Deviance in court and jail

1.       The courtroom was actually small and it was definitely not like the ones you see on TV where it looks all cool and official.  Instead it just looked more like a classroom type.   The trial was about a murder case that took place in Addison on February 26, 2006.  Gary Schuning a Caucasian man allegedly got into an argument with his mom, pushed her down the stairs, then stabbed her with a kitchen knife in her chest 40 times then dragged her body into her room and placed a comforter to cover the body.  Schuning then took his mom credit card and hired three escorts, only two left and when the last one noticed a bloody knife in the bathroom she called her pimp and then was also killed.  The pimp called the police department and found Schuning on a bed with cuts and stab wounds to his hands and chest and the escorts body on the floor next to the bed.  The defendant claims his hands were injured because he tried to stop a murderous group that killed his mom. Garys case was a criminal case because of the crime he committed being a felony crime.  The court starts exactly at the time its scheduled and then everyone stands up even the judge when the juror comes in, once seated the first witness is called in this case the sergeant/ supervisor for the evidence technician which they document the scene, ID and collect evidence.   From all the theories we have learned I would say that all of them would pretty much apply to him.  Some examples are the control theory because he is placed in jail to control his behavior and keep him out of society so he won’t go off killing more people.  The shaming theory would also go with this case.  Disintegrative of the shaming theory would show how he is being punished and rejected not only from his family (most likely) but also from society alone.  He is also being rejected in a way in jail because they separate the criminals depending on the crime they committed and for him to be placed with all the other killers tells the other inmates what he did and some of them would maybe hurt him because of the crime he committed.  Recidivism was also a HUGE part of his case because not only did he do it once but he did twice and in one day. 

2.       When walking into the jail and taking a glance at some of the inmates I did notice that the most dominant was young Hispanic males.  The others were mostly old or in their middle age Caucasian males.  As looking at their lifestyle and the conditions of the jail I would say that there would be more of a retribution because taking away for completely all their freedom and privacy for a long time because of their acts would serve as a punishment for them which for some they would not commit the same crime.  I think that in jail the shaming theory would apply because they are isolated from society and seen as criminals inside and even outside even if for some they weren’t.  The control theory would also apply because the jail control every aspect of their behavior and do their best to keep them out from society.  I don’t think that jail alone is the best way to prevent deviancy because with that there has to be other components that help.  I think that with jail there should be more rehab help and other things that would actually help the wrongdoer understand that what he did is not good and that they can always better themselves and succeed.  Better classes like schooling and anger management would also be helpful to prevent deviance.  Overall jail is worst than what I had imagined it to be.  The fact that everything is controlled and even the air you breathe is not air makes me feel bad for the inmates.  No light whatsoever was going through any walls inside the jail, they are kept like animals in a cage and they are not even allowed to do much.  Its was pretty scary just to see the reaction of some of them when they actually saw someone different in gender, age, and occupation because you notice the comments made and the looks of some of them like if they gained some type of freedom.  I kind of do understand them because they are always used to seeing the same people, same police officers, and same genders without even being allowed to go anywhere, so for them to react the way they did would perfectly be normal.

Deviancy

I found myself thinking sociologically when my cousin was in ISS.  She got into ISS because of tardiness, she was definitely not looking forward to ISS because she had never been there so she didn’t know what to expect.  Before she even went in there she was kind of nervous because ISS is always seen as bad.  That day after school I asked her how it went, her response was not that bad.  She said she actually liked it because you have time to do your work, they take your lunch, and its quiet.  For her ISS was more of a good thing than a bad thing.  The next day when people asked her where she was in the morning during gym and she told them, they seem very shocked and they were kind of seeing her like a deviant.  I think she liked being seen a deviant because the next day she was late again and this time she had to finish her ISS plus a Saturday school.  Every time people ask her where she was or why she wasn’t in class she just laughs and thinks its funny instead of actually trying to work something out and end the school year all clean she doesn’t seem to care.  I think that in this situation the labeling theory takes effect.  The labeling theory says that if you are labeled as something you will do it more. She was labeled as a deviant and because of that it seems like she is being more deviant than before just so she can get to ISS.

