Sociology & Criminology for a Changing World
Criminal justice refers to the institutions, processes, and practices by which societies respond to crime, including policing, courts, and corrections. Due process, by contrast, is the principle that ensures the protection of individual rights and liberties against arbitrary state power. Together, they reflect one of the central tensions of modern legal systems: the balance between
Theories within this category approach crime as a culturally and emotionally meaningful form of social action. Rejecting explanations that reduce crime to structural deprivation, individual pathology, or rational calculation, these perspectives emphasize the situated meanings, symbolic dimensions, and affective dynamics that shape both criminal behaviour and the societal responses to it. Crime is thus understood
Lawrence W. Sherman’s Defiance Theory seeks to explain why punishment does not always deter crime. Instead of assuming uniform effects, Sherman argues that sanctions can produce three distinct reactions: Deterrence: Punishment successfully discourages further crime. Irrelevance: Punishment has no effect on future offending. Defiance: Punishment actually intensifies deviant behaviour. Key Points Defiance Theory Main Proponent:
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