Sociological Theory and Social Control - Essay Example

Social control theory could be said to be the basis of control with regard to the juvenile justice system. The juvenile justice system operates under the core principle of rehabilitation. Application of social control theory in the juvenile justice system avails several structures like the school, community and rehabilitation centers as a mechanism for instilling the right values and culture into young individual as a way of avoiding crimes (Janowitz, 2005). The application of social control theory in the real world becomes a challenge due to the disorganization of the fabrics of the community.

The current structure of the society does not provide a good breeding ground for modification and transformation of social behavior, thus making the majority of the youth be involved in violent and delinquent behavior. Improvement in the application of social control theory would thus necessitate the use of existing structures like the schools as the most viable grounds for the destruction of the fabrics of antisocial behavior. Miranda v. Arizona (1966) is arguably the most significant landmark federal justice case that has helped in shaping and promoting social justice in the present American society.

In the case Miranda v. Arizona (1966), Ernesto Miranda was arrested by the police on counts of rape, kidnapping, and robbery. Nevertheless, the police proceeded to interrogate him without informing of his rights. In the process of interrogation, Miranda was recorded self-confessing of the crimes and incriminating himself. Miranda, however, was mentally unstable and had not finished his ninth grade that posed the question of his mental acuity at the time of the confession (Goldstein et al., 2013).

Application of Miranda rights has thus helped in the transformation of the social and criminal justice whereby the law demands that a person must be informed of his or her rights at the time of arrest and be provided with the services of an attorney. The social justice system thus has achieved a distinct dimension after the Supreme Court made it necessary for the police to give the suspects a Miranda warning before an interrogation. Miranda rights have helped the public to achieve justice through the provision of the structures of the law that ensure an individual is fairly tried and adequately represented (Goldstein et al., 2013). Miranda v.

Arizona (1966), unlike Texas v. Johnson (1989) directly inflicts on the rights of individuals and has a real issue of social justice attached. In Texas v. Johnson (1989), the law prohibits vandalism of respected objects, which is critical to criminal justice but does not directly inflict on the rights of individuals.