Ending a Deviant Career

Upon successful completion of this activity, students will be able to:

Identify ethical problems faced by individuals or communities and identify effective solutions

Acquire a basic understanding of how to apply theories of deviance to their own personal and professional experiences

Explain and critically evaluate contemporary literature in the field of criminal justice

As you read part VIII of the textbook, listen to the podcast, and watch the YouTube video, think about how ending a deviant career is relatively easy for some, while for others, it is extremely difficult or even impossible. Think about Iceberg Slim's description of his pimping career slowly winding down and ultimately fizzling out, while the prostitutes in Chapter 47 had to enlist law enforcement, who sometimes refused to help them, in order to escape their deviant careers. Also, consider ascribed deviance-people who are considered deviant because of some physical characteristic, such as the woman battling obesity (think about the YouTube video "Do You Still Feel Mentally Fat?"), diagnosis (Chapter 49), or Muslim-Americans, following the events of September 11, 2001. For these people, think about the serious changes in physical state and/or location they would need to make to escape their deviant identities. Think about the episode of " Lockdown" we watched in Module 6 and the challenges associated with trying to shed the identity of a Mexican Mafia member?

After reading Chapters 47 and 49, listening to " Pimp Anthropology" and watching the YouTube Video, "Do you still Feel Mentally Fat?," discuss how power and social status relate to the process of exiting a deviant career. Are there some deviant labels that come with more or less social status and power than others? Discuss how factors like the legal system, gender, race and disability impact the process of separating from one's deviant career. Can you think of any ways educators, lawmakers, parents or public agencies can make exiting from a deviant career easier?