Suchergebnisse

Africa is now the least urbanized of the continents but is becoming more so at one of the fastest rates in the world. The history of urbanization in Africa predates the birth of Christ; it may have developed as early as 3500 B.C. in the flood plain of the lower Nile for control and administration of the Nile Valley by the Pharaohs, though most of the ancient and pre-colonial African urban centers are now insignificant towns and some have become extinct. Between 1500 B.C. and 500 A.D., the Mediterranean coast of North Africa saw the creation of many cities, which flourished because of trade between the Phoenicians and Carthaginians.

Society is not static; rather, it changes over time, and for this reason, the concept of social control takes on dynamic properties. At a most basic level, the intention of social control is to maintain coherence within the social order. Some degree of stability is necessary if this purpose is to be accomplished; however, stability should not be interpreted as synonymous with social control. A society must adapt to its changing internal and external environment if it is to be guarded from some cataclysmic change which would threaten coherence. Control must, therefore, incorporate the capacity for change. This article analyzes the ability of four forms of crime control to provide these two criteria of social control: stability and adaptability. From this perspective, the proscriptive nature of criminal justice is critiqued and suggestions for future directions are made.