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Deviance and Social Control

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90flRr7T7As

This YouTube video discusses how we define and control deviance

1. Why is prison considered an ineffective form of social control?
    

Positive Deviants

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8J4fc3XyV4

Monique Sternin gives this talk at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. The topic of the discussion is Positive deviance (PD) which is an approach to behavioral and social change.

1. Do you find positive deviance a viable answer to solving social problems?
    
2. Can you identify a problem on campus that could be addressed using positive deviance?
    
3. Identify 3 major limitations to the use of positive deviance.
    

Trump and the Power Of Innuendo

Audio Link: http://www.npr.org/2016/03/29/472232836/donald-trump-s-word-choices-parsed-by-fans-and-critics

Sarah McCammon discusses how Donald Trump has pushed the boundaries of acceptable political speech.

1. Donald Trump stated that “only a deviant” would interpret his statements about Meghan Kelly as reported. What gives certain people the authority and/or power to define deviance?
    

College Course Lumps Homosexuality, Rape, Murder

Audio Link: http://www.npr.org/2012/09/10/160763549/college-course-lumps-homosexuality-rape-murder

1. Should homosexuality continue to be labeled as deviant behavior?
    

The Sociological Imagination

Web Link: http://sociologicalimagination.org/archives/14301

The Sociological Imagination is an online space for public sociology.

1. What are some of the obstacles to developing the sociological imagination?
    

The Impact of the Internet on Deviant Behavior

Web Link: http://sites.duke.edu/ihss/files/2011/12/IRW-Literature-Reviews-Deviance-and-the-Internet.pdf

The Institute of Homeland Security Solutions is managed by Duke University. This web article discusses how the internet has enabled individuals with common beliefs to find each other and reinforce their deviant conduct. 

1. Name the two unique opportunities that the internet provides for deviant behavior.
    
2. What are the three areas of deviant behavior that have been the focus of research?
    
3. What makes the internet well suited to support deviant behaviors and lifestyles?

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Body Modification

Taboo: Marks of Identity (Full Video 47:08)

Video Link: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/taboo/episodes/body-modification1/

This National Geographic Production journeys around the world to examine notions and indicators of identity that are as varied as the cultures that produce them. This video shows how geography shapes how an individual negotiates their appearance within society.

1. Do you feel that we have a choice in how we present our outward appearance to the world?
    
2. Identify ways that your appearance complies or deviates from our cultural norms?
    
3. After viewing this video do you believe that it is simply human nature to hold up a mask?

Reference:

Taboo: Marks of identity [Video file]. (2004). In Films On Demand. Retrieved May 7, 2016, fromhttp://fod.infobase.com.proxy-calu.klnpa.org/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=103051&xtid=40835

Modern Polygamy: Arizona Mormon Fundamentalists Seek to Shed Stereotypes

Video Link: http://abcnews.go.com/US/modern-polygamy-arizona-mormon-fundamentalists-seek-shed-stereotypes/story?id=19322087

The polygamist lifestyle is illegal in all 50 states, but residents of Centennial Park say they allowed our cameras into their home because they want to show just how average and normal their lives are.

1. Is polygamy a degrading and harmful practice that only benefits men, or a misunderstood aspect of American subculture that deserves a break?
    
2. Did this video have an impact on your opinion of polygamy?
    
3. We are a country founded on religious freedom. Do you believe that polygamist have a point when they assert that they should be able to live as they choose?
    

Understanding Elite Deviance

Prezi Presentation: https://prezi.com/srhv0bwtt-zi/understanding-elite-deviance/

McKenzie Lynn uses Prezi online to create and share presentations online.

1. Research has shown that elite deviance (white collar crime) has more of a financial and physical cost than street crime. Why do you think that the crimes of the poor receive harsher penalties than those of the powerful?
    
2. Do you believe that the general public is naïve regarding the seriousness of elite deviance?
    
3. Elite groups are identified as corporations, politicians, etc. Discuss a crime committed by an elite group and the eventual consequences of the behavior.
    

The Paternity-Leave Stigma

Audio Link: http://www.wnyc.org/story/paternity-leave-stigma/

When working women have children, they often suffer from the "motherhood penalty" - lower salaries, fewer promotions and less responsibility. New studies show men who take paternity leave often suffer the same fate. Claire Cain Miller, New York Times reporter for The Upshot, discusses that while the stigma of dads taking paternity leave remains, the benefits to parents and children are many.

1. Do you think that our society is hypocritical when we say that we want women to be equal to men, yet stigmatize fathers who take paternity leave?
    

CrazyBoards.org

Web Link: http://www.crazyboards.org/forums/

A forum and support site for people with mental illnesses.

1. Self harm is viewed as deviant. Do you think cites like CrazyBoards help or harm those suffering from mental illness?
    

Youth subcultures: what are they now?

