DSC; CH 11 Societal Responses To Deviance Flashcards
Civil commitment
a process whereby offenders, particularly sex offenders, who are perceived to be a risk to the community can be held indefinitely after completing the sentences handed down by the criminal justice system.
Collateral consequences of imprisonment
damages, losses, or hardships to individuals, families, and communities due to incarceration of some members
Demedicalization
occurs when behaviors are no longer assigned or retain medical definitions. As one example, homosexuality was once defined as a form of mental illness, but it has been demedicalized and is no longer considered a medical issue.
Felon disenfranchisement
the loss of the right to vote in local and national elections after conviction for a felony offense; laws vary by state.
Institutionalization/prisonization
when individuals who have been confined to a prison, mental hospital, or other total institution become so used to the structure and routine of the facility that they lose the confidence and capability to exist independently in the outside world.
Medicalization of deviance:
a process by which nonmedical problems and behaviors become defined and treated as medical conditions; examples might include mental illness, hyperactivity, alcoholism, and compulsive gambling.
Pains of imprisonment:
as described by Gresham Sykes, the pains of imprisonment include deprivation of liberty, deprivation of goods and services, deprivation of heterosexual relationships, deprivation of autonomy, and deprivation of security.
Social contract
the process by which individuals give up some personal freedoms and abide by general rules of conduct in order to live in a community and enjoy the protection and companionship of the group
Total institutions
institutions such as prisons, jails, and mental hospitals in which all aspects of life are conducted in the same place, in the company of a group of others, and with tightly scheduled activities that are closely supervised and monitored.
