th
25
February
Social control: the sequel!

Before last term we looked at the
meanings of the terms informal and
formal social control. You all should
have read your social control booklet!
AQA spec: ‘Candidates should examine
the different theories of crime, social
order and social control’
Approaches to Understanding
Social Control

Functionalists- see the criminal justice
system as operating to look after interests
of society as a whole. Without this control=
anomie. A key component of social control
is punishment, it allows us to see how far
society goes to maintain social control.

Durkheim- societies can only exist if
members share common values and a
collective consciousness. A legal system is
then put in place to create boundaries.
Durkheim argued that the type of formal
system of control reflects the type of
society
Mechanic societies
Retribution
(less complex societies)
Organic
‘Restitutive law’
(more complex societies)
Savage penalties are imposed
on the offender in order to
reinforce the norms of
society. It will also be public
and physical in nature so
public hangings, branding and
mutilation
As societies develop
punishment shifts from public
punishment to imprisonment
The aim of punishing someone
is to let them make amends for
their actions
Marxists argue that the CJS operates to
benefit the ruling class, law and police are
both agents of the ruling class.
Rusche and Kircheimer (1939) agree that
law reflects ruling class and go further
stating punishment also reflects their
interests. Capitalism has allowed prisons
to serve useful proposes, training
workers in disciplines of long working
hours poor conditions
(They argue slavery was an early
form of punishment because of
the need for labour. Today
capitalist societies have prisons
to train workers to cope with the
monotony of long meaningless
hours of work)
Hall and Chambliss (1976) also
argue that the CJS operates
solely to for the benefit of the
ruling class. The CJS- police
judiciary and prisons is based
on controlling the working
classes ensuring that opposition
to capitalism is squashed
Reiman (2006) argues that
the law itself is based upon
outlawing certain acts
performed by the working
class, yet possibly ignoring
the more harmful acts of the
ruling class
Late modern perspectives

Late modern writers offer more
complex analyses of the criminal
justice system and the forms of social
control. Their interests focus more on
the changing forms of social control
over time. The two well known of
writers are: Foucault and Stan Cohen!
Foucault

Put the issue of social control at the
centre of his writings, society is a
battleground of competing interests.
The key to gaining power is to have
control over knowledge and the methods
of achieving this.
Those who succeed in having their definition
of knowledge accepted gain power and in
turn will use this to enforce their view of
the world. The CJS play an important part
in enforcing these rules.
Changes in Social Control

Stan Cohen (1985) suggested key themes in the
changing nature of the formal control in western
societies.
Penetration- previously laws were made and haphazardly
enforced by whatever authority was around at the time,
society now seeks law to be penetrated throughout society,
there is more conformity and control right through to the
media and schools and even private companies.
 Size and Density- people in control or have means of control
is much larger then previously. This then leads them to
process larger numbers of crime.
 Identity and visibility- crime use to be public, now subtle
forms of control CCTV, door staff at night clubs. Again
drawing on the notion of a surveillance society.

A fair assessment?
Why?
Functionalist
Marxist
Persepctives
Late modern
perspectives
Social control!
Examine the role of formal
and informal social control
in controlling behaviour
(12 marks)
Question help! 12 marks!



Start of by giving a brief definition of each type of
social control (noting that social control is exercised
both for criminal non-criminal behaviour…. Give
examples!)
You should examine some of the social institutions
that exercise control (i.e education, family, police)
You need to consider a range of sociological
approaches to social control such as Functionalism,
Marxism and late-modern approaches (i.e Foucault and
Cohen!)
Feeley and Simon- Actuarialism
Suggest governments look for risk factors and then focus
their energies on their energies on the group(s) identified as
most likely to commit crime



The stress of social control has changed form controlling
deviants behaviour to controlling potentially deviant
people
Therefore agencies work out who is the greatest risk
from committing deviance and act against them.
They extend Cohen's point on privatisation and argue that
there is large amounts of surveillance which help profit
companies.
The Police
Approaches to policing
Consensus
The consensual approach:
Close relationship between local area
and police
Represent the interests of majority
Police come from community and reflect
its interests
Individuals are caught as a result of
complaints from community

Conflict
Scranton (’85)
Imposing m.c values on w.c
and ethnic-minority
communities
Higher patrol rates in these
areas
Impose law which reflects
the bourgeoisie interests

Police Discretion
Reiner (1992) has suggested three
ways of categorising police discretion
1. Individualistic- police has their own
discretion, specific concerns and
interests and applies it to the law
accordingly. Gorman (1982) found that
racist police officers were a lot
harsher to ethnic minorities.

 2. Cultural police officers are white and male.
 Have a very specific occupational culture
 According to Skolnick this has three main
components.
 I). Suspiciousness- as part of their training they are
taught to discriminate between ‘decent’ and deviant
people.
 II). Internal solidarity and social isolation- spend a
large amount of time with their peers, isolated form
the public. They also rely on each other rather than
others in order for support.
 III).Conservatism- must abide by the law those who
want to join hardly ever have apolitical strong
attitude.
Structural-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDGAqx
5y-Jw
this view comes from a Marxist approach, the
very definition of law is biased in favour of
the powerful, police officers definition of
crime derives from their role as agents of
control in a capitalist society. Morgan found
that 55% of prisoners were unemployed, 30%
were in manual 60% under 25 and 87% male.
12% African despite only 3% of society are
from this background!
 THINK AGE, CLASS, ETHNICITY!