Gender

 All of a sudden I found myself thinking sociologically when I was eating out with my aunt. She was asking my other aunt on her opinion to sending my four year old cousin to a private school because she was unsure because she didn't know if it would be better.  My four year old cousin hangs out mostly with my boy cousins and one girl cousin but she is already ten so theres a huge age difference and there is so much that both can do together.  My aunts answer was to sign her up for private school because she said that that way she would not become a tomboy and that they would teach her to sit properly and behave like a "young lady".  My aunt thought i went to a private school because when I used to live in Chicago like 6 years ago i would wear the usual white shirt and jeans or navy dress pants/skirt and my class would be in a church.  She used me as an example but i told her the reason for the uniform was that all Chicago public schools have to have the same uniform and the reason my class was in a church building was because the church was nice enough to let my school use that building and that is the reason why a school was built in front of the church. I told them both to just let her do what she wants I mean to me my four year old cousin seems pretty girly but to them shes not. This reminded me of the PowerPoint we saw in class comparing the boy and girl toys and how society tries to make us all perfect and they are the ones responsible for all the stereotypes in our society. 

Gender Roles

Before learning about gender socialization I did come to realize that while my mom was working my dad would sometimes be home and he would be the one cooking and cleaning in the kitchen.  When my dad would be at work and my mom would have her days off she would be the one cleaning and my grandma cooking.  I do remember when my friend came to my house he came through the kitchen and saw my dad cook and he was just shocked.  He thought it was really weird to see my dad cook because he thought my mom always cooked.  My response to that was no, my mom rarely cooks the person who does the most cooking is my dad.  When I tell people that my dad does the most cooking they all look at me with a weird look and I understand why.  They are still used to the guy working and the girl staying home and taking care of the house.  That same friend told me my family was weird and that he analyzes us. I thought it was weird yet funny and I asked why we were "weird", he said that in his family the men are the ones that say what goes and they dont let no women tell them what they have to do (very macho type).  In my family he said that the women are the ones that say what goes, I thought it was funny because in some way it is.  In my family even though married the women is more independent and are almost the head of the house when it comes to making some decisions.  This reminded me of the gender role cartoons and how we had to reverse them and do the opposite of the stereotype. 

Sociology in talkshows

All of a sudden I found myself thinking sociologically when I was watching this talk show and the theme was young children and their problems with the parents.  Basically one part was the teens doing whatever they wanted and the other part was teens not doing anything, but hard work.  The one said teens were drinking, not going to school, doing whatever they wanted and the parents needed help controlling them and finding a way to cope with them.  On the other side the parents were really strict on the children and did not let them do anything but hard work.  They were really strict to the children and that was what the show was about taking part of one side and putting it to other for help.

Looking at it in a sociological point according to Mead the relationship between the teens whose parents pushed them to the extreme wont have the ability to form a close and happy bond and because of this it would affect their personality in the future.  Same thing goes with the parents and teens who are not doing anything good.  They both need to find a balance between being a parent and being a friend or between being strict and being lenient.

Yes? No? Maybe so?

All of a sudden I found myself thinking sociologically when I saw culture clash occurring in the store.  I was with my grandma and she was trying to get the price of an item, but at that moment I was somewhere else and when I came back she was standing with the employee and she was smiling and the employee was looking very confused.  Apparently my grandma was trying to ask him for the price and he was trying to understand her so every guess he would do she would just say yes and smile.  He was very confused and did not know what she wanted.  I had to end up translating and the employee told me he was very confused because she kept saying yes to everything and he did not know what to exactly do.  My grandma thought he was understanding her and that's why she kept saying yes.  They both found it kind of frustrating the fact that they weren't understanding each other.  This showed a very good example of culture clash were the two cultures could not interact because of the language barrier.

