...and asses the functionalist explanations of crime and deviance. Functionalist ignore deviance; they look at society as a whole and ignore individualism. Functionalism is a structuralist approach (also known as a consensus theory) they believe that individuals are shaped by society and social facts. A limitation of functionalist is that they ignore certain groups within society, such as women and people with disabilities. They also ignore factors such as ‘race’ and social class. They believe that society will maintain stability if the institutions still exists and the factors that may cause conflict – are ignored. I will assessing the functionalist contribution to explanations of crime, to how useful it is and if those explanations have been applied within modern day society. Also how useful the explanations are at reducing crime. Deviance is a normative approach, it is associated with behaviour that differs from the set norms and values set out by society. Deviance is linked to informal social control through sanctions (not by laws or government policy). In a Post Modern society – this definition of deviance would be problematic because it refers to societal norms (which would have disappeared; due to individualism making it hard to follow set norms and values). Deviance could collapse in a post-modern society. Durkheim (1895) is a positivist who proposed the concept of anomie; as an explanation as to why certain people commit crime. He believes that if individuals feel a sense...
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...States For the past several years many immigrants have come to the United States (U.S.) illegally at an alarming rate. Many immigrant parents have entered the U.S. illegally bringing extended family, and most importunately their children. The Dream Act which would be the perfect solution to the issues effecting the younger generations brought here. The passing of the Dream Act would boost our economy, reduce crime, and enhance military recruitment. We all know that the United States has been building up a larger debt over the last several years. Thus by allowing illegal immigrants to become bright and talented youth, we will make a new academic strength in the United States of higher educated people. The Dream Act would cut $1.4 billion in the U.S. deficit and increase government revenue by $ 2.3 billion dollars over the next ten years. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said that passing the DREAM Act would allow “these young people to live up to their fullest potential and contribute to the economic growth of our country.” A lot of illegal immigrants want to go to college and can not because of their status. Illegal immigrants under the DREAM Act would have to pay out of state tuitions which draw in more money to stimulate the American economy. Additionally, giving the younger generation of illegal alien status an opportunity to enrich their education and pursue a good paying job would contribute to the economy. Illegal immigrants make up approximately one third of the...
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...Policy Analysis I CJA 464 October 7th, 2013 Policy Analysis I The constant battle of illegal immigration is a major issue in the United States that has been a constant issue for many years. The issues of illegal immigration are described as the migration of foreign citizens into the United States of America. This is done through illegal routes, such as hiding on boats porting in the United States, crossing through miles of treacherous terrain illegally to jump the borders of Mexico, and violating the agreement of a tourist visa as well as illegally boarding planes bound for the United States. It is a known fact that the men and women who enter this country do not meet the legal requirements to enter the United States from foreign countries. The research conducted will describe the issues of illegal immigration, whether the current policy is a regulatory or legislative-initiated policy, and the issue with the policy. A review of the possible constitutional violations will be described as well as if this issue or policy will affect the community, the accused, and the victims of any crimes committed by the illegal immigrants. The Issue The policy makers of the American government typically will take multiple routes in taking care of these issues before needing to develop a policy that will assist in combatting the concerns of the government. The existing immigration policies have been active for many years and for that same amount of time the policies have been questioned...
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...National Soccer Team prior the 2007 U-20 FIFA World Cup, he could easily identify the original nationality of each player. By the end of his analysis he had tallied eight different nations from five different continents. When Damon confronted the team with the notion of the American Dream, the players spoke excitedly about how open American culture was compared to their home countries and the opportunities to pursue any career they wished (Damon 1). Despite their different origins from across the globe, on the pitch this group of first, second, and third generation immigrants were all united under one nationality. This...
