Criminal Justice September 3 2014 Law Society How do we define law What law does Law is something you shouldn t do but also states the punishment you would receive for engaging in that behavior Set up conduct and punishments Provides rules of conduct body of rules Protects the welfare of society Sets out punishments for violations o Criminal vs civil laws Law binds all of us together because laws are equally applied to all individuals Also binds everyone by keeping everyone safe What is law society Theoretical analysis concerning legal institutions and processes Studies the impact of law on society o Can organize yourself against people to help change and better laws o Serve on a jury o Serve as a witness to provide testimony o Eyewitness identification 80 of people who are convicted wrongfully due to false eyewitness identification Identifies social political and intellectual influences on law and legal activity o Theoretical o Interdisciplinary o Scientific Social Control To ensure conforming behavior Two levels of social control Informal Social Control o Unofficial non organizational often face to face avenues to ensure conforming behavior or social control Example parents shunning a child for throwing food at the table Example ridicule rumors gestures etc Formal Social Control o Official often organizational avenues to ensure conforming behavior or social control Examples military police criminal justice system expulsion from school demotion or fired from employment prison term Three Mechanisms of Social Control Norms o Expectations of conduct in a given situation Classroom behavior traffic and driving behavior non criminal violent behavior o Guide our everyday lives Sanctions o Reactions or responses to behaviors actions Two types Negative sanctions reactions that punish for non conforming behavior o Restriction fine conforming behavior a diploma Positive sanctions reactions that reward for o Good grade on a test an allowance from a parent Laws rules violations o Criminal laws to protect us from violations of criminal statues and o Civil laws to protect us from non criminal personal and property Divorce someone getting bitten by a dog Mechanisms of social control can work together o Social control can apply positive sanctions o Ex high school gives high achieving students awards and recognition o Informal social control can apply negative sanctions
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