Social Control: An Introduction

by James J. Chriss

Overview

What is social control? How do social controls become part of everyday life? What role does social control play within criminal justice, the treatment of mental illness, and responses to terrorist atrocities? In this new edition of his popular and engaging introduction, Chriss carefully guides readers through the debates about social control.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780745654386
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	01/09/2013
Edition description:	2nd Revised ed.
Pages:	258
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 9.70(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

James J. Chriss is Professor of Sociology at Cleveland State University.

Table of Contents

Tables and Figures vi

Preface and Acknowledgments vii

Part I Understanding Social Control 1

1 What Is Social Control? 3

2 A Typology of Social Control 24

3 Informal Control 45

4 Medical Control 71

5 Legal Control 95

Part II Case Studies in Social Control 119

6 Informal Control: Housing Segregation, the Code of the Street, and Emerging Adulthood and Morality 121

7 Medical Control: Selective Mutism, Autism, and Violence as a Disease 147

8 Legal Control: Racial Profiling, Hate Crimes, and the Imprisonment Binge 168

9 Terrorism and Social Control 189

10 Conclusion: The Future of Social Control 211

Notes 237

References 261

Index 293

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

'Chriss reminds us that social control, the flip side of deviance, is central to social life; all societies practice it, from the pinnacle of the power structure to all of us at the grassroots, in our interactions with others on a one-to-one basis. His discussion is both broad and specific to particular key realms: Chriss has done an admirable job of analyzing how social control operates in the contemporary world, with terrorism, ADHD, and racialized social relations supplying key examples.'
Erich Goode, Stony Brook University

'The author is widely read in the field of social control, and is to be commended for his coverage of a broad range of material. While the focus is on sociological materials, the author has included relevant concepts and research from related fields, and the connections among disparate literatures reflect insight and originality. The quality of the content is excellent – I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.'
John DeLamater, University of Wisconsin-Madison

'For a century now, scholars have tried to conceptualize control as a central notion in sociology. The second edition of James Chriss’s Social Control continues the grand tradition begun by Ward and Ross, deftly weaving in classical and contemporary thought and using current events to illustrate medical, legal, and informal control. This is essential reading for all social scientists, young and old.'
Matthias Gross, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, UFZ, Leipzig

'Social Control provides a theoretical diverse and timely discussion of the way the government, medical system, and citizens attempt to regulate behavior in modern society. Chriss draws on wide range of scholarly work in criminology and sociology and presents numerous examples from contemporary America to support his central points.'
James Tucker, University of New Hampshire

Editorial Reviews

Professor Chriss has written a theoretically informed and far-ranging account of the origins, types, and functions of social control in human society. Key concepts are reinforced by relevant present-day case studies. Highly recommended.”
William C. Cockerham, Emeritus, University of Alabama, and College of William and Mary

“Chriss reminds us that social control, the flip side of deviance, is central to social life; all societies practice it, from the pinnacle of the power structure to all of us at the grassroots, in our interactions with others on a one-to-one basis.”
Erich Goode, Emeritus, Stony Brook University

From the Publisher