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...OUTLINE AND ASSESS FUNCTIONALIST EXPLANATIONS OF CRIME AND DEVIANCE (50) INTRODUCTION * Structural theory * Believe that society is good and order is necessary * Therefore at first glance crime appears to be negative, but functionalists believe crime can be beneficial to social system PARAGRAPH 1 - DURKHEIM * Believed in consensus and need for social order + that crime was inevitable * He believed crime and deviance were product of lack of attachment to prevailing consensus over collective values * Durkheim believed the speed of change in modern societies was likely to generate deviance and crime as the modern world rapidly reinvents itself * Intro of new economic process and technology combined with social/geographical mobility leave people feeling unsure about their place in the world, so people lose a sense of what it is to be normal and develop sense of anomie (normlessness) * Crime and deviance are bound to increase now * After fall of Soviet Union crime increased rapidly in Russia as whole social fabric was transformed * Durkheim said crime was necessary for society and he notes 3 main benefits of crime: 1. Reaffirming the Boundaries – when someone is taken to court, the sanction and the publicity reaffirm existing values 2. Changing Values – sometimes when someone is charged with a crime, a degree of sympathy occurs for the person prosecuted leading to a change in values, which can lead to change in law to reflect...
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...focus on how individual characteristics may interact with the social environment to produce a violent event. However, rather than focus on the biological basis of crime, psychologists focus on how mental processes impact individual propensities for violence. Psychologists are often interested in the association between learning, intelligence, and personality and aggressive behaviour. In this section of the report, we briefly review some of the major psychological perspectives that have attempted to explain violent behaviour. These perspectives include the psychodynamic perspective, behavioural theory, cognitive theory and personality theory. We will also explore the possible relationship between mental illness and violence. Social learning theory Social learning theory is a theory that attempts to explain socialization and its effect of the development of the self. There are many different theories that explain how people become socialized, including psychoanalytic theory, functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interaction theory. Social learning theory, like these others, looks at the individual learning process, the formation of self, and the influence of society in socializing individuals. Social control theory gained prominence during the 1960s as sociologists sought differing conceptions of crime. It was during this period that Travis Hirschi put forth his innovative rendering of control theory, a theory built upon existing concepts of social control. Hirschi’s...
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...Themes Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work. The Decline of the American Dream in the 1920s On the surface, The Great Gatsby is a story of the thwarted love between a man and a woman. The main theme of the novel, however, encompasses a much larger, less romantic scope. Though all of its action takes place over a mere few months during the summer of 1922 and is set in a circumscribed geographical area in the vicinity of Long Island, New York, The Great Gatsby is a highly symbolic meditation on 1920s America as a whole, in particular the disintegration of the American dream in an era of unprecedented prosperity and material excess. Fitzgerald portrays the 1920s as an era of decayed social and moral values, evidenced in its overarching cynicism, greed, and empty pursuit of pleasure. The reckless jubilance that led to decadent parties and wild jazz music—epitomized in The Great Gatsby by the opulent parties that Gatsby throws every Saturday night—resulted ultimately in the corruption of the American dream, as the unrestrained desire for money and pleasure surpassed more noble goals. When World War I ended in 1918, the generation of young Americans who had fought the war became intensely disillusioned, as the brutal carnage that they had just faced made the Victorian social morality of early-twentieth-century America seem like stuffy, empty hypocrisy. The dizzying rise of the stock market in the aftermath of the war led to a sudden, sustained...
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...Evaluate the usefulness of Functionalist theories to our understanding of crime and deviance (40 marks) A functionalist analysis of crime and deviance begins with society as a whole. It looks for the source of deviance in the nature of society rather than in the individual. Durkheim argued that crime is an inevitable and normal aspect of social life. Crime is present in all types of society; indeed, the crime rate is higher in the more advanced, industrialised countries. According to Durkheim, crime is an ‘integral part of all healthy societies’. It’s inevitable because not every member of society can be equally committed to the collective sentiments (the shared values and moral beliefs) of society. Since individuals are exposed to different influences and circumstances, it is ‘impossible for all to be alike’. Therefore not everyone is equally reluctant to break the law. Durkheim went on to say that crime isn’t only inevitable, it can also be functional. Durkheim argued that it only becomes dysfunctional (harmful to society) when its rate is unusually high or law. He argued that all social change begins with some form of deviance. In order for change to occur, yesterday’s deviance must become today’s normality. Since a certain amount of change is good for society (so that it can progress rather than stagnate), so is deviance. If the collective sentiments are too strong, there will be little deviance, but neither will there be any change, or progress. Therefore the collective...
