Section 2 :: Theories of Deviance

By now you have had a chance to get to know some of the theories of deviance. These theories hope to explain why some groups are more or less likely to commit crimes, or be involved in deviance, than other groups. While we do not cover all of the theories in this class, we hit some of the big ones, like:

• Strain Theory
• Differential Association Theory (Social Learning Theory)
  
• Control Theory
• Labeling Theory
• Shaming Theory
• Conflict Theory
• Feminist Theories

For January 31, you will be reading about Conflict Theory. You will read the article by Richard Quinney, as well as an article from Jeffrey Reiman called "The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison." If you like that article, consider reading his entire book of the same name--a great read! As you will read, there is a consequence of being poor when it comes to navigating the criminal justice system. As Reiman explains, at every step of the system, being poor is a great disadvantage. The article by Eligan provides an example of this: what it is like for the poor to navigate the bail system.

Required:

• Conflict Theory - Quinney (in your textbook)
  
• The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison - Reiman (available on Angel)
  
• For Poor, Bail System Can Be an Obstacle to Freedom - Eligan

For February 2, you will be reading about Feminist Theory in criminology. Of course there is not just one type of feminism, nor is there just one theory of feminism when it comes to criminology. Feminists have impacted the field of criminology in countless ways by pushing the discipline to look at the different life experiences of women when discussing crime. Before feminism and feminist theory, the field (as most were) was entirely dominated by men, and they primarily studied men, but assumed their theories would apply to women as well. Feminism did not just broaden research to include women, but also led us to a greater understanding how race and class impact offending, and how race, class and gender all interact. Thank you feminism!

For this day, you will be reading one of my absolute favorite, most inspiring articles from all of criminology, which is the one by Mary Gilfus. I can't wait to hear what you think! To accompany this, you will read a relatively recent piece about women that work in the sex industry. You will also have the article in your textbook from one of the important feminist scholars, Kathleen Daly. You will also check out a blog from a woman that has been labeled as a felon; spend some time looking around, and see how this label has impacted her life.

Required:

• Feminist Theory - Daly (in your textbook)
• From Victims to Survivors to Offenders - Gilfus (available on Angel)
  
• What It's Like to be 17 and Having Sex For Money - Sher
• Ex Felon Girl (blog - spend time looking around!)