Media influences American society

I saw sociology when I was in my lunch table and we were talking about tv shows and teen mom came up. This reminded me of how media is one thing that plays a big role in American society. We were talking about how many teens specially girls watch it and feel guided by them in good and bad ways. One of my friends was talking about how she feels it's a good show because it helps guide teen moms in the sense that they share the same feelings and have an idea of what to do and how to solve some of their problems. On the other hand I think that it's bad because it misguides teens into thinking that being pregnant is okay because you might be famous or you might have the same life as everyone else. This is an example of how media is a big part in American society because it changes the way people think and influences their actions.

Symbols that represent American society

Facebook represents american society because this is one way a lot of people especially teenagers communicate.  Facebook is a social network used by many age groups of people and it has become so big that its basically used around the world.  I personally have found it somewhat useful in the sense that instead of wasting money on calling cards to call to mexico I can simply just go on facebook and talk to my relatives being either on chat or messaging. It is now used as a part of communication that many people around the world know what it is and more and more people are opening accounts just to have more communication with each other. Facebook has become a huge part of american society.

Fast food also represent american society because America is known for having a lot of greasy, unhealthy, yet good fast food.  Fast food is also a symbol of obesity in America, a problem that american society has been facing for the past years.  There are probably a lot of fast food chains in the US that encourage us to change our diet and eat unhealthy because of the taste and affordable price.  American society is also known from many outsiders to have the most amount of fast food and fast food chains.  This is one factor that plays a big role on american society because it is a big part to identify americans.

Hygiene is a big part in american society.  There are many cultures that dont see hygiene as americans and dont have it to the same extent as we do.  One example of how hygiene is a big part of american society is when the swine flu was around.  It was just a regular flu, but everyone took extreme precautions and all of them were based on hygiene.  People washed their hands all the times, used mouth protectors, and had hand sanitizers everywhere.  This shows how hygiene is a part of american society.

Technology is a part of american society in many ways. One way is that technology is always advancing at fast rate in the US and most people seem to catch on it really quick because of entertainment, communication, or sometimes necessity.  Another way technology is that american society always wants to update and have the newest thing they always want more and more and do not conform with what they have.  American society never conforms with what they have and always want the latest things and newest things and I think technology is one way to prove it.

MTV or Media is a big part of American society.  Many people in America are influenced by media in comparison to other countries.  Media has influenced many people especially teens and that is one thing that makes up American society the way it is things seen on TV are sometimes things you might see anywhere or things that you might want to happen. I believe that media is one of the things that most influences American society.

Circus!!

All of a sudden I found myself thinking sociologically when I remembered the time I went to the circus to take my little cousins.  I remember that when we got there there was a lot of people with signs and posters, at first I thought they were promoting the circus being there because we were in the car so I did not get too close to read.  Later, I found out they were people against circuses because of the treatment of animals and when I remembered this I noticed how this was a great example of two out of the four different types of crowds.  The first one would be conventional and that is because everyone gathered in a specific place to see the performance of people and animals while following appropriate behavior even the protesters that were outside they just did their thing without fighting with anyone.  The second one would be acting and this will be the protesters that were outside.  They were taking action toward a specific target and that target was to get more people to stop going to the circus because animals are not for show.  Looking back at it now I realize that if I was part of the protesters my actions would be the opposite as they were when I was watching all the performances.

Breakfast Club in real life!

All of a sudden I found myself thinking sociologically when I was doing community service.  It was the day that we watched BreakFast Club in sociology class.  I help kids in and elementary school afterschool with homework and other activities.  At the beginning the kids line up at the gym door and take a seat wherever they like in four lunch tables.  Theres not many kids so you can easily how each one splits up in their own group.  It just seems like groups from a visual point of view but once you see talk to them you get a more in depth look at what each group "does".  I could easily say that I can describe at least three groups from there.  I saw the group of girls that just helped each other with their homework, the group of guys that did all their homework as fast as they could to be able to play basketball afterward, and the group of guys that made fun of each other and got half of their work done.  This reminded me of the breakfast club because each section of the tables had their own group and did not interact with each other.  I think that these group of kids are a part of a reference group because they form a large group and have a special purpose but I dont think that they even talk to each other outside of school.  They are also part of an interest group because they are held together by a common objective. These kids have so much of sociology and they show more of it when it has to do with groups and how they interact with each other.

