Breaking Norms Much of this chapter focused on breaking norms. For an apt example, go to http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2012/05/18/norm-breaching-social-responses-to-mild-deviance (Links to an external site.) and watch the video of norm-breaching experiments. Although norms like the ones breached in the YouTube clip are part of a society’s cultural fabric, they can also change. For an example of evolving norms, go to http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2013/04/20/marijuana-a-short-history-of-changes-in-law-and-public-opinion/ (Links to an external site.) and read the short piece on laws and public views on marijuana. Understanding the Post True or False: Marijuana’s initial use by Native American populations in the American Southwest is a key explanation for its illegality.

According to the graph, when did support for the legalization of marijuana increase?

Why, according to the post, do sociologists take interest when trend lines cross in opinion polls?

Connecting to the Text There may be many reasons that deviance exists within a society. The specific case of marijuana laws being created—thus casting marijuana as deviant—in order to ostracize certain groups would fit best with a _______ theory of deviance.

What is the theory of deviance you read about that emphasizes that deviance is not inherent but rather socially constructed?

Punishment Part of studying crime and deviance involves studying the reaction to them, which often includes punishment. Go to http://thesocietypages.org/papers/visualizing-punishment/ (Links to an external site.) and look at the figures presented. Then, answer the questions below. Looking at the first figure, "U.S. Incarceration and Violence Crime Rates," what was the incarceration rate in 2011?

How does the 2011 incarceration rate compare to the incarceration rate during the 1970s?

The third figure, "World Incarceration Rates in 2011," provides a sense of how the incarceration rates in the United States compare to those in countries around the world. True or False: In 2011, the United States had the highest incarceration rate in the world.

Connecting the White Paper to our Class Discussions In class, we discussed the explanations of several theories of punishment. What approach to punishment emphasizes the right to "get even"?

_________ is the idea that punishment, like prison sentences, will keep people from committing crimes in the future.