Ac2 Flashcards
Social control
Refers to any strategies for preventing deviant human behaviour. We encourage everyone to confirm to the law and any course fo action that helps to achieve this is a form of social control
Internal forms of social control
Rational ideology
Tradition
Internalisation of social rules and morality
Rational ideology
An idea or belief ro achieve social control
Your conscience with feelings of guilt, anxiety or worry from within, which guides you to reach a solution or follow laws and rules
Tradition
It may be you own traditions ,customs or norms that ensure you conform to the rules, sometimes religion or culture or purely your upbringing ensures that you ro not break the law. For instance not eating red meat on good friday
Internalisation or social rules and morality
The internalisation of social rules and morality is working out what is the right thing to do and therefore knowing what is right or wrong based on social values.
External forms of social control
Coercion and fear of punishment
Coercion
Can be physical or not
Physical may take the form or bodily injury, imprisonment ajd in some countries the death penalty. Non violent coercion consists of a strike, boycottt and non co-operation
Prisons use coercion ans the threats of loss of liberty. This can be seen I suspended sentence with the continued threat of custody for future breaking the law
Two types of deterrence
Individual deterrence
General deterrence
Individual deterrence
Punishment imposed on offenders in order to deterr from committing further crimes
Suspended prison sentence
General deterrence
Fear of punishment that prevents others from committing similair crimes
E.g a lengthy prison sentence which allows others to see the consequence and therefore deterred
There are policies that promote this that are known as getting tough on crime
Policies that are known as getting tough on crime
Mandatory minimums: a life sentence for murder, seven years for a third drug offence, three years for a third burglary,
Three strikes and your oit: third conviction for a violent crime likely to be the life sentence (USA)
Control theory
Try to explain why people do not commit crimes. They support the view that people require nurturing in order to develop attachments or bonds that are key in producing internal controls, such as conscience
Example of control theory
Walter C reckless
Reckless developed one version of control theory known as containment. Her argued that we can resist committing crimes due to inner and outer containment:
Inner containment comes from upbringing and influence from family
Outer containment refers to the influence of social group, including the laws of society in which we live
A combination of both prevents people from deviating social norms
Travis hirschi belief on control theory
Believes people must forms social bonds to prevent criminal behaviour
Stand there are four bonds
Namely attachment, commitment, involvement and belief these must be formed to prevent a person committing a crime
Aims of sentencing
Is contained in section 42 criminal justice act 2003 which defines purpose of sentencing as:
The punishment of offenders
Rhe reduction of crime
The reform and rehabilitation of offenders
The protection of the public and
The making of the reparation by offenders ro persons affected by their offences
Retribution
Based on the idea that the offender deserves punishment
The punishment can be seen as a display of public revulsion for the offence
Contains an element of revenge, in that society and the victim are being avenged in the wrong time
Provides a compensating measure of justice to someone who has committed murder
Does not seek to alter future behaviour
Provides an appropriate punishment to provide justice for both the defendant and victim
Category one
High value goods stolen above 100000 or high value eith significant additional harm to the victim or the others