SOCA02H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 21: Arson, Labeling Theory
Document Summary
Deviance occurs when someone departs from a norm and evokes a negative reaction from others. Crime is a deviance that is against the law. Law is a norm stipulated and enforced by government bodies. Informal punishment involves a mild sanction that is imposed during face-to-face interaction, not by the judicial system. Stigmatized people who are stigmatized are negatively evaluated because of a marker that distinguishes them from others and that is labelled as socially unacceptable. Formal punishment takes place when the judicial system penalizes someone for breaking the law. Social diversions are minor acts of deviance that are generally perceived as relatively harmless. They evoke, at most, a mild societal reaction, such as amusement or disdain. Social deviations are non-criminal departures from norms that are nonetheless subject to official control. Some members of the public regard them as being in some ways harmful, while other members of the public do not.
