SOC 3750 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Anomie, Rodney King

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 3750
• Professor: Patrick Parnaby

Document Summary

Organizational pressures budgets, effectiveness and pressure to perform. Performance and pressures a quota needed to bust heads". Deviance and anomic social systems emphasis on financial success is disproportionate to means. Emphasis on crime fighting is disproportionate to means. Distribution of crime fighting widespread emphasis on crime fighting as success . Credabilty gap (officer vs. offender), crown judges usually take officers word over offenders word. Study is widespread; cannot measure it scientifically qualtative/ethnographic research (goldschmidt 2008; moskos 2009; fassin 2013) Our definition: more than necessary to apprehend/subdue an offender or suspect . Research challenges interpretation varies police vs. courts vs. citizens. Rodney king beating 3/4 of americans (african and white) said the beating was excessive, but did not agree, hence the different variations of definitions. Research challenges: under-reporting why bother reporting as they feel that nothing will happen in their favour. Fear of reprisal victim know police know who they are, where they live.