Topic 2: Forms of social control Flashcards
(15 cards)
What are the internal controls
- rational ideology
- tradition
- internalisation of social rules
What is social control?
techniques and strategies for preventing criminal behaviour in society
What is internal social control?
The ways individuals self regulate their behaviour by adhering internalised social norms and values
What is rational ideology?
An individual’s conscience that guides individuals to conform to society’s norms rules and norms. Not following them may cause feelings of anxiety and guilt. E.g. not driving whilst on your phone is right and will protect the public
What is tradition?
It relates to religion or culture as a person’s upbringing in a certain religion/culture ensure they follow rules and therefore less likely to break laws. e.g. murder is a sin and also a crime
What is internalisation of social rules and morality?
The process by which individuals accept and believes in society’s social norms and values. e.g. queue jumping is seen as wrong by society
what are the external controls
- police
- CPS
- courts
- prison
- probation
define external social control
influences that persuade or compel a person to conform with the rules
How does the police act as an external social control?
- the threat of their power to stop&search, arrest and detention serves as an external control therefore persuade people to abide by the law
- coercion: can physically detain an offender if they do not abide, can do stop and searches
- shame of being arrested (individual deterrence)
- serves as a general deterrence to the public
- police could use their power as coercion which could include the threat of future punishment e.g. imprisonment
- control theory ‘Hirschi’: 4 key bonds a person must have to prevent them from committing a crime. Attachment, commitment, involvement, belief. If the police arrested an individual it could affect their friendships (attachment) or lose their job (commitment)
How does CPS act as an external social control?
- charging a suspect and prosecuting them in court to persuade people to abide by the law
- coercion is used, non violent as the police is used to force the defendant to attend court
- general deterrence as people will avoid criminal activity because they know they will be independently charged by the CPS
- individual deterrence as an individual have experienced the CPS in the past and wish to avoid them
How does the court act as an external social control?
- they determine the punishment for the defendant which could be imprisonment, fine, community sentence, death penalty
- individual deterrence could be the shame of having to attend court or the punishment that was imposed on them to prevent further crimes e.g. fine
- general deterrence could be when an individual has witnessed someone receive a lengthy sentence and wish to avoid that by abiding by the law
- coercion: physical - removing their liberty e.g. life for murder, 7 years for 3rd drug offence, etc
How do prisons act as an external social control?
- detain prisoners for a duration of a sentence to punish criminal activity to persuade people to abide by the law
- coercion: criminal’s liberty is removed by force as punishment
- individual deterrence could be when an individual is given a suspended sentence which is not the worst sentence and persuades them to avoid further crimes for a harsher punishment OR an individual has been released from prison and avoid criminal activity as they have experienced prison life
- general deterrence could be the fear of receiving a lengthy prison sentence and having their freedom removed plus watching prison documentaries persuade people to avoid criminal activity as they can see the poor quality of prisons
how does probation act as an external social control?
- have the power to recall offenders to prison and facilitating community sentences
- coercion: can be forcibly detained if they do not follow the conditions if their probation such as missing a meeting with their probation officer
- individual deterrence: an individual with a sentence of 2 days - 2 years is assigned to probation for a year and the threat of going back to prison acts as a deterrent
- general deterrence: shame/ embarrassment, disrupts everyday schedules, could lose jobs, public are aware of the consequences therefore abide by the law
What are the control theories you could mention?
- Hirschi: 4 key bonds, attachment, commitment, belief, involvement
- Reckless: internal psychological containments and external social containments
Both argue that this prevent crime
What is coercion?
The use of force to achieve a desired result. Physical coercion could be imprisonment or bodily injury whereas non violent coercion could be a strike.
