviance with drug therapies and surgeries?

Identify the factors that shape what is deviant and what is criminal, and how each is sanctioned.

According to the data reported for 2008, which of the following category of crimes accounted for the majority of Criminal Code incidents in Canada?

Becoming deviant requires a social context and socialization.

Explain how crime rates are determined. Identify some of the shortcomings and biases in crime statistics.