SOC101Y1 Chapter 12: soc 12 Deviance and Crime
Document Summary
Three big questions organizing the study of crime. Two questions have dominated the field of criminology for a long time. And more recently, a third one has emerged and is gaining in importance. Studying crime and deviance means studying normalcy. Studying crime and deviance is studying normal, stud(cid:455)i(cid:374)g so(cid:272)iet(cid:455)(cid:859)s e(cid:454)pe(cid:272)tatio(cid:374)s. Taking the boundaries of acceptability as an object of inquiry instead of taken-for- granted. The criminal code defi(cid:374)es (cid:272)ri(cid:373)e as: (cid:862)the i(cid:374)te(cid:374)tio(cid:374)al (cid:448)iolatio(cid:374) of (cid:272)ri(cid:373)i(cid:374)al la(cid:449) without defense and without excuse. There are 4 components of the criminal code: Politicality: laws are enacted by the legislature, that is, people who are elected. Looking at what is legal/illegal is part of the political process. (social movements, lobbyists, and political groups will attempt to change laws, take them away, or come up with new ones. Uniformity: making sure that the criminal code applies to everyone equally, regardless of gender, ethnic background, religion, class, etc. (does not always work this way)
