SOC 3490 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Eyewitness Testimony, Selective Perception, Public Citizen
10 Apr 2013
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Criminal law: deals w social control ([in]formal) Adds to hegemony of ruling class, power over lower classes, public convinced elite act in our best interest. Punishment: retribution, incapacitation, deterrence (earliest laws dealt w the poor), poor targets b/c threaten capitalism. Ovl criticisms: law & crime political concepts, not objective & impartial. Criminalization of poor applied to victimless crimes (ex. squeegee kids) Solutions ontario reform: social assistance reform act (sara), govt claims welfare fraud serious problem, lifetime bans, problem only small # ppl convicted of fraud, don"t fulfill mens rea or actus rea. Problems w govt power: extraordinary power, workfare, can terminate benefits for trivial reasons. Safe streets act (1999): ontario govt, street kids, penalties ex. tickets or jail time: coincides w war on poor welfare cuts, remove strict rent controls, crackdown on homeless & squatters. Broken windows model: ignore/move and keeps getting worse, not really addressing problem. Ovl sees law as impartial & consensus model untrue.
