Crime and Community Assignment

QUESTION 1A

According to the class reading, subcultures are groups of individuals who share the same

culture that differentiates itself from their parent's cultures to which they belong but maintains

some of the founding principles. Subculture develops their own belief system and norms

concerning cultural, political, and sexual matters. Some of the subculture's critical features

include the existence of defusing networks; have shared various meanings, shared identity,

considered marginalized, and are resistant. Given the subculture's information and its

characteristics, the Punk belongs to this group since they are centered on a loud, aggressive rock

music genre, which is associated with punk rock and usually played by bands consisting of a

vocalist. 

QUESTION 1B

Goffman distinguishes covering from passing in the germinal text of 1963 based on how

each term is identified physically. Passing pertains to the visibility of a character, while covering

entails its obtrusiveness. Goffman uses the three main types of stigma to explain the terms

associated with mental illness, physical deformation, and attachment to identifying a specific

race, ideology, and religion. The two concepts conveying and passing relate to the broader idea

of stigma. They show how social inequalities are developed in society, including the factors that

contribute to it happening. For instance, racism is a stigma that formed after conveying

disparities based on the race of individuals. 

QUESTION 1C

On the other hand, appearance norms are the component that defines our physical

outlook, which is underpinned by how we wear style our hair, or the general social settings.
Appearance norms have socially constructed that matter when looking at group organization

support to collaborate. For instance, norms that are explicit and visible to the whole group can

help offer a framework for addressing behavior, which becomes distractive from the

organization's goals. Schur's work on labeling women affects them by identifying them with

deviant behaviors like sexual involvement and childbearing. 

QUESTION 4A

Cultural universals can be defined as being anything familiar in all human cultures

globally, yet they vary from one group to another, like their values and behavioral modes.

Cultural universals help us understand sexual deviance by showing the attitude each culture has

toward sex. For instance, some cultures consider sex to be for pleasure and enjoyment for the

two partners, while others think it is the only means for human life continuity. The approach of

sexual deviant through cultural universal has assisted many nations in overcoming gender

oppression. They have restrictive in the attitude formed toward it about sex. 

QUESTION 4B

Further, sexuality is almost always gendered and linked to Marxist theorists when

discussing the standard to property and ownership as society is essentially building the

relationship people form as it interacts to make things significant for human survival. Thus, work

is a social process that shapes and transforms the material and social worlds, creating humans to

be social beings as they build their value. The distribution of labor is done through gender

consideration, and women are not allowed to own properties and materials because they

contribute less in making them achievable. Hence, capital is a form in which social structure is

developed in society. 

QUESTION 4C
 The primary issue that Peter Conrad identifies to be the medicalization of deviance is the

misunderstanding of the whole process, which is presumed in the medical procedure that leads to

over-medicalization cases. For instance, the assumption given for over-medicalization is not

given perspectives. Medicalization is not a complete process as it is affected by other factors like

menopause and chronic illness. The third process is the medicalization is a bidirectional process

in the essence that there can be both medicalization and de-medicalization at the end. Last, is the

problem is that medicalization happens simultaneously to become separated in various levels like

interactional, conceptual, and institutionally.

QUESTION 5A

The Supreme Court made Canada v Bedford court decision on the Canadian law

regulating sex work. Terri-Jean Bedford, an applicant, argued that the rules on prostitution were

unconstitutional. Some of the key findings were the outlawing public communication for the

purpose of prostitution, working in a bawdy house, and living off the avails of prostitution

despite the act being termed as legal (Charles, 2013). The applicant wanted the court to grand sex

workers' security. However, the court ruled out that prohibition did not violate any law according

to the charter of rights and freedom. 

QUESTION 5B

The critical aspect of the Protection of Communities and Exploited Person Act includes

prohibiting keeping a bawdy house for prostitution under section 210, prohibited prostitutes from

living on the avails, and banned on communication with the public for the prostitution purpose

(Charles, 2013). However, the legislation is referred to as the Nordic model approach since it

bans the purchase of sexual services in public and prostitution is conducted in areas where they
cannot interfere with the communities. The adoption of the model has ensured the sex work is

conducted in regions, which does not draw the attention of non-interested groups like children. 

QUESTION 5C

The framing of sex work is work that encourages accompanying public policy initiatives

through democratic argument that they have the right to engage in such business as long as there

is law guiding their operation. For instance, the legalization of prostitution in Canada was

influenced by the chapter in the constitution on human rights and freedom. Thus, prostitution is

considered a work like any other, which requires policy to protect them and the public's general

members.

Reference

Charles, R. (2013). 'Grossly disproportionate' prostitution laws struck down | CBC News. CBC.

Retrieved 2 March 2021, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/supreme-court-strikes-

down-canada-s-prostitution-laws-1.2471572.