Social Control

Understanding Social Control

• Social control is a significant term in the study of crime and deviance. It refers to the mechanisms a society uses to ensure compliance with its norms and values.
• These mechanisms, or controls, can be internal (feelings of guilt or shame) or external (police, laws), depending on their origin and enforcement.
• Informal social control involves the ways in which individuals conform to norms and values without formal legislation, often through family, peer groups, or education.

Theories of Social Control

• The functionalist perspective on social control believes that it is a necessary part pf maintaining societal order and stability, helping to reinforce shared values and norms.
• Conflict theorists, on the other hand, believe social control is a tool used by the powerful to maintain control and suppress dissent.
• Interactionists place emphasis on the importance of labelling in social control. They believe powers of social control label some actions as criminal or deviant, and these labels are often applied disproportionately to marginalised groups.

Agents of Social Control

• Formal agents of social control are regulated bodies responsible for enforcing legal rules and maintaining order, such as the police, the legal system, and prison services.
• Informal agents of social control are those which function without legal power, such as family, peer groups and education. They promote and encourage adherence to societal norms and discourage deviation.

Social Control and Power

• There’s a link between social control and power. Those with most power and wealth in a society often have the ability to shape and enforce social norms.
• This power is used to define criminal behaviour and implement controls. This can create social divides, as punishments are often directed towards lower socially economic groups.

Social Control and Deviance

• Responses to deviance form a key part of social control. Labelling theory emphasises the role of societal reaction, where a person labelled ‘deviant’ is likely to see themselves this way, often leading to further deviance.
• This is known as a self-fulfilling prophecy, a concept central to understanding the role of labelling in social control and its influence on behaviour.
• The ways in which deviance is handled can highlight imbalances in power and control in a society, such as the criminalisation of certain behaviours done by marginalised groups.