week 13 (test #3) Flashcards
What do evaluations of the youth interventions Diversion programs and Boot camps conclude?
Diversion programs - can be effective but may produce ‘net-widening’. Outcomes improve with family intervention and involvement
Boot camps - little or no impact but may be helpful if participation is voluntary. Programs that induce fear are more likely to increase criminality
What do evaluations of the youth interventions Probation, Open Custody, and IRCS conclude?
Probation - more effective when RNR principles are applied
Open Custody - these reintegrative programs are more effective with modeling and relational leadership
IRCS (intensive rehabilitative custody and supervision) - provides more opportunities for programming for violent youth and complex cases - but the impact of re-offending is unknown
What is one of the problems with evaluating CJS interventions and the conclusions they come to?
Evaluations include so much conditional language (can work, may work, … usually only if certain conditions apply)
Explain and give examples of what a more liberal discourse of CJS reform looks like?
- often mention “fundamental” reform (aka current system is fundamentally broken and we need big structural changes)
- need evidence-based practice and research
- cohesive values and principles to guide future development (getting everyone to agree is a tough thing to do)
- to address the context of crime (mission creep? probably need other agencies involved)
- to acknowledge the systematic problems and that the system currently harms some groups more than others
- to grow restorative/support alternatives and shrink the CJS
- full collaboration across jurisdictions and communities (interoperability)
Explain and give examples of what a more conservative discourse of CJS reform looks like?
- the highest priority is the protection of society and crime prevention (shift towards crime control model)
- emphasis on the needs and rights of victims
- support the CJS and discourage parallel systems - shrink alternatives to keep the system solid
- expand mandatory consecutive sentences and mandatory minimums
- rebuilt public confidence in the CJs by responding appropriately to dangerous offenders > expand the use of dangerous offender applications and the sex offender registry
- expand adult sentencing for young persons (graduating youth into adult system easier)
Explain a Karl Marx perspective of the sociology of change and reform
Structural change (he was known as a grand theorist) evolves as a by-product of exploitation rooted in economic relations and growing inequality = needs revolutionary action (violence)
- the dominant ideas reflect the ideas of the ruling class
- Reform looks like the entire system breaking down and rebuilding > hyper-critical and skeptical > conflict and critique based
What is historical materialism (branch from Karl Marx)
It is a departure from philosophy and abstract ideas to a materialist conception of history (vs idealism and abstract ideals)
- says that history is driven by the development of material production and the resulting struggles
What is Pauperization (branch from Karl Marx)
The progressive impoverishment and alienation of the working class in relation to the capitalist class (increasing the gap) and the means of production
Explain a Max Weber perspective of the sociology of change and reform
(more interactionist)
We are on a path to bureaucratization and officialdom
- means-end schema and the value-rational > We want everything to be efficient and rational and ordered (ex. drive-thru is a rationalistic solution to a problem)
- we seek to master irregularity through pattern
- social forms are the product of germs and grafting > A particular idea can become a germ in society and can grow and creep into every area of life
Reform:
Wouldn’t see the CJS as just a pawn of economic forces (you see it as a blended system of ideas grafting onto each other), therefore for reform you have to get into the system and interact with it and make changes
Explain a Talcott Parsons perspective of the sociology of change and reform
(more functionalist)
Social systems are an action frame of reference, allowing for different orientations across social, physical, and cultural realms
- we live in an actor-situation system, a plurality
- there are functional and cultural prerequisites that structurally provide basic needs > without these basic needs, it becomes a failed state
- social, personality, and cultural systems are structurally interdependent > forming clusters (ex. kinship, achievement, stratification, force/power, etc.) > often use the word organism to describe a society
Reform:
- Emphasizes interdependent structures in society and how complex it is to dismantle structures, therefore for reform we have to behave carefully and cautiously
What is a revolution?
Overthrowing the existing socio-political order via mass movements, often involving violence
- pushing against structures and institutions> one movement is often not enough to actually change anything
- Some people would say we need violent overthrows with the CJS
What is a social movement? What is Resource Mobilization Theory?
