Deviance In The Criminal Justice System

Deviance and crime is a common characteristic of Canadian society. Deviance is defined as: “recognized violation of cultural norms” (2013, pg.465). While crime is defined as: “recognized violation of society’s formally enacted criminal law” (2013, pg.464). There are some universal similarities about what we as humans consider morally deviant, still, what is regarded as deviant or criminal behavior in Canada may not resonate with other societies. Some behavior “can fall right in between deviant and criminal” (Healy, 2012). In most cases, if not all, criminal acts are recognized as deviant, but deviant acts do not have to be criminal.

There are two approaches to defining deviance that I believe best explains deviant behavior. Heckert and Heckert 's (article 2) Integrated Typology and Becker’s (article 3) Labeling Theory, to me, make the most sense. Heckert and Heckert (article 2) take an innovated approach to defining deviance by recognizing the many facets that exist within the term. By acknowledging four different types of deviance, Heckert and Heckert (article 2) explain how deviance can present itself in various fashions. Through their use of integrated typology, deviance is defined using four terms: Negative Deviance, Rate Busting, Deviance Admiration, and Positive Deviance.

Some people believe that our justice system is broken. I 'm here to say otherwise...

The poor and powerless are much more likely to be arrested, convicted and sentenced for serious crimes, while the powerful and wealthy continually get off with only fines if anything. The crime rate among the poor is very high because of a lack of opportunities. The poor also lack education, skills, and a strong support system that is necessary for individuals to become productive,

Being just in the American criminal justice system is a topic that is highly debated. Some believe the system is just, while others believe it is a flawed. The truth however, is that humans are not always right. God is the only who can practice justice in complete perfection, because humans are not perfect. Although many people in the American criminal justice system have good intentions, sadly that does not necessarily mean they are always just. The American criminal justice system tries to be truly just and has been before, but humans are not perfect and cannot always be truly just.

Deviance can be broadly defined as the transgressions of social norms. It is a concept in sociology that has drawn many different analytical perspectives. This includes perspectives such as the reactivist, normative, statistical and absolutist. In his work, Liazos attempts to define the current state of the field of study by analyzing works of different authors in the field. Through this unconventional approach of studying deviance, Liazos attempted to bring light to the common approach sociologists take in studying more about the topic.

Ethical challenges are of a universal span. Many people, including police officers, are confronted with the opportunities for violating organizational rules and norms daily. Most of the stories about police officers in the media, including Cops and Criminal Minds, are about respectable police officers, but the intense 2001 movie Training Day is not. Alonzo Harris, a veteran police officer with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), is training Jake Hoyt, a rookie officer on his first day with the narcotics unit. Harris’ character is an example of police officers’ potential for corruption. For instance, when Harris misuses the police authority and uses some fake arrest warrant seizing millions of dollars from a former LAPD veteran, now an informant drug dealer, for personal gain. Norberg (2013) agrees that the exercising of the authority makes policing a morally risky profession. While at the armed robbery, Harris challenges Hoyt’s personal values and asks him to kill the drug dealer he raids, but Hoyt refuses, and Harris murders the man himself. Harris violates the police organization code of conduct rules and tries to introduce Hoyt into corruption, drugs, and murder. The ethical perspectives explain Harris and Hoyt contrary actions and sense of justice.

The Criminal Justice System is the complex system that deals with the crime and provides justice to all within the framework of integrity and tradition. This system in Canada is a labyrinth of procedures & organizations that try to control crime by diminishing wrong-doings and forcing punishments for the commission of law violations. In Canada, there are various levels of the criminal justice system comprising municipal, provincial and federal platforms. Each level consists of its own law enforcement, courts, and corrections, including police. Canada's legal administration is organized according to the British North America Act, 1867 (now known as the Constitution Act, 1867), continued from British colonial roots. So, the Canadian fundamental principles of rules/regulations and justice are not much different from nations currently or been ever governed by the British government.

In Wayward Puritans Erikson argues that there is no notable difference between people who participate in deviant acts and those who do not. Deviance therefore is a social construction; it is defined by what society deems normal. What is considered deviant in one society is not necessarily deviant in another. The label of deviance is conferred upon certain behaviors, often by those in power. Dominant groups in society set expectations for what is acceptable behavior, which helps to keep people in line with dominant group expectations.

Crime is any act which breaks the laws of society, such as murder, rape, speeding etc. Social control is enforced by agencies such as police and the courts, more specifically defined than deviance. Deviance is behaviour which moves away from controversial norms and values such as burping, pass wind in public and queuing. It Can be positive e.g. extreme intelligence. Although in some situation in nature – time dependent of factors, place, who is involved.

a. Deviance: Page 194, the violation of norms (or rules or expectations). This gang is a deviant group of people because they are breaking the rules of law. They extort money from business owner for protection. They are taking over large areas of entire cities and they are expecting non-gang membered people to follow their rules or face the consequences.

Police deviance is something that isn’t particularly talked about in the open. The reactions to certain actions by the police are either kept under wraps or blown up in the media to a dramatic extent. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the negative side of police deviance and the repercussions that follow. This will allow some light to be shown on the actions of officers that don’t follow the rules that they set out to uphold. If the peacekeepers aren’t keeping the peace, then the reasoning for having a position of power is null.

Functionalists, conflict theorist, and interactionist all have different views and focus on different parts of society and its people. What is deviance? Deviance is a behavior, trait, or belief that departs from a norm and generates a negative reaction in a particular group (Ferris and Stein 151). It is considered a social construct.

Deviance has many functions in society. Although deviance violates social norms, without it, we would not have rules, so it helps form, guide, and shape society’s norms and goals. Social norms are different from culture to culture. Norms that may be acceptable in one culture may be frowned upon in another. Emile Durkheim quotes that “deviance and deviant behavior is an integral part of all healthy societies (Adler, 2014, p74).”

According to Hunt and Colandar (2011), a word deviant refers to when an individual’s actions contradict with society’s norms. For instance, majority peoples followed norms because society expect individual to behave in morally tolerate with each other. Those failing to conform the norms noted as deviant. In a social context, the task of the society is to blind the action of the social community together. Once failing to act them to the society’s reaction that seem as deviant.