Module 5: Legal Control and its Impact on Society
Module 5
The reading associated with this module will focus on the role of legal control in society. In doing so, we will consider the progression of policing, historically and in the US context. We’ll also be addressing the role that disorder plays in perceptions of crime by exploring the idea of broken windows put forward by Wilson and Kelling (1982). Schuck and Rabe-Hemp (2019) extend the discussion of aggressive order maintenance to the internal workings of police organizations and how those practices influence their interactions with the communities they serve. Finally, we build on our prior discussions of social control by exploring the issues surrounding juveniles and their contact with the legal system. Do juveniles truly have the capacity to understand their interactions with the criminal justice system?
Objectives: Module 5
Following the completion of this module, students will be able to:
- Identify and describe the sources, methods, and role of legal control in society
- Critique the role of zero tolerance policing in social control
- Evaluate the limitations of juvenile Miranda warnings
Assigned Readings: Module 5
Beckett, K., & Herbert, S. (2009). Banished: The new social control in urban America. Oxford University Press.
- Banishment and the Criminal Justice System (p. 85–102)
Chriss, J. J. (2013). Social control: An introduction (2nd ed.). Polity Press.
- Chapter 5. Legal Control (p. 109–134)
- Chapter 8. Legal Control: Case Studies (p. 186–203)
Lippman, M. (2021). Law and society (3rd ed.). SAGE.
- Chapter 8. Juries (p. 274–312)
- Chapter 9: Law and Social Control (p. 319–390)
Journal Articles:
- Rogers, R., Blackwood, H. L., Fiduccia, C. E., Steadham, J. A., Drogin, E. Y., & Rogstad, J. E. (2012). Juvenile Miranda warnings perfunctory rituals or procedural safeguards? Criminal Justice and Behavior, 39(3), 229–249.
- Schuck, A. M., & Rabe-Hemp, C. (2019). Inequalities regimes in policing: Examining the connection between social exclusion and order maintenance strategies. Race and Justice, 9(3), 228–250.
- Wilson, J. Q., & Kelling, G. L. (1982). Broken windows. Atlantic Monthly, 249(3), 29–38. Download Wilson, J. Q., & Kelling, G. L. (1982). Broken windows. Atlantic Monthly, 249(3), 29–38.
Assessment: Module 5
A quiz and a series of questions related to the readings will be used to assess your comprehension and understanding of the concepts discussed in the assigned materials. Responses for Questions 1 and 2 should be 1–2 paragraphs in length (1-page maximum length for each question) and must thoroughly address all parts of the assigned questions. Responses to Question 3 should be 1 paragraph in length (approximately half a page).
Your response should be based on your understanding of the material, please provide direct answers to each question, not summaries of the assigned readings. The questions are structured to require that you think analytically and critically about the material when providing your response. The assigned questions are about the theories, ideas, topics, etc. discussed in the readings, not the findings of the individual readings assigned. Assigned readings serve as an example of concepts discussed in the course, but they should not be interpreted as the definitive position related to an area of research. If your response focuses primarily on explaining the results of an assigned reading, it is unlikely that you are addressing the assigned question. If you find yourself simply summarizing or paraphrasing the material described in the reading when addressing the question, stop, review the assigned question, and consider how your response addresses the concepts discussed throughout the module. Additionally, when addressing Question 3, you should be describing common themes present across all assigned articles. The underlying question for Question 3 is, why were these articles assigned together?
In your answers, do not use direct quotations from any sources. When providing support for your positions or examples to illustrate your points you may draw on the assigned readings, academic journal articles, or books. Please do not reference websites, magazines, newspaper articles, or other non-academic sources. Additionally, support for positions or examples may not be drawn from your individual opinions or experiences (See the “Helpful Information and Examples” page on the course homepage for a discussion of the difference between taking an academic position and a personal opinion.).
Be sure to address all portions of the assigned questions. APA style must be employed in your assignments for citations, formatting, and references. Please include only one combined reference section for all responses. Instances of plagiarism will result in a score of zero for the assignment, and the use of direct quotations will result in a 50% reduction in score.
Throughout the course of this semester, I will evaluate and critique your responses and writing. I will also provide feedback to your responses. Feedback is intended to assist you in improving your writing or to consider the assigned material from a different perspective.
Dr. Matusiak's description of Questions 1-3
Please answer the questions below:
- According to Rogers and colleagues (2012), juvenile Miranda warnings are written with varying complexity and originality. Based on the principles of social control, are juvenile Miranda warnings—as currently structured—truly procedural safeguards or are they empty rituals? Explain.
- According to researchers, there are two categories of disorder strategies: aggressive order maintenance and community problem-solving. Police organizations with greater inequality regimes tend to emphasize aggressive order maintenance over community problem-solving. Why are police organizations that possess greater levels of internal inequality likely to perpetuate policies that contribute to inequality in the community? Explain.
- Identify and describe the theme(s) (other than social control) present in the assigned journal articles that link all of the articles on a common concept. Explain how and why you have come to that position.
Please upload your response here (Module 5) as a Word (.doc or .docx) file. Your response is worth 50 points.
You will have one opportunity to take each of the Module 5 quizzes. You must read the assigned material in Lippman (2021) before attempting each quiz. The quizzes are timed (40 minutes), and you will not have sufficient time to hunt for the answers to all questions without first reading the material. Each quiz is worth 40 points.
Module 5 is worth a total of 130 points.