Formal Agency of Social Control - Law/Legal System Flashcards
1
Q
What is law
Definition
Not a one piece reference
A
- Rules made by the State
Individuals follow due to either - -Fear of punishment
cutback of essential freedoms acts as a deterrent - -Rule conforming habit
(social solidarity)
agencieis of socialisation promote the idea that following the law is good for the maintaining of society
2
Q
What are features of law
A
- Created/enforced by State through governments
- Compels people to act in a particular way
- Breaching law entails punishment by State
3
Q
Marxist view on law
guess what it’s something about capitalism
A
Law gives harsher punishments to poor people and pays less attention to ‘white-collar crimes’ carried out by the rich
(tax evasion, fraud, polluting the environment)
for example, a working class individual is more likely to get arrested than a rich individual
4
Q
Feminist view on law
guess what it’s about gender
Heidensohn
A
- Women accused of ‘double deviancy’ in court:
- Punished for breaking the law but their punishment is often harsher because they have also gone against gender norms by being rebellious
5
Q
(-) Weakness of Feminist view on law
Weakness of Heidensohn’s theory
Weakness of ‘double deviancy’
A
- In the UK, women are more likely to be cautioned than arrested
- On average, woman are less likely to receive shorter sentences
