law and society Flashcards
define society
a group of individuals sharing beliefs, culture, language abd institutions
define law
a system of rules created and enforced by the state to regulate society
give an example of law shaping society
indian indpencece act 1947- split india and pakistan causing civil war and 1 mill deaths
what idea does british law support
plurlist society-diffrent cultures co-exist and follow same laws
define pluralism
co-existance of diffrent beliefes, values and lifestyles in socety
in what ways can society shape the law
public oppinion eg strikes
moral shifts eg abortion
civil disobedience eg abolition of poll tax after mass protest
media influence
how can the media shape the law
can shape public attitudes, pressure polotitians and influence law making
what does stan cohen say about media influences
they can cause moral panics through the exagguration of stories
what is informal social control
unwritten rules enforced by family, school, work
eg peer pressure and social disaproval
what is formal social control
laws enfoced by institutions eg police and couts
what are social control mechanisms
laws that shape behavior eg deterences
what does the rule of law ensure
no one is above the law
how does law shape society
defines whats acceptable and punishable
what key social issues show how society has shaped law
womens voting rights
smae sex marrage
abortion
what does stan cohen say can happen with the medias influence on law
moral panic
whats a moral panic
media exaggurating issues to sell causing public fear and pressure for legal change
what is public descriminaltion
public stops trating somthing like a crime but law stays same
whats formal decriminalisation
law is officialy changes to remove penalties
what is consensus theory
law reflects shared values and people follow laws because they agree on social goals
what theorisits believe in consensus theory
Durkheim
what is conflict theory
law benifits the powerful and maintains inequality
who believed in conflict theory
Marx
what is lableing theory
actions become crimes when society labels them as such
lableing can lead to a self forfilling prophecy
who believed in labling theory
becker
what is left realism
crime is caused by inequality and marginalisation
what is right realism
crime is caused by poor socialisation and weak punishment
give an example of legal responced to left realism
legalising canabis
minimum wage increases
give an example of legal responced to right realism
more cctv
stop and search