Web Link: http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/mar/20/youth-subcultures-where-have-they-gone

This web article reviews the past decades and the associated subcultures of our youth. Using the examples of Mods, punks, soulboys, metallers, goths, hippies the author asserts that there was a time when young people made it clear what tribe and music they were into by the way they dressed.  Author Alexis Petridis submits that he 20th-century idea of a youth subculture is now just outmoded.

1. Do you agree or disagree with the author that youth subcultures are not as clearly defined as they once were?
    
2. This article was based upon British youth culture; do you think that it applies to the United States?

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FBI: Blacks more often targeted in hate crimes

Video Link: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/fbi-blacks-often-targeted-hate-crimes/

Hari Sreenivasan, PBS Newshour weekend anchor interviews Christopher Ingraham of “The Washington Post”. The focus of the interview is FBI versus Bureau of Justice statistics and that although violent crime overall is declining, hate crimes are on the rise.

1. According to Christopher Ingraham of “The Washington Post” which resource is better to use: the FBI statistics or the Bureau of Justice statistics?
    

Insight into the teen-age brain

Video Link: http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/Insight-Into-the-Teenage-Brain;search%3Atag%3A%22tedxyouth-caltech%22

Dr. Adriana Galván is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology and Brain Research Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she is the Director and Principal Investigator of the Developmental Neuroscience Laboratory. In this TEDx Dr. Galván studies the teenage brain and discusses how the teenage brain makes decisions.

1. What is the research design used by Dr. Galván?
    

2. How can this research be applied to the reduction of deviance by teenagers?
    

Why are indictments rare when people of color die in police custody?

Video Link: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/why-are-indictments-rare-when-people-of-color-die-in-police-custody/

A grand jury in Texas has decided to not indict anyone yet in connection with the death of Sandra Bland while in police custody, effectively clearing officials and jail employees of criminal wrongdoing. Jeffrey Brown, a reporter for the PBS News Hour, discusses the case with Molly Hennessy-Fiske of the Los Angeles Times, then Heather Mac Donald of the Manhattan Institute and Brittany Packnett of Campaign Zero

1. Ms. MacDonald and Ms. Packnett both use research to bolster their arguments. Discuss which of these women make the strongest case based upon the research that they cite.
    

Study shows people still love inappropriately referencing Nazis online

Web Link: http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/05/09/477057058/study-shows-people-still-love-inappropriately-referencing-nazis-online

Naomi Lachance of NPR interviews Mike Goodwin from R Street Institute and discusses the research findings that the longer a person engages in online rhetoric, the more likely there is to be a reference to Hitler or the Nazis.

1. Explain the relevance of this information when discussing online deviance.
    

Rising incarceration rate isn’t reducing crime, report says

Audio Link: http://www.npr.org/2016/04/30/476272518/rising-incarceration-rate-isn-t-reducing-crime-says-report

NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Council of Economic Advisors Chief Jason Furman on why longer times in jail do not result in a reduction of crime.

1. What are the statistics Chief Furman uses to support his premise?
    
2. What does Chief Furman attribute to the increase in recidivism after a lengthy prison stay?
    
3. Chief Furman states that there is a high correlation between higher wages and less crime. What does he use to support the logic of this correlation?
    

The Uniform Crime Reports (UCR)

Web Link: https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/ucr

The Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) is the official report of crime in the United States collected by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The UCR is usually the first step for researchers seeking information on crime in the nation.

1. Is UCR participation mandatory?
    
2. Search the website and find what departments the following initials represent:

1. NCIC
    
2. NICS
    
3. CJIS
    
4. FOIA

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Anomie

Web Link: http://thecrankysociologists.com/2013/04/21/durkheim-merton-and-anomie-in-the-wire/

The Cranky Sociologist is a blog compiled by three sociology professors who believe that “if sociology doesn’t make you cranky, you ain’t doing it right”. Using the HBO show “The Wire”(episode “Hamsterdam”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpV18bqN16w and based on the work of Durkheim and Merton, the authors discussion the connection between the level of crime and anomie.

1. How does “Hamsterdam” demonstrate Merton’s definition of anomie?
    

The Mysterious Dark Net

Video Link: http://www.ted.com/talks/jamie_bartlett_how_the_mysterious_dark_net_is_going_mainstream#t-29628

Jamie Bartlett, social media analyst investigates the legal and illegal subcultures of the “dark net”.

1. What is the “dark net”?
    
2. Why is the dark net seen as a subculture?
    

Encore: Author explores the murder of Kitty Genovese

Audio Link: http://www.npr.org/2016/04/05/473139319/encore-author-explores-the-murder-of-kitty-genovese

Audie Cornish, NPR host, interviews Kevin Cook, author of "Kitty Genovese: The Murder, The Bystanders, The Crime That Changed America." 

