Social Control
An Introduction
James J. Chriss(Author)
Polity Press
Published on 18. December 2007
Book
Paperback/Softback
240 pages
978-0-7456-3858-4 (ISBN)
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Description
What is social control? How do social controls become part of everyday life? What role does the criminal justice system play in exerting control? Is the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness a form of social control? Do we need more social controls to prevent terrorist atrocities? In this clear and engaging new book, James J. Chriss carefully guides readers through the debates about social control. The book provides a comprehensive guide to historical debates and more recent controversies, examining in detail the criminal justice system, medicine, everyday life, and national security. Assuming no specialist knowledge on the part of readers, he uses a rich range of contemporary examples to illustrate the ways in which social control is exerted and maintained. He discusses events such as the terrorist attacks in London and New York, racial profiling, the use of surveillance cameras, urban ghettos, and the diagnosis of conditions like ADHD. Social Control will be essential reading for students taking courses in deviance and social control, and will also appeal to those studying criminology, the sociology of law and medical sociology.
Reviews / Votes
"This book is a welcome tonic to a field that some claim is about to expire. If this book is any indication, that field is thriving." Erich Goode, State University of New York "Social Control provides a comprehensive, timely, and fascinating discussion of the various ways in which individuals, organizations, and states attempt to regulate human behavior. Chriss draws on an impressive range of scholarly work on social control and presents examples straight from the headlines to illustrate the changing nature of social control in modern society." James Tucker, University of New Hampshire "Interest on the topic of social control has increased in recent years, and this book is unique in that it integrates a variety of 'big' sociological ideas, both old and new, around the general issue of social control." Thomas C. Wilson, Florida Atlantic UniversityMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 249 mm
Width: 175 mm
Thickness: 16 mm
Weight
514 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7456-3858-4 (9780745638584)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
New editions

Book
12/2012
2nd Edition
Polity Press
Unfortunately, price unknown
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Person
J.Chriss, Associate Professor of Sociology, Cleveland State University
Content
* Acknowledgments * Preface * 1. What is Social Control? * 2. A Typology of Social Control * 3. Informal Control * 4. Medical Control * 5. Legal Control * 6. Informal Control: The Urban Underclass, Housing Segregation, and the Code of the Street * 7. Medical Control: ADHD, Selective Mutism, and Violence as a Disease * 8. Legal Control: Racial Profiling, Hate Crimes, and the Growth in Imprisonment * 9. Terrorism and Social Control * 10. Conclusion: The Future of Social Control? * References