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...vehicle hidden and smuggled into the U.S not knowing where you're going or what's going to happen next? Once you arrive into the U.S you're surrounded by officers pushing and shoving you into buses taking you to these installations that seem to be built and ran like concentration camps. In today's society, the way that Immigration is handled in the U.S is a serious issue and us as people need to put a stop to this unfair treatment. If the U.S doesn't provide education, many immigrants become violent, causing more crime. They may use illegal drugs, causing crime rates to rise and harming themselves in the process; in the long run will harm the immigrants, because they will face a difficult life in terms of conscience and knowing what they did and the possibility of being deported. If the U.S provides education for immigrants, they can get better jobs to fuel the economy. Many are willing to work for less money than any American citizen will ever think of because jobs in their country pay far less than most low-paying jobs. I'm not saying they have to be paid minimum wage but putting them on the payroll and paying taxes will increase the economy. Denying health care to people is denying them what they need to survive and to be healthy. This country is letting people die, letting human beings be unhealthy. How is this humane? America goes into other countries to help people survive and be healthy. We donate supplies and food to foreign countries. We...
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...Contemporary American Drama This is a term paper assignment for the class “Contemporary American Drama.” In this assignment, I will firstly give a clear definition of drama producing the historical background of contemporary American Drama briefly. Then I am going to introduce the genres we have covered with the characteristics of each such as absurdist, realist and feminist drama. After introducing the genres, I will give a brief analysis of the plays and the playwrights we have studied in class. Finally, I will make a few objective points about my personal performance, the instructor’s performance and the contribution of the course to my academic career. Drama is a literary work generally performed by actors in a kind of stage which involves conflicts and action crisis in it with a plot, characters and dialogues. Setting, costuming, props, blocking, movement, gestures, pacing, intonation are main elements of the spectacle. The distinct period in all arts with drama begins in 1960s. Until 1950s, the words American Drama and Broadway have almost same meanings. In the very beginning times of American Drama, plays were not originals; they were wholly borrowed from London. But after 50s, American Drama changed radically. Actors, directors, and others from Broadway came to America, because now they did not have any job there. After they came, they established their own Off-Broadway companies here. The most popular and affection dramatists of time in America were Eugene O’Neill...
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...that included the owners of Greene King Brewery, bankers, and statesmen; his mother was cousin to Robert Louis Stevenson. He was educated at an English School, the head-master of which was his father. His childhood was not at all happy; he describes this period of his life as "…something associated with violence, cruelty, evil across the way". Graham often skipped classes in order to avoid the constant bullying by his fellow classmates. At one point Greene even ran away from home. When Greene began suffering from mental and emotional problems, his parents sent him to London for psychotherapy by a student of the famous Sigmund Freud (1856–1939). Greene actually found the psychoanalysis to be very interesting and remained fascinated by dreams for the rest of his life. While he was living there, Greene developed his love for literature and began to write poetry. In 1922 Greene became a student of Balliol College, Oxford. At the age of twenty-two he became sub-editor on the staff of a newspaper The Nottingham Guardian. It was during this period that his first novel, “The Man Within", was written. As an undergraduate at Oxford College, Greene studied modern history. In 1925, he published his first book, a collection of sentimental poetry called "Babbling April". After graduating, Greene worked as a journalist in Nottingham and in 1926, he converted to Roman Catholicism. Greene married Vivien Dayrell-Browning in 1927 and they had two...