1. How can you connect anomie to the case of Kitty Genovese?
    

Relative Deprivation Approach

Web Link: https://www.boundless.com/sociology/textbooks/boundless-sociology-textbook/social-change-21/social-movements-140/relative-deprivation-approach-771-1936/

1. What is the example used on this website to describe relative deprivation?
    

The Interrupters

Video Link: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/interrupters/

‘The Interrupters’ is a critically acclaimed 2011 documentary telling the story of three Cure Violence workers who try to protect their Chicago communities from the violence they once employed. It examines a year in which Chicago drew national headlines for violence and murder that plagued the city.

“The Interrupters” Educator Guide

Web Link: http://cdn.itvs.org/interrupters-educator-guide.pdf

1. After viewing this video, describe anomie and strain theories in terms of community violence.
    

Can General Strain Theory Explain White-Collar Crime?

Web Link: https://prezi.com/kuolfh2godxr/can-general-strain-theory-explain-white-collar-crime-a-prel/

In this Prezi presentation, Angie Seubert and Kendra Krause compile information to support the connection between general strain theory and white-collar crime.

1. According to Sutherland, what is coupled with strain to foster white-collar crime?

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Architect of “Broken Windows” Defends His Theory

Web Link: http://www.wnyc.org/story/revisiting-broken-windows-theory/

The Cranky Sociologist is a blog compiled by three sociology professors who believe that “if sociology doesn’t make you cranky, you ain’t doing it right”. Using the HBO show “The Wire”(episode “Hamsterdam”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpV18bqN16w and based on the work of Durkheim and Merton, the authors discussion the connection between the level of crime and anomie.

1. How does “Hamsterdam” demonstrate Merton’s definition of anomie?
    

Crime and Place

Web Link: http://crimeandplaceashleypick.weebly.com/concentric-zones.html

Ashley Pick created a web page specifically focused on the theories regarding crime and where crime is committed.

1. Describe concentric circles.
    
2. Ernest Burgess proposed concentric circles in 1928, do you think that it is still applicable?
    
3. Review the website and discuss some of the other theories presented regarding crime and the places that crime is committed.
    

Baltimore: The Anatomy of an American City

Video Link http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/faultlines/2012/08/20128218333383106.html

Fault Lines’ Sebastian Walker spends time with those on the front lines of the failed drug war to understand some fundamental dynamics of race, poverty, incarceration and economic truths in the US.

1. Co-creator of the HBO series “The Wire” states that it’s not a “war on drugs but a war on black people”. How does this video support his statement?
    
2. What are some of the misplace priorities that the filmmakers express in the video?
    
3. Discuss the contrast between the speech of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and what is presented in this video. How do you explain the differences?
    

Community Correlates of Rural Youth Violence

Web Link: https://www.ncjrs.gov/html/ojjdp/193591/contents.html#acknowledge

D. Wayne Osgood, Ph.D., is Professor in the Crime, Law, and Justice Program of Pennsylvania State University's Department of Sociology. Jeff M. Chambers, M.A., is Research Manager in the Center on Children, Families, and the Law at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln discuss social disorganization theory in the context of juvenile crime in rural areas.

1. What are the conclusions of this research and how do they support the assumptions of social disorganization theory?
    

Urban shootings are on the rise, but officials fail to pinpoint a cause

Audio Link: http://www.npr.org/2015/08/04/429386013/urban-shootings-are-on-the-rise-but-officials-fail-to-pinpoint-a-cause

NPR's Audie Cornish talks to Atlanta Police Chief George Turner to discuss the increase of shooting in major metropolitan areas.

1. Name the challenges Chief Turner states exist for both the perpetrators and victims of homicide?
    
2. Using social disorganization theory, how do you explain the increase of urban homicides?
    

Separate and Unequal

Video Link: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/separate-and-unequal/

This PBS Frontline documentary addresses the growing inequality of our school system.

1. Discuss ways that the school system contributes to social disorganization.
    
2. Identify the reasons why our schools are “separate and unequal”
    
3. How does a lack of education contribute to criminal deviance.
    

Separate is not equal

Web Link: http://americanhistory.si.edu/brown/resources/teachers-guide.html

This web link is to the teachers’ guide which will help students build a deeper understanding of the struggle for social justice leading up to and following the Court’s ruling on the Brown case, and the decision’s impact on today’s society.

1. Review Unit Two: The Battleground: Separate and Unequal Education and then apply “broken windows” to the pictures of the Black vs. the White schools.

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Alice Goffman: How we are priming some kids for college-and others for prison

Video  Link: http://www.ted.com/talks/alice_goffman_college_or_prison_two_destinies_one_blatant_injustice

Alice Goffman discusses how our social structure primes some youth for college and others for prison.

