SOC 1500 Lecture Notes - Informal Social Control, Critical Criminology, Actus Reus

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 1500
• Professor: Anneke Olthof

Document Summary

Differentiate between criminology and study of deviance philosophical considerations . Criminality or deviance innate to the person at the genetic, biological, psychological level. The matter of context; violence is understood as wrong but the context is important- self- defense, war, murder, violence in hockey. Context: sociologists are concerned with the relationship of the offender and victim, i. e. abuse in marriage. Context: social status and power; does the same behaviour get interpreted the same way with everyone. Context allows for differences across times and places; social norms and laws that change over times, i. e. smoking laws in hospitals, speeding is overlooked. *can"t just take for granted what deviance is, we must look at society and the reaction society gives to deviant actions to classify them as criminality and deviance. Formal social control: criminal justice institutions, authorities that set the rules i. e. the process of arrest; these change overtime as well (interpretation of behavior changes)