Sociological Perspective Of Punishment

Sociological perspectives of punishment attempt to discover the cavernous roles that punishment carry’s out in society, the sociological view is that punishment is seen “as a complex social institution, shaped by an ensemble of social and historical forces” (Garland, 1991, p.115). The sociology of punishment has developed as part of many collective questions such as, how can authority and order be maintained in a developing society and how are members of the society expected to behave accordingly? Sociologist like Durkheim, believe that even though punishment is not institutionalised has existed in every society, therefore the presence of it in society is accepted. Whereas Foucault believes that punishment is a concept that has collated to …show more content…
Furthermore he proposed that “punishment was an institution that was connected to the very heart of society” (Garland, 1990, p. 23) thus suggesting that punishment is vital in order to maintain a healthy working system. In his classic work, the division of labour Durkheim bases his central theory discussing how modern society is held together by the tasks they perform in society resulting them to become dependent on each other as, different members of society specialise in different types of work. Durkheim pays greater attention to how the division of labour affects an individual’s perception of their acceptance in the society they live in. Societies with little division of labour are integrated by mechanical solidarity, this is because they share the same responsibilities and carry out similar tasks. The beliefs and the rules are so solid that they come to be embodied as religion which build a strong collective conscious. The task of rule enforcement in such a given society “is to provide procedures not whereby differences can be reconciled, but whereby the occasional aggressor can be shown the offence s/he has caused to other members of society” (Hudson, 2003, p.99), therefore assuring the members of society that their beliefs for the system are not being violated. In contrast, Durkheim argues that societies move from mechanical to organic solidarity through the division of labour. As people disperse from tight knit communities to the cities the need for independence in division of labour grows. In this type of solidarity, there tends to be fewer shared beliefs and values and individuals have greater freedom. Since these sentiments are not shared, it can be argued that when an individual commits a crime they are not offending against