Groups in Elementary School

All of a sudden, I found myself thinking sociologically when I was doing community service with children in an elementary school.  There was three long tables where the children sit in and they all choose where to sit so most of them sit with their friends or people they like being around.  I noticed that there was one girl sitting alone at the end of the table just doing her homework and eating her snack, but she did not look happy at all she looked kind of sad,down, and in a hurry to finish.  I thought maybe she just wanted to finish all her homework without distractions until one of the other kids asked me why she was sitting alone, I didn't know exactly why, so I sat in front of her and asked why she was sitting alone.  She told me that the girls sitting behind her used to sit with her but then they were being really mean to her and excluded her out of their group.  Knowing the types of groups that there is I realized that she became part of the out-group.  She went from being a member of the in-group to a member of the out-group that was viewed with hostility by the in-group members.  After they finished their snack and some homework I turned around and she was playing with the girls that were mean to her and so when I had the chance I asked her what she did so they will talk to her again and she responded that they told her if she "helped" them with their homework they will sit with her again she thought this was a pretty good deal because she would not have to sit alone anymore.  This was an example of out-group and social exchange.  The girl became part of the out-group and for her to become part of the in-group again she had to "help" the members of the in-group with their homework. 

Snow!!

All of a sudden, I found myself thinking sociologically when the huge blizzard hit chicago.  It was around ten pm on Tuesday and it snowed like crazy and our driveway was just too filled with snow that my family decided to go outside and clean it up before it got any worst the next day and we would end up cleaning more.  We each got a shovel, but did not know where to start and we all just began at the same place....well it didnt go so well because we kept hitting each other and the rest was just getting worst.  This reminded me of the puzzle activity we did in class where if everyone did the same thing at the same time there came a point where nothing was actually getting done.  At that point we decided to split up the work so we can get the most snow off.  This seemed to work very good because we all pitched in equally and got the most work done at a good amount of time, until the snow filled it up again. It was worth giving it a try because the next day we got a good amount of snow off compared to our neighbors who hadnt shoveled until the snow stopped. This compares with the puzzle activity because we just got out there without knowing exactly what we were going to do but once we figured it out we got the job done quickly and good and with a lot of group effort.

Sociological Imagination

Over the past week I saw a good example of sociological imagination.  The example is the case of my friend.  He lives at home with his parents but is currently unemployed he really doesn't need to work because his parents pay for everything and he only needs to pay for his school.  People would see this as bad because we have the thought and picture in our heads that guys are supposed to be working and bring money in for food and other utilities around the house.  In reality he could just stop going to school and be okay but he is expected to go to school and get a job to pay for it.  Even if this case does not affect other people it still might affect him because right now he starts to feel depressed because he has not been able to find a job. He is expected to work by society to the point that it has affected his personal experiences because if looked at the big picture he really does not need to get a job.

Me

My name is Janeth and I am a very quiet person.  I like to keep quiet I dont really know why but I have always been like that since I started school.  I am more of a family person than friends person, I love spending time with my family because they are always going to be there for you and you never know what could happen to them so I feel like you have to value them and spend the most time you can with them.  The biggest influences on my life is of course my family,they have taught me so much and whenever I need something or need help on whatever they are always there to help me in any way they can.  My goals in life is to get a good education and pursue a good career not only for me, but for my parents also because they have worked so hard their whole life for me to become someone and not kill myself at work like they do and for them to see that all their hard work did pay off and they didnt kill themselves at work for nothing.