Reading 2

 

1.  Distinguish between two types of crime control: hard control and soft control. Do you think media constructions of crime favor one or the other?  Why or why not?

2.  Compare and contrast three forms of discourse about crime i.e., press, popular, and social science). How do the three portray gang initiation rites as “conspiracies of deviance?”  Include a discussion of initiation legends: “the slasher under the car” and “lights out.”