Collective attempt to further common interests and goals through action outside of established institutions
- social movement are a bit more subdued than revolutions
Resource Mobilization Theory > a version of a social movement that expresses chronic discontent and is purposeful, not chaotic or irrational
What is insurgency?
Working within system to affect change > contamination/contagion effects
- ex. join the government like a mole and be able to actually make decisions from the inside out
Name the 2 theories of social movements
Herbert Blumer - Theory of Social Unrest
Neil Smelser - Value-added Model
(both interactionist)
Explain the Herbert Blumer (theory of social unrest) theory of social movements
What is the 4 stage life-cycle?
- it is protesting activity outside of formal politics
- dissatisfaction can lead to Active Outward OR Expressive Inward movements
ex. MADD → outward (doing protests and activist activity) and inward (attracts people involved in the issue - kind of like a support group)
4 Stage Life-Cycle:
- Social ferment = agitaiton, disorganized
- Popular excitement = sources are defined and understood
- Formal Organization = coordination, campaigns
- Institutionalization = accepted as part of society and political life, with all the associated pitfalls
Explain the Neil Smelser (value-added model) theory of social movements
6 structural features that need to be there (for collective behaviour to happen):
- structural conduciveness is needed, or systems that allow for movement formation
- structural strain between expectations and social reality, a gap
- generalized beliefs that resonate and convince people to join
- precipitating factors that spark interest or action
- mobilization of masses through a network of communication can ‘make or break’ a movement
- failure of social control - weak resistance to the movement or the aggravation of protest through smothering
What 4 things do abstract and ‘structural’ goals need?
- A collective will that is sustained over time (longterm)
- Operationalization - practical pathways to the goal
- Effective change management - changes inevitably causes damage (should make changes gradual and steady)
- Compromise
(beware of abstract goals)
What are 4 of the challenges to evaluating the CJS
- Programs are often short-lived or in evolution
- Disconnect and resistance between operations and scholarship/recommendations
(People working in justice don’t necessarily love to be evaluated and researched and scrutinized) - What does evidence-based practice mean when mechanisms/resources for analysis are lacking
(Fluctuating crime rates → do you interpret that data as a good or bad thing) - The challenge of researching a multi-variate and ‘open’ system
(interactionist view)
If you say change is needed, what does that assume of you?
Assumes you have accurate knowledge of the present (evaluation)
What are 3 types of change that could be determined that we need? What are 3 processes that could bring this change?
TYPE
Fundamental (structural change)
Procedural (process)
Individual/personal (performance/bad actors)
PROCESS:
Historical (outside in)
Interactional (combinations)
Insurgency (inside out)
What are 4 different types of Resistance to change and reform?
- Inertia: the complexity of change grows in proportion to scale and structural depth (ex. we’ve always done it this way)
- Identity Concerns: Operational survival can be deeply personal and people don’t want to change their ways (ex. this is my job)
- Credibility Gaps: A history of under-delivery will erode optimism and confidence - a sense of despair (ex. we’ve already tried this before, why bother)
- Loss of Agency: Limiting the discretionary range of actors - people don’t like getting their discretion cut down (ex. what you need is a robot)
What are some of the affects that came from the direct lockup agreement in Manitoba?
- Police discretion (rushes the process)
- Curtailing of due process
- Offender affects - stigma, trauma, criminal associates
- Need more resources in custody but saving police resources
- Direct lockups dying in custody? - need medical care
- majority of direct lockups were indigenous
- Legality of the process was in doubt - police are supposed to hold the accused until bail
Why did the direct lockup agreement keep being used even after it had expired?
- Became part of correctional officer’s identity
- Wasn’t top priority to deal with it and change it
*it became a structural issue
What happened in Manitoba to finally initiate the abolishment of the direct lockup agreement?
- Turnover in leadership
- New minister was actually curious about what was happening with this issue → started looking at the data
- It was found that the practice was unlawful
FINALLY:
- COVID - rate of infectious diseases inside custody is very high - public health asking if there is any way to reduce numbers going into custody > Public health grafting onto corrections
- It took the pandemic to push this process
*shows that structural change doesn’t just happen with one thing