1. Alice Goffman describes how she saw kids play in poor neighborhoods. How does social learning theory apply to what she witnessed?
    

Social Learning and Violence in the Media

Web Link: https://prezi.com/chk8nflxifbj/social-learning-theory-and-violence-in-the-media/

This Prezi created by Nikki Karaniuk presents an overview of social learning theory, the contradictory research, and the conclusions based on the research.

1. Identify the 4 steps of social learning
    
2. What are some of the factors that make someone vulnerable to media violence?
    

Middle-Class Immigrant Family Says Greed Is Eclipsing the American Dream

Audio Link: http://www.npr.org/2016/05/01/476346681/middle-class-immigrant-family-says-greed-is-eclipsing-the-american-dream

NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with business owners Manolo Betancur and Zhenia Martinez. They own Las Delicias Bakery in Charlotte, N.C.

1. In this interview, how is the American Dream defined?
    
2. Explain how greed is eclipsing the American Dream.
    

Philip Zimbardo: The demise of guys?

Video Link: http://www.ted.com/talks/zimchallenge/transcript?language=en

Psychologist Philip Zimbardo discusses why men prefer the company of men and the impact this is having on their lives and interactions with women.

1. Explain from the differential association and social learning perspectives how Philip Zimbardo’s thesis on how boys interest are impacting their relationships with women?
    

How cultures around the world make decisions

Web Link: http://ideas.ted.com/how-cultures-around-the-world-make-decisions/

Ideas.Ted.Com is a web site that covers the world of ideas from the same people that bring you Ted Talks. On this page, Amy S. Choi presents ideas regarding various cultures and their values and beliefs. Ms. Choi notes that in America we value autonomy and choice, the Amish value belonging, and Asian cultures value interdependence and harmony.

1. Do you support the idea that American’s support choice?
    
2. Give examples on how Americans support nonconformity (cultural deviance).
    
3. Give examples on how Americans support conformity.
    

Teach with Movies

Web Link: http://www.teachwithmovies.org/#

TeachWithMovies.com is the premiere site on the Internet showing teachers how to create lesson plans using movies and film. The assignment section is especially helpful for teachers wishing to use the movies in the classroom

To Kill a Mockingbird:

Web Link: http://www.teachwithmovies.org/guides/to-kill-a-mockingbird.html

1. This movie was made in 1962, during the civil rights era. The word “nigger” is freely used, however on this website it is noted that it might be a problem. What problems might arise as a result of showing this movie in the classroom?
    
2. Using social learning theory and differential association, explain the use of derogatory sexist and racist language and how these terms contribute to our notions of deviance. Give examples.

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Criminals explain how they justify their crimes to themselves

Web  Link: http://www.vice.com/read/how-criminals-justify-crimes-psychology-gangsters-uk

VICE is the world’s leading youth media company specializing in creating, distributing, and monetizing original content globally. In this article, Nick Chester speaks with “reformed gangsters” and asks them how they left crime behind and how they justified their criminal behaviors.

1. Using Sykes and Matza’s theory of neutralization, discuss how the former criminals justified their criminal behaviour.
    

The Social Control Theory

Web Link: http://forensicpsychology.umwblogs.org/organized-crime/the-social-control-theory/

On the website  The History of Forensic Psychology blogger Megan Ortiz explains social control theory and posts a video explaining the concept.

1. What is the central question of social control theory?
    
2. Explain how this theory pertains to white-collar crime.
    

Camp Cadet

Web Link: http://www.psp.pa.gov/public-safety/Pages/Camp-Cadet-Summer-Program.aspx#.VznoLb41TIU

Video Link: http://wnep.com/2014/06/25/kids-learn-law-enforcement-at-camp-cadet/

Sponsored by the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) Camp Cadet is a summer camp for boys and girls from Pennsylvania between the ages of 12 to 15. he goal of Camp Cadet is to introduce participants to the diverse criminal justice system and establish a positive relationship with law enforcement personnel.

1. Using social bond theory, explain the benefits of Camp Cadet.
    

The key to success: Grit

Video Link: http://www.ted.com/talks/angela_lee_duckworth_the_key_to_success_grit

In this TedTalk Angela Lee Duckworth, psychologist, explains that it is not IQ or social intelligence that is the key to success but the passion and perseverance (grit) for very long-term goals.

1. Explain how “grit” applies to social control theory.
    

For kids, self control factors into future success

Audio Link: http://www.npr.org/2011/02/14/133629477/for-kids-self-control-factors-into-future-success

NPR’s Nancy Shute interviews Terrie Moffitt, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University about the role of self control and predicting children’s future success.

