Consensus and Conflicting Models

Bianca Fowler                                                                                               September 19th 2010

                      Consensus and Conflicting models
            Society determines which acts are criminal depending on their norms. In some neighborhoods it is normal for a fight to break out every so often. While if that was to happen in on area it would be the worst thing that has happened in a while. Some people where raised to be ok with certain things that other people were not. I believe your community determines what a criminal act is. Your area of living has its norms; anything done badly outside of its norms will most likely be seen as a criminal act.

          Dorchester, Massachusetts is a city where violence is a norm. Hearing a gunshot or two is a sound that the people of the area are familiar with. People getting stabbed and or shot is seen to be just unfortunate. In Beverly Hills these would probably be seen as a tragic crime and it would emotionally corrupt the city. Although in Dorchester for a person to die in a shooting outbreak is what would actually emotionally disturb the neighborhood it accrued in. While in Beverly Hills it would be the biggest thing around and blown far out of proportion.

        In the article the criminal act is describing itself to be a consensus model. I t would be a consensus model because the individual that shot and killed has to pay for his or her actions. It would be a consensus model because the community has come to a general agreement that people who go around and shoot and kill others need to face the law and be put away from society. Although the unknown killer is yet to be found when he is found I’m sure the whole community would want him out for good. [continues]

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