Remember the previous passages that people act on the basis of free will, happiness is the absence of pain and people are fundamentally rational. People are inherently selfish and have the opportunity to improve their well-being relative to that of others, so we have articulated the purpose of laws, laws, and the underlying premise of equal law enforcement (McMaghy, 1979). The fact that deviance and crime provoke negative social reactions reminds us that every society must ensure that its members generally follow social norms in their daily interactions. Social control refers to how a society tries to prevent and sanction behavior that violates norms. Just as a society like the United States has informal and formal norms (see Chapter 2 “Eye on Society: Doing Sociological Research”), it has informal and formal social control. In general, informal social control is used to control behavior that violates informal norms, and formal social control is used to control behavior that violates formal norms. We generally refuse to violate informal norms, if we even think about violating them, because we are afraid of risking the negative reactions of others. These reactions, and thus examples of informal social control, include anger, disappointment, exclusion and ridicule. Formal social control in the United States typically includes the legal system (police, judges and prosecutors, correctional officers) and, for businesses, the many local, state, and federal regulatory agencies that make up the regulatory system. Deviance is behavior that violates social norms and causes negative social reactions. Some behaviors are considered so harmful that governments enact written laws prohibiting the behavior. Crime is behavior that violates these laws and is certainly an important type of deviation that affects many Americans. To conclude the section, he began by examining the history of law, then continued with the founding of the Constitution of the United States, and ended with a look at ethics and law.

What should be very clear at this point is that ethics is essential to understanding the law and that the student should develop a clearer understanding of how the law interacts in the CJ system. Ethics is not a buzzword used to find fault in someone else`s decision, but as “We should live our lives; or how we should provide services.” Ethics must be taught as well as morality in order to develop principles in life. The reader should take this opportunity to understand terms such as principles, values, ethics, morals and judgments to put the effects of a CJ worker into perspective. Labeling theory postulates that deviance is not an inherent tendency of an individual and that an individual becomes deviant only by labeling society. After being designated as deviant, this marking will lead the student to commit more deviant acts. For example, in the case of our drunk student, they are stopped by the police for drunk driving and sent to jail – this is the main deviation. After being called deviant by others, the student internalizes this point of view – the secondary deviation – and leads him to commit other crimes. Labeling theory has aspects of symbolic interactionism and social constructivism. Perhaps stricter than folk customs because they can lead to a violation of what we consider moral and ethical behavior.

Customs are standards of morality, or right and wrong, and if you break one, it`s often considered offensive to most people in a culture. [3] Sometimes another violation may be illegal, but sometimes it may only be offensive. If an increase is not enshrined in law, it cannot be sanctioned by the criminal justice system. At other times, it can be both illegal and morally reprehensible. Watch the selected clip from this video to learn more about what deviant behavior looks like and how social control regulates social norms. Deviance is also relative in two respects. First of all, it is relative in space: a certain behavior can be considered deviant in one society, acceptable in another. Let us recall the discussion of sexual behaviour in Chapter 3 “Culture”, where we saw that sexual acts condemned in some societies are often practiced in others. Second, deviance is relative in time: behavior in a particular society may be considered deviant in one period of time, but acceptable many years later; Conversely, the behavior may be considered acceptable in one period of time, but deviating many years later. In the late 1800s, many Americans used cocaine, marijuana, and opium because they were common ingredients in over-the-counter products for symptoms such as depression, insomnia, menstrual cramps, migraines, and toothache.

Coca-Cola originally contained cocaine and, perhaps unsurprisingly, became an instant hit when it went on sale in 1894 (Goode, 2008). Today, of course, all three drugs are illegal. Stress theory posits that social structures within society put individuals under pressure to become deviant and commit crimes. This theory generally focuses on disadvantaged groups. People belonging to disadvantaged groups may not be able to achieve their goals in the way society is currently structured. In doing so, they deviate from social norms. In the case of our student, the student could be in financial difficulty, which would lead him to choose to ride home by bike instead of ordering an Uber. They cannot achieve their financial goals if they do not commit this crime. However, this app is a bit long.

The theory of stretching is part of the functionalist perspective. Norms are the formal or informal rules that govern behaviour in groups and societies. Normative behavior is behavior that follows social norms, while non-normative behavior does not conform to or reflect an established norm, or a deviation from a particular standard of comparison for a person or group of people, particularly a norm determined by cultural ideals of how things should be. Deviation corresponds to non-normative behaviour. Note that standards are specific to a company and only reflect what a particular company has deemed good, fair, or important. In other words, norms differ from culture to culture. If a person violates a social norm, what happens? A driver caught speeding may be ticketed. A student wearing a bathrobe in class receives a warning from a teacher. Strong belching of an adult is avoided. All societies practice social control, regulation and enforcement.

The underlying purpose of social control is to maintain social order, a range of practices and behaviors on which members of society base their daily lives. Think of social order as an employee`s handbook and social control as a manager. If an employee violates a workplace policy, the manager steps in to enforce the rules. If an employee does an exceptionally good job of complying with the rules, the manager may congratulate or promote the employee. Is all criminal behavior deviant and is all deviant behavior criminal? A succinct definition of the criminal law is that this idea opens up provocative possibilities for society`s response to deviance and crime. First, harmful behaviors committed by corporations and wealthy individuals cannot be considered deviant, perhaps because “respectable” people participate in them. Second, prostitution and other arguably less harmful behaviors can be considered highly deviant because they are considered immoral or because of prejudice against the kind of people (poor and non-white) who are supposed to participate. These considerations raise several questions that must be answered when examining deviance. First, why are some people more likely than others to commit deviance? Second, why do deviance rates differ within social categories such as gender, race, class, and age? Third, why are some sites more likely to have higher variance rates than others? Fourth, why are some behaviours considered more deviant than others? Fifth, why are some people and people from certain social backgrounds more likely than others to be seen as deviant and punished for deviant behaviour? Sixth, and most importantly, what can be done to reduce rates of violent crime and other serious forms of deviance? The sociological study of deviance and crime aims to answer all these questions. You may have given little or no thought to the origins of the law. As surely as God made little green apples, the law did not fall from a tree.

The law is man-made (gender-neutral) and is considered universally applied within society. The law is as dark as man himself. You`ve probably been introduced to terms such as customs and customs, which are less sophisticated terms for directives and laws. Where do our laws come from? Why is there more than one type of law? How does the law affect us as a society? Do the courts influence public policy through judicial decisions or the interpretation of laws? Do these many laws overlap or interact with each other in the criminal justice system? How do ethics and law interact? How will the law be enforced? All interesting questions that will hopefully be answered by the time this section is completed.