1. At what age does a child have to demonstrate self-control in order to insure a happy and healthy life?
    

Rape is a crime in India-but there are exceptions

Web Link:  http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2016/04/13/473966857/rape-is-a-crime-in-india-with-one-exception

Chhavi Sachdev explains that while rape is illegal in India, India is one of 49 nations that does not criminalize marital rape.

1. Which theory or theories of neutralization apply to why husbands in India can legally rape their wives?

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KING: White men killed more American police than any other group this year, but conservatives won't address the facts

Web Link: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/king-cops-killed-white-men-conservatives-silent-article-1.2632965

Shaun King, reporter for the New York Daily News reports on the statistics regarding cop killers. In this article he notes that 71% of the officers shot have been shot by white men. He notes that they were not “murdered by black men with cornrows or hoodies”

1. What are the labels associated with black men with cornrows or hoodies?
    
2. Does the statistic regarding who is murdering police officers surprising? Explain.
    

Chasing Heroin

Video Link: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/chasing-heroin/

With the rise of heroin deaths in the white community, this two hour documentary illuminates the changes in policies and rhetoric with regard to the heroin epidemic.

1. Compare and contrast the response to heroin addiction in the suburbs compared to the response in the inner-city, minority communities.
    
2. Discuss the application of labeling theory to the people who are heroin addicts.
    

How States are moving to police bad cops 

Web Link: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/how-states-are-moving-to-police-bad-cops/

Sarah Childress Senior Digital Reporter, FRONTLINE Enterprise Journalism Group reports on how states are moving to revoke the licenses of corrupt police officers so that they cannot work in criminal justice again.

1. How do minority communities label police officers?
    
2. What does “blackball” mean and why is their reluctance to create a “blackball list”?
    
3. Why do you think that as a system we have supported a troubled officer moving to another city to find employment?
    
4. Why do smaller police departments hire troubled officers who have been dismissed from larger departments?
    

Sexually transmitted diseases in older adults

Web Link: http://www.benrose.org/Resources/article-stds-older-adults.cfm

The Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging is a national leader pursuing innovation in practice and policy to address the important issues of aging. As a champion for older adults, Benjamin Rose works to advance their health, independence and dignity. In this article they discuss the rise of STD’s in the elderly.

1. Considering how society labels the elderly, explain how the facts of this article are surprising?
    

Juvenile Incarceration Rates Are Down; Racial Disparities Rise 

Audio Link: http://www.npr.org/2015/01/02/374511130/juvenile-incarceration-rates-are-down-racial-disparities-rise-dramatically

NPR justice correspondent Carrie Johnson discusses the rise in young women being detained with Marc Schindler runs the Justice Policy Institute in Washington, Liz Ryan works to reduce youth incarceration rates at Youth First Initiative and Elizabeth Cauffman of the University of California at Irvine

1. How does Dr. Cauffman describe the “criminalization of adolescence”?
    
2. What role does romance play with adolescents and criminality?
    
3. How can you apply labeling theory to the information in this article?
    

Related Video: Elizabeth Cauffman on Juvenile Justice - UC Irvine

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNYX_ZsCut4

The top 10 right wing freak outs over trans rights

Web Link: http://sites.duke.edu/ihss/files/2011/12/IRW-Literature-Reviews-Deviance-and-the-Internet.pdf

LGBTQ Nation is an online news magazine, reporting on issues relevant to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer community. In this article, Brynn Tannehill discusses why conservatives are upset about the laws regarding transgender use of bathrooms.

1. Discuss the ways that transgender people are characterized in this article.
    
2. Do you think that any of the labels placed on transgender people are justified? Explain.
    
3. How has the transgender bathroom issues caused problems for straight women? Discuss in terms of labeling theory.
    

Related Video: Texas Woman Harassed For Using The Women’s Restroom

Video Link: http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2016/04/30/3774237/man-stops-woman-from-using-womens-bathroom/

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There was no wave of compassion when addicts were hooked on crack

Video Link: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/there-was-no-wave-of-compassion-when-addicts-were-hooked-on-crack/

Faced with a rising national wave of opioid addiction and its consequences, families, law enforcement and political leaders around the nation are linking arms to save souls. But 30 years ago, it was a different story. Ekow Yankah, a Cardozo School of Law professor, reflects on how race affects our national response to drug abuse.

1. What is institutional racism?
    

Do cops in schools know how to police kids?

Video Link: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/do-cops-in-schools-know-how-to-police-kids/

Sarah Childress, senior digital reporter Frontline Enterprise Journalism Group reviews a string of videos depicting officers using force on young students.

1. What is an SRO?
    
2. What is considered a crime in the classroom?
    
3. Give examples of a disciplinary versus criminal matters in the classroom.
    

Separate and unequal

Video Link: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/separate-and-unequal/

Sixty years after the Supreme Court declared separate schools for black and white children unconstitutional, school segregation is making a comeback.

