3 QUESTIONS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE and deviance - Coursework Example

Criminal Justice {Unit – of of Does the concept of the “American Dream” contribute to the frequency of deviance in US society? According to Simon (2008), the American Dream is referred to as a broad cultural attribute that consists of a dedication to the goal of material wealth, to be pursued by every citizen in the society with the existence of open individual competition. The American Dream can only be achieved if some values, such as individualism, universalism, achievement orientation, and the fetishism of money, prevail in the society (Simon, 2008).

It is apparent from the American Dream that the American citizens need to be determined to achieve material wealth, and that they should be aware of the failure. When individuals are aware of uncertainties, they can design techniques to protect themselves (Briggs & Friedman, 2009). The desire to acquire substantial material wealth has lead many Americans achieve success through fraud and force, which has been considered smart for many years (Simon, 2008). Therefore, the American culture has assigned significant social importance to the formation of gangsters, which are aimed at robbing other people of their properties.

It is apparent that the American Dream encourages deviance in the United States society. The American society is considered as comprised of two different populations. One of the two populations is made up of criminals, while the other population is made up of law-abiding individuals (Simon, 2008). The American elites served as role models to average individuals in the society. Therefore, elite deviance has influenced the non-elites to engage in criminal activities without any feeling of guilty (Simon, 2008).

According to elite deviance, it is necessary for individuals to engage in criminal activities when they get an opportunity to do so (Briggs & Friedman, 2009). Inter-organizational cooperation has been involved by the elite deviance for a number of years to perform unethical and illegal acts, such as money laundering (Simon, 2008). Both non-elite and elite deviance are expected to be higher when there is more emphasis on the values that are related to the American Dream than when the culture focuses on values such as team work, spirituality, and community (Simon, 2008). 2. Compare and contrast those who participate in privileged deviance with those who participate in underprivileged deviance.

Thio, Calhoun, & Conyers (2008) define privileged deviance as a very profitable deviance that involved privileged individuals, especially those people who are relatively powerful, well educated, or wealthy. Such individuals take advantage of their high ranks and divert lots of wealth to their bank accounts as well as fund their own projects. Privileged individuals engage themselves in criminal activities such as criminal telemarketing fraud and money laundering (Thio, Calhoun, & Conyers, 2008).

On the other hand, underprivileged deviance is referred to as a deviance that is usually characterized by underprivileged individuals, with powerless and very poor economic background (Thio, Calhoun, & Conyers, 2008). For instance, a street lady may decide to become a member of a gang. In most cases, the underprivileged individuals are forced to reward the old gang members, especially by having sex. The privileged deviance is more profitable than the underprivileged deviance because the latter deals with substantial sums of money and other material properties.

Underprivileged individuals engage themselves in criminal activities such as shoplifting and burglary with an aim of earning their daily living (Thio, Calhoun, & Conyers, 2008). The privileged individuals usually aim at making themselves and their families very rich within a short period of time (Benson & Simpson, 2009). 3. Can the amount of deviance be reduced? Can deviance be eliminated? Is deviance a normal part of a modern society? Both privileged deviance and unprivileged deviance should be reduced or eliminated altogether in a society so that to encourage economic development.

Crimes that involve diversion of money or properties can lead to deprivation of wealth in the sources area, thus negatively interfering with the economy (Clough, 2010). For instance, once the offenders have been recognized, they should face punishment like incarceration in a jail for a long period of time (Moore, 2007). The punishment discourages other citizens from engaging in criminal activities. However, it has been found through research that some criminal offenders such as carjackers do not consider arrest as a threat (Tittle, 2004).

Deviance can be considered as a normal part of the contemporary society. Both privileged deviance and unprivileged deviance have existed in the American society for many years and have continued to exist in the modern society (Thio, Calhoun, & Conyers, 2008). ReferencesBenson, M. L., & Simpson, S. S. (2009). White-collar crime. New York: Routledge. Briggs, S., & Friedman, J. (2009). Criminology for dummies. New York, NY: Wiley.Clough, J. (2010). Principles of cybercrime. New York: Cambridge University Press.Moore, R. I. (2007). The formation of a persecuting society: authority and deviance in Western Europe, 950-1250 (2nd ed.). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.Simon, D. (2008).

Elite Deviance (9th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc. Thio, A., Calhoun, T. & Conyers, A. (2008). Readings in Deviant Behavior (5th ed.). Boston: Pearson. Education, Inc.Tittle, C. (2004).Refining Control Balance Theory. Theoretical Criminology 8 (4). 395–428.