Program Overview

Introduction to JST444 Deviance and Control

This subject analyses social processes that cause crime and deviance, the construction of law and ideas about crime, the processing of criminals and deviant persons, and the ways in which people understand crime and deviance. The role of the mass media in producing ideas about crime and deviance and the social production of crime statistics are also considered. Various sociological theories are used as tools for these analyses.

Subject Information

Grading System

The grading system for this subject is HD/FL.

Duration

The duration of this subject is one session.

School

This subject is offered by the Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security.

Enrolment Restrictions

This subject is not available to students who have completed 25230 Sociology of Deviance, SOC3074 Deviance and Control, SOC2310 Deviance and Social Control, or JST223 Deviance and Social Control.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:

• Recognise that our understanding of deviance is influenced by the theory used to explain it
• Recognise that deviance is an inherently social phenomenon that can be explained by studying social structure, culture, and social relationships
• Understand Merton's theory of anomie and its intellectual tradition
• Understand the concept of "self-concept," its use in the theory of delinquent drift, and in the concepts of primary and secondary deviance
• Understand labelling theory as one of the two major contemporary sociological theories of deviance
• Recognise that crime statistics and many other statistics about deviance are the product of social forces and processes
• Understand the characteristics of the mass media and recognise the role of the mass media in creating images of crime and deviance
• Understand the theory of deviance amplification
• Understand the use of Marxist theory as the second major sociological explanation of crime and deviance

Syllabus

This subject will cover the following topics:

• Merton's theory of anomie in intellectual context
• The theory of juvenile delinquency and drift
• Labelling theory, including:
  • Primary and secondary deviance
  • The making of law
  • The identification and processing of deviance
  • Correctional/treatment processes and the concept of total institution
• The social production of crime and deviance statistics
• The role of the mass media in the production of images of crime and deviance
• Deviance amplification theory
• Marxist theory, with emphasis on:
  • The making of law and the role of the state in crime and deviance
  • The making of ideology about crime and deviance