1. Apply Marxist and or Conflict Theory to school segregation?
    

Assault on Gay America: the life and death of Billy Jack Gaither

Video Link: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/assault/

Related Web link: The Invention of Heterosexuality

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/assault/context/katzhistory.html

1. How did heterosexuality become “normal”?
    

Marxism and Crime

Web Link: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/sociology/crime-and-deviance/marxism-and-crime/

Chris Trueman BA (Hons), MA set up www.historylearningsite.co.uk in 2000 as he felt there was no easily accessible and comprehensive website on World History on the web. The site has grown in popularity and is now viewed by hundreds of thousands of people each month from around the world.

1. According to Marxists how does capitalist economic system generate crime?
    
2. Who do Marxists believe are targeted by the police?
    

Why a group’s power dynamics interferes with collaboration

Audio Link: http://www.npr.org/2016/03/11/470040275/why-a-groups-power-dynamics-interferes-with-collaboration

Host David Greene is joined by NPR's social science correspondent Shankar Vendantam to discuss how power makes it difficult for leaders to cooperate with each other. The focus of the discussion is the research done by Angus Hildreth, he's at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, and along with Cameron Anderson

1. What are some of the outcomes noted when powerful people are put into groups?
    
2. How have organizations resolved the problem of the group power dynamic?

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Obama’s Harvard law professor challenged U.S. racism

Video Link: http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/09/election/2012/derrick-bell-profile/index.html

Conservative activist Andrew Breitbart argues that the hope and change promoted by Obama during his 2008 campaign was actually a call for class warfare and racial division. He further submits that Obama’s worldview was influenced by his Harvard professor Derrick Bell.

1. Who is Derrick Bell?
    
2. Do you think the video of President Obama introducing Professor Bell supports Andrew Breitbart’s accusations?
    
3. Andrew Breitbart stated that Derrick Bell was “anti white”. Do you think that if you support a particular position (pro Black, pro female, pro LGBTQ) that you are totally against the opposite position? Explain.
    

Sexual abuse to prison pipeline: the girls story

Web Link: http://forwomen.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/documents_Sexual-Abuse-to-Prison-Pipeline-The-Girls-Story-2015.pdf

The Ms. Foundation for Women is the first and largest US women’s foundation. Since their founding in 1972, they have supported grassroots organizations across the country to sustain and amplify the vision and voice of women who area leading change in their communities, particularly low-income women, women of color and young women. We focus on three pillars — women’s health, economic justice and safety — in order to fulfill their mission: to build women’s collective power to realize a nation of justice for all. For more information seewww.forwomen.org.

This report exposes the ways in which we criminalize girls — especially girls of color — who have been sexually and physically abused, and it offers policy recommendations to dismantle the abuse to prison pipeline. It illustrates the pipeline with examples, including the detention of girls who are victims of sex trafficking, girls who run away or become truant because of abuse they experience, and girls who cross into juvenile justice from the child welfare system.

1. What is an ACE’s?
    
2. What is JJDPA?
    
3. What are status offenses?
    
4. Upon review of the recommendations to rectify the situation, identify one that can be a) easily implemented and b) immediately effective.
    

Growing up trans

Audio Link: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/listen-to-growing-up-trans/

Video Link: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/growing-up-trans/

In Growing Up Trans, FRONTLINE takes viewers on an intimate and eye-opening journey inside the struggles and choices facing transgender kids and their families.

1. The age limits, which used to say 18, now are 16. At what age do you think parents should allow their children to start the transgender process?
    

Those cops claiming victimization: They’re exaggerating

Web Link: http://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2015/11/those_cops_claiming_victimizat.html

Syndicated Columnist Cynthia Tucker submits this op-ed piece for the PennLive a part of the PA Media Group which is a digitally-focused media company located in central Pennsylvania.

1. Explain how FBI Director James Corney’s remarks are “ill-considered”.
    
2. How does Cynthia Tucker relate the actions of the South Carolina school resource officer to the remarks of Director Corney.
    

Sanford Biggers an artists unflinching look at racial violence

Video Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/sanford_biggers_an_artist_s_unflinching_look_at_racial_violence

Conceptual artist and TED Fellow Sanford Biggers uses painting, sculpture, video and performance to spark challenging conversations about the history and trauma of black America.

1. Do you think that Sanford Biggers achieved his goal of providing a safe space to talk about difficult issues?
    

My road trip through the whitest towns in America

Video Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/rich_benjamin_my_road_trip_through_the_whitest_towns_in_america

As America becomes more and more multicultural, Rich Benjamin noticed a phenomenon: Some communities were actually getting less diverse. So he got out a map, found the whitest towns in the USA — and moved in. In this funny, honest, human talk, he shares what he learned as a black man in Whitopia.

