A clearer understanding of consensus theorists will be examined and the ideologies behind these individuals. The functionalist standard with consensus will be examined to understand how closely related these two groups are. Consensus Theory The burden to place guilt and punishment lies in the hands of the same society the crime was committed against. In society, crimes are committed against one another. A certain level of social norms has to be in order for this sanction to take place.
LAW REFORM “ Evaluate the effectiveness of Law Reform in achieving justice for individuals and society. ” Law Reform is a vital tool used for progressing the legal system toward more equitable and just outcomes for individuals and society. The process of law reform investigates existing State and Commonwealth Laws, in order to adapt and improve the law in line with societal values. The abolishment of Capital Punishment (1967), the introduction of Native Title (1998) and the historic case, Starvation of Ebony (2007) are three valuable examples of such law reform. In the aftermath of these events, each case was carefully assessed and changes were implemented as a result of the inadequacies in the pre-existing legal regime.
Social policy is the actions, plans and programmes of government bodies and agencies aim to deal with a problem or achieve a goal, for example, preventing crime or reducing poverty. Social policies are sometimes influenced by the findings of sociologists, however this usually depends on the government in power and their political ideologies. There are different types of social problems that cause public concern such as crime and poverty; these usually need some sort of solution. And there are also areas of sociological interest that may have an impact on policy such as why some people are poor, commit crime, or fail in school. Sociologists carry out their research from a number of theoretical perspectives, and depending on the views they adopt they will have different ideas about the nature of social problems and know how to solve them.
It is defined as: “A structural perspective which argues that although crime and deviance are problematic, they must also be understood as ‘social facts’ and analysed in terms of the possible manifest and latent functions that they perform in enabling the smooth running of the social system as a whole” (McLaughin, 2013, p. 190) This theory focused on the social structures within society at the macro level. Functionalism suggests that not only is crime a part of society, but crime
Discuss how Robert Merton’s strain theory fits into the functionalist theory of deviance and crime. Critically evaluate strain theory and the functionalist theory of deviance and crime from the perspective of conflict, feminist and symbolic interactionist theories. Robert Merton’s strain theory is, in essence, an extension of Emile Durkheim’s functionalist theory which, in relation to deviance and crime, attempts to provide a more specific understanding of how deviant behaviour or any sort of social instability is brought about by societal structures. Functionalists believe that the function of deviance and crime is key in maintaining social solidarity, whereby positive effects of such phenomena include the definition of society’s moral boundaries and norms, when society as a whole casts a collective response against what they consider to be right or wrong. Where Durkheim proposes that the state of anomie in society – that is, where norms and values appear to be either absent or diminutive – inevitably results in social disintegration (Adler and Adler, 2000:44), and thus greater propensity for deviant behaviour, Merton furthers the argument that anomie is in fact a product of the disconnect between the desire among members of society to attain certain social and economic goals and the ability of obtaining them.
QUESTION 2 PRODVIDE A CRITICAL EXPOSITION OF THE VICTIM SUPPORT AND EMPOWERMENT MODELS INTRODUCTION Two basic models – Victim service can be delivered as a specific form of welfare or charity – with ideology of care Victim service can be part of the administration of criminal justice – governed by administration of criminal justice system – governed by the ideology of human rights or a just society. The ideal would be a mixture of both these models – argued the importance of a third model – Victim services as integral part of crime prevention. 1.DEFINITION OF CONCEPTS 1.1EMPOWERMENT - The process by which individuals gain better control of their lives – the ability to contribute positively to shaping the society they live in. Is about creating choices and to make use of better opportunities. 1.2VICTIM EMPOWERMENT – the process by which each individual who has suffered harm or violence is helped to deal with their grief and resentment enabling them to become more positive, proative members of society.
The Hyacinth Berry case study will be used throughout to identify and discuss the interconnections of values, ethics and legislation. The General Social Care (GSCC) and BASW offer the social work profession its value base. The message from reading their requirements is that values are a fundamental part of a competent social worker. There is also a clear need for both students and qualified workers to ‘identify and question their own values and prejudices and their implications for practice.’ The need for social workers to have respect for persons and their right to self determination still remains the key to practice. Complexities of the social work task relate partly to the worker having to negotiate the tension between these values and the dilemmas that decision making brings.
Common sense views tend to reflect social traditions and conventions and therefore tend to reinforce the status quo and resist social change. Conflict approaches in sociology raise serious questions about the status quo and call for social change. 3. Common sense views tend to be historically and culturally specific and are often based on stereotypical images. Interactionist / social action theories recognize that social life is socially constructed and relative to time and place.
“It is a person’s environment that leads them into criminal and deviant behaviour.” This essay will firstly define deviance and crime in sociological terms. It will explore how deviance and crime are defined and who defines them as such. Considering the moral and legal aspects of deviance and crime. Secondly this essay will consider some of the many ideas and perspectives around the reason for and the continuation of crime and deviance in society. As a conclusion this essay will take into consideration whether the perspectives outlined are external or internal in their description of reasons for crime and deviance and try and determine the relevance of the arguments.
Advantages and Disadvantages of using Quantitative and Qualitative methods to study Class and Crime Sociological research is incredibly useful in identifying patterns and relationships between social institutions and forces that exist around us today. Class and Crime are at the forefront of these social institutions. Therefore, questions such as ‘Why are their inequalities in class?’ or ‘Are some people predisposed to commit crime?’ arise and it lays upon sociological research to answer these questions. However the type of research we conduct can be compromised and split into two categories; Quantitative (based on positivist data) and Qualitative (Interpreitivst). There are chosen according to the type of research and data the social researcher hopes to find.