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...For the academic journal, see Criminology (journal). For the Raekwon song, see Criminology (song). Criminology and penology Pentonvilleiso19.jpg Theory[show] Types of crime[show] Penology[show] v t e Sociology Social Network Diagram (segment).svg History Outline Portal Theory Positivism Antipositivism Functionalism Conflict theories Social constructionism Structuralism Interactionism Critical theory Structure and agency Actor-network theory Methods Quantitative Qualitative Historical Mathematical Computational Ethnography Ethnomethodology Network analysis Subfields Conflict Criminology Culture Development Deviance Demography Education Economic Environmental Family Gender Health Industrial Inequality Knowledge Law Literature Medical Military Organizational Political Race & ethnicity Religion Rural Science Social change Social movements Social psychology Stratification STS Technology Urban Browse Bibliography Index Journals Organizations People Timeline v t e Three women in the pillory, China, 1875 Criminology (from Latin crīmen, "accusation"; and Greek -λογία, -logia) is the scientific study of the nature, extent, management, causes, control, consequences, and prevention of criminal behavior, both on the individual and social levels. Criminology is an interdisciplinary field in both the behavioral and social sciences, drawing especially upon the research of sociologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, social anthropologists, as well as scholars of law. ...
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...Deviance is Socially Defined Social deviance is a term that refers to forms of behavior and qualities of persons that others in society devalue and discredit. So what exactly is deviance? In this essay the focus is how deviance is socially defined, not physiological deviations from the expected norm. Deviance is defined as, "The recognized violation of cultural norms." Deviance is an act of rebellion against set of rules, and expected behavior established by a certain society (Macionis, 2008). Deviance however is defined in many different ways. It is depended on the norms of the society, and region. Individuals become deviant when people label their actions as deviance. It depends on how that society defines deviance on individuals. The institution of rules and breaking rules in society is determined by strong social powers. Such stigma leads to social inequality in our society. Sociologists Theories Sociologists however defines deviance as behavior that violates an essential social norm. Deviants are people who go beyond the limits of socially acceptable behavior. Although the definition of deviance is simple, deviant acts in real life are hard to turn down. No single act, not even taking another person's life is forbidden at all times in any human society. Deviance is relative. What is deviant behavior in one place may be acceptable in another place. Different cultures have different levels of social order and control, therefore making what can be seen as...
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...tells the story of Ronald 'Ron' Keith Williamson of Ada, Oklahoma, a former minor league baseball player who was wrongly convicted in 1988 for the rape and murder of Debra Sue Carter in Ada and was sentenced to death. After serving 11 years on death row, he was exonerated by DNA evidence and other material introduced by the Innocence Project and was released in 1999. Contents * 1 Synopsis * 2 Book edition * 3 References * 4 External links | Synopsis Ron Williamson has returned to his hometown of Ada, Oklahoma after multiple failed attempts to play for various minor league baseball teams, including the Fort Lauderdale Yankees and two farm teams owned by the Oakland A's. An elbow injury inhibited his chances to progress. His big dreams were not enough to overcome the odds (less than 10 percent) of making it to a big league game. His failures lead to, or aggravate, his depression and problem drinking.[1] Early in the morning of December 8, 1982, the body of Debra Sue Carter, a 21-year-old cocktail waitress, was found in the bedroom of her garage apartment in Ada. She had been beaten, raped and suffocated. After five years of false starts and shoddy police work by the Ada police department, Williamson—along with his "drinking buddy", Dennis Fritz—were...
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...became the object of law enforcement’s suspicion and was charged with the murders. The case was brought to trial and with seemingly solid physical evidence the prosecution went into attack mode painting a picture that was supposed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Simpson was guilty of premeditated murder. However, having a “Dream Team” defense, as it was called proved to be far more beneficial to Simpson that anyone I this nation would have ever thought. The defense lawyers used mechanisms such as racial profiling and police corruption to mangle the prosecution’s case and discredit every piece of information that was once presumed viable. The trial deliberations grabbed the attention of almost every American and for the duration people stayed glued to the television awaiting the verdict. What was the crime the defendant was alleged to have committed? What are the elements of that crime? Orenthal James (O. J.) Simpson, the defendant, was allegedly convicted on two counts of murder charges of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Lyle Goldman. There were several elements regarding these crimes. “By definition, a crime has two basic elements: The guilty mind and the guilty act.” (Crawford, 2012). In the criminal...
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