1. What is “Whitopia”?
    
2. Why did Mr. Benjamin emphasize that he rented a home “by phone”?
    
3. According to the author, why do people desire to reside in an all white community?

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What I learned as a kid in jail

Video Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/ismael_nazario_what_i_learned_as_a_kid_in_jail?language=en

 

As a teenager, Ismael Nazario was sent to New York’s Rikers Island jail, where he spent 300 days in solitary confinement -- all before he was ever convicted of a crime. Now as a prison reform advocate he works to change the culture of American jails and prisons, where young people are frequently subjected to violence beyond imagination. Nazario tells his chilling story and suggests ways to help, rather than harm, teens in jail.

1. Do you agree with Ismael Nazario that the age of criminal responsibility should be fixed at 18 years old?
    

A System of Racial and Social Control

Web Link: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/michelle-alexander-a-system-of-racial-and-social-control/

Michelle Alexander is the author of the bestseller The New Jim Crow, and a civil-rights advocate, lawyer, legal scholar and professor. She spoke with FRONTLINE about how the war on drugs spawned a system dedicated to mass incarceration, and what it means for America today. This is the edited transcript of an interview conducted on Sept. 5, 2013.

1. Why does Michelle Alexander state that mass incarceration is social control?
    

Federal District Judge Upholds North Carolina's Sweeping Voter ID Law

Audio Link: http://www.npr.org/2016/04/26/475773206/federal-district-judge-upholds-north-carolinas-sweeping-voter-id-law

A federal district judge upheld North Carolina's new voting law, including requirements that voters show a government-issued photo ID at the polls and only vote in the correct precinct.

1. Define “disenfranchised”.
    
2. How do voter ID laws cause people to become disenfranchised?
    
3. Who benefits from voter ID laws?
    

Civil Commitment of Sexually Violent Predators

Web Link: http://www.doc.wa.gov/community/sexoffenders/civilcommitment.asp

The Washington State Department of Corrections manages all state–operated adult prisons and supervises adult offenders who live in the community.

1. Define “civil commitment”.
    
2. What requirements must be met to determine that a person is a sexually violent predator?
    

3. Once determined a sexually violent predator, how often must their case be reviewed?
    

Related Article: How 'civil commitment' enables indefinite detention of sex offenders

Web Link: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/26/civil-commitment-sex-offenders

The Guardian is a British national daily newspaper. It was founded by mill-owners in 1821 in reaction to the closure of the radical workers' newspaper Manchester Observer.

1. What are the reasons that civil commitment laws need to be reformed?
    

Characteristics of Total Institutions: Goffman on the Prison Experience

Web Link: https://prezi.com/io2ncyvqcaeh/characteristics-of-total-institutions-goffman-on-the-prison-experience/

Jeremy Baarbé uses Prezi to discuss prison as a total institution as per Erving Goffman.

1. Define “total institution”
    
2. Does Goffman's work on total institutions apply to today's prison experience? 
    

Social Contract

Web Link: http://americanhistory.about.com/od/usconstitution/g/social_contract.htm

About.com is a website where you  get trusted answers directly from someone who knows what they’re talking about. We have more than 1.5 million pieces of content written by our Experts across 1,000 different topics.

1. Define “social contract”
    
2. Discuss the connection between social contract and deviance.

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NYPD Reportedly Wants To Ban "Career Criminals" From Subways

Web Link: http://gothamist.com/2016/01/30/nypd_reportedly_wants_to_ban_career.php

The NYPD reportedly wants to issue the worst offenders an order of protection barring them from entering MTA property—if someone was caught breaking the order, they could then be arrested immediately.

1. In banning career criminals, what types of criminals would be banned?
    

Crime scars: Recessions and the making of career criminals

Web Link: http://voxeu.org/article/recessions-and-making-career-criminals

Voxeu is Centre for Economic Policy Research’s (CEPR) policy portal – was set up in June 2007 to promote the dissemination of research-based policy analysis and commentary by leading economists. The intended audience is economists in governments, international organizations, academia and the private sector as well as journalists specializing in economics, finance and business as economics students. This article explores the impact that recession has on youth, youth employment and crime.

1. What is typically the result of recession?
    
2. Why is it the youth who graduate during a recession more likely to be involved in crime?
    
3. Give examples of a disciplinary versus criminal matters in the classroom.
    

Career criminal accused of living in home rent-free for 5 years

Web Link: http://www.cbs46.com/story/25081627/career-criminal-accused-of-living-in-home-rent-free-for-five-years

This is a news article regarding a convicted felon has lived rent-free for nearly five years in a half-million dollar home, according to court records and neighbors in the upscale Cherokee County community.

1. Is Phyllis Peterson a career criminal or would you say that she has embarked on a criminal career? Support your answer.
    

