SOC102H1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 14: Consensual Crime, Social Constructionism, Labeling Theory
Document Summary
A good part of sociological enterprise is concerned with explaining the orderliness of human behaviour. Norms: the generally accepted ways of doing things. These are generally the rules in society. Most important norms are the law, or norms that the state enforces. Norms have a wide scope, some norms apply to specific age groups. Criminal justice system: enforces and regulates the laws, which includes police, courts and prisons. Criminal justice system responds to law violators with legally prescribed ways. China & the us capital punishment. In canada and all of western europe life imprisonment is the most severe sanction. Informal punishment: is mild and may involve raised eyebrows, gossip, ostracism or stigmatization and being admonished by people around them. These are used to regulate simple norms in the world; scripts that people normally follow in situations. We punish acts that we regard as very harmful and wrong more severely than those deemed less harmful and wrong.
