Sociology & Criminology for a Changing World
Restorative Justice (RJ) represents a paradigm shift in the way societies deal with crime and conflict. Rather than focusing on punishment and retribution, restorative approaches emphasise dialogue, reparation, and the active participation of all parties involved. Victims, offenders, and community members are brought together to address harm, foster accountability, and promote healing. Restorative justice is
Being Mentally Ill by Thomas J. Scheff is considered a key contribution to labelling theory and the sociology of mental deviance. Building on the theoretical insights of Howard S. Becker and Erving Goffman, Scheff argues that “mental illness” is not (only) a biologically or medically defined condition, but is significantly shaped by social processes of
Goffman’s Perspective: From Visible Deviance to Social Exclusion In Stigma, Erving Goffman explores the mechanisms by which societies mark individuals whose appearance, behavior, or background is considered deviant from social norms. A stigma is not an inherent attribute, but rather a social judgment that is ascribed to a person. Physical stigmas (e.g., visible disabilities) Character-related
Interactionist and labelling approaches constitute a paradigm shift in criminological theory. Rather than explaining crime as the outcome of static individual pathologies or deterministic social factors, these perspectives emphasise the social construction of deviance through processes of interaction, attribution, and power. Crime, in this view, is not a self-evident act but an outcome of societal
Crime, Shame and Reintegration (1989) by John Braithwaite is a foundational text in criminology that builds on labelling theory, control theories, and social disorganization theory. Braithwaite’s concept of shaming analyzes the social processes that invoke shame as a form of social control. He distinguishes between two types: disintegrative shaming, which stigmatizes and excludes offenders, and