Ruling: Cut sentences for “career criminal”

Web Link: http://www.tbo.com/news/crime/ruling-cut-sentences-for-career-criminals-20160306/

This article by Elaine Silvestrini, reported for the Tampa Bay Times reports on the Supreme Court ruling regarding the federal definition of “career criminal”

1. How did the federal prosecutors define career criminal?
    
2. What did the Supreme Court determine regarding the federal definition of career criminal?
    
3. What impact has that the Supreme Court ruling had on criminals already convicted under this law?
    

Investigating Charlotte's career criminals

Video Link: http://www.wbtv.com/story/31867663/investigating-charlottes-career-criminals

WBTV interviews the Police Chief, Sheriff, and District Attorney who discusses the frustration of dealing with repeat offenders.

Time line of arrest in Mecklenburg County:http://ftpcontent4.worldnow.com/wbtv/pdf/101%20Guide%20to%20Getting%20Arrested%20in%20Meck%20Co.pdf

1. What is the primary concern of the Chief?
    

Criminal Career Patterns

Web Link: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/242545.pdf

This bulletin discusses the criminal careers of offenders, specifically the links between offending patterns in adolescence and in adulthood. This bulletin is a product of the National Institute of Justice and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention are components of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the Office for Victims of Crime; and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART).

1. How does this bulletin define “prevalence”?
    
2. When does prevalence peek?
    
3. What have studies determined as the average length of a criminal career? How should this information impact long-term sentences?

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Sex Trafficking and LGBTQ Youth

Web Link: http://polarisproject.org/sites/default/files/LGBTQ-Sex-Trafficking.pdf

Polaris is a leader in the global fight to eradicate modern slavery. Named after the North Star that guided slaves to freedom in the U.S., Polaris systemically disrupts the human trafficking networks that rob human beings of their lives and their freedom. Our comprehensive model puts victims at the center of what we do – helping survivors restore their freedom, preventing more victims, and leveraging data and technology to pursue traffickers wherever they operate. This article focuses on the sex trafficking of LGBTQ youth.

1. What is the percentage of homeless youth who are LGBTQ compared to the general population?
    
2. Why are LGBTQ youth more vulnerable to sex trafficking?
    

Is the U.S. “Failing” Migrant Children Fleeing Violence?

Video Link: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/do-cops-in-schools-know-how-to-police-kids/

Sarah Childress, senior digital reporter Frontline Enterprise Journalism reports on human trafficking of the teens fleeing the chaotic violence in Central America — primarily Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.

1. How do these youth end up in the hands of the traffickers?
    
2. Why are the traffickers interested in this particular population?
    
3. Describe how we are failing migrant children.
    

Sex slaves in SoCal: LAPD shifts approach to help human trafficking victims

Video Link: http://abc7.com/news/sex-slaves-in-socal-lapd-shifts-approach-to-help-victims/1199313/

This is a news report from the local ABC channel regarding the prevalence of the sex trade in Los Angeles and law enforcements response.

1. What is the average age of commercial sex trafficking?
    
2. What response does LAPD have to human trafficking victims?
    

Related web site: http://journeyout.org/

Journey Out is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit leading the fight for the freedom and survival of all those whose lives have been destroyed by sex trafficking or commercial sexual exploitation.

Norwegian Prisons

Video Link: http://www.vice.com/video/norwegian-prisons

Related web link: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-look-back-at-the-norway-massacre/

VICE is the world’s leading youth media company specializing in creating, distributing, and monetizing original content globally. In this video, Ryan Duffy discusses with prison officials how and why Norway’s prison system is structured as it is.

1. What are the possible sentences for the worst offenders in Norway?
    
2. What is the rationale for the structure of Norway’s prison system?
    
3. Reviewing the related web link regarding Anders Behring Breivik do you feel that justice will be served in a Norwegian prison?
    

Cybercrime

Web Link http://www.interpol.int/Crime-areas/Cybercrime/Cybercrime

INTERPOL is the world’s largest international police organization, with 190 member countries.

Their role is to enable police around the world to work together to make the world a safer place. Their high-tech infrastructure of technical and operational support helps meet the growing challenges of fighting crime in the 21st century.

1. Name and define the two types of cyber crime identified by Interpol?
    

Jimmy Carter: Why I believe the mistreatment of women is the number one human rights abuse

Video Link:https://www.ted.com/talks/jimmy_carter_why_i_believe_the_mistreatment_of_women_is_the_number_one_human_rights_abuse/transcript?language=en

In this TedTalk former president Jimmy Carter discusses how religion has contributed globally to the abuse of women.

1. How do people interpret the Bible to justify the mistreatment of women?
    
2. What are some of some of the abuses that concern President Carter the most?