After viewing the episode of Taboo, what are your reactions? In a paragraph, respond to the following questions here by Monday 3/17 @ 8:00am
- Choose 1 deviant behavior you witnessed
- Describe the behavior, it's value in that culture, and why it is taboo to us
- Describe the sanctions associated with each (are they positive? Negative? How so... How are the sanctions based on culture? In the US how would we sanction this behavior?)
- Overall reaction
- How did your ethnocentrism affect you?
The deviant behavior I witnessed in the Taboo episode was public shaming as punishment for petty crimes in Tennessee. For example, an eighteen year old boy shoplifted a CD from a store and had the choice at his sentencing to either spend 10 days in jail or walk in front of the store he robbed for 4 days with a sign explaining his crime. The judge hopes that by publicly shaming this young man, it will deter him from crime in the future. This is taboo for most of the United States because we view public punishment as ancient and barbaric, as well as psychologically damaging. The sanctions associated with this are negative. The sign the boy holds primarily serves as a status symbol signifying him as a criminal. This is a negative sanction on his illegal behavior. This sanction would be viewed similarly in all areas of the United States. I believe this is a good way to dissuade criminal behavior because it forces the person to accept their actions and they cannot hide them. I think the system in Tennessee is very good because it gives offenders the option of jail as well, so public embarrassment is not forced upon them. I do not believe ethnocentrism affected me too badly because although this is not a form of punishment in New Jersey, I still see why it is effective.
ReplyDeleteIn this episode I watched a man who was convicted for murder in India. This man was able to teach young kids at a school in a free for all “prison”. India has many overcrowded prison systems and for those on good behavior these outside “prisons” are a cheaper and more efficient way to have people lives out their sentencing. These convicts live among regular people in a community and even have jobs! They are free to do whatever they please during certain hours of the day. This is bizarre to me since its normal for criminals to be locked away without any communication or access to these personal freedoms. Being put in jail is supposed to teach us how to follow the laws we are given. By giving these freedoms to convicts we teach nothing. The US would not be able to allow these types of prisons because the community wouldn't feel very safe. American’s are all about safety and I don’t think any parent would feel comfortable living in an area where a murder or a sex offender roamed freely. Personally I wouldn't be able to live a place where justice isn’t served correctly for the crime committed. The way the US runs our judicial system fits the punishment for the crime, which is the way it should be.
ReplyDeleteIn the episode of Taboo from National Geographic, there were many deviant behaviors being expressed. One deviant behavior that shocked me was when the guy killed his wife because of a cold "remedy" that was supposed to help her. Instead it killed her and he was accused of murder for this. Although his behavior caused a death to someone, he is still allowed to live a normal life with a job and work. This amazes me how people in this society just let murderers have a job and live a normal life without any laws or anything. Usually in our society today people convicted of murders are locked up in a jail and are not allowed to have jobs and live lives like this. They aren't even alowed to associate themselves with anyone until their time is up. I would not want my kid being taught by a murderer in society. I wouldn't feel comfortable with that which is what the other mom in this episode did. She locked her son up in the house since he was 3 because she was scared of murderers in her society. My overall reaction to this is very shocking. This shocked me how parents would just let their children go out into society with people like that and have their kids being taught by a murderer. My ethnocentrism affected me because I am used to the normal behaviors and acts in our society and something like this is unnatural to me. I am accustomed to believe in our roles and behaviors in my society because they are normal values that people admire. I think that wherever you live affects how you think society should be structured and for this society, their structure is seen as normal. For people in the US, they would think it isn't which supports my point of view.
ReplyDeleteIn this episode of Taboo the deviant behavior I witnessed was an open prison in India for those who are convicted of murder. Those who, after serving confined time in an enclosed prison, get to spend the few remaining years of their sentencing in an open prison where they can come and go. In this prison, one can get a job, have their family move in, and leave and return whenever they want. The convicts are allowed to converse with the outside community, occupy jobs, and make a living for themselves. This prison system can be seen as a taboo to the US because when someone is convicted of a serious crime you wouldn't want them receiving jobs as teachers in a blue ribbon school. We close off any interaction that we can with those who have committed serious crimes, and we wouldn't accept them as warmly as those in India did. With this behavior the sanction is actually one of positivity, if you will, because the community is almost slowly forgiving the convicted of their crimes. Those who are imprisoned in these jails are working their way back into their society and are finding more stable jobs that can help them return to a normal lifestyle after being officially released. Because of the overcrowding in prisons in India and the costs of having such a high number of people, they created this open concept because not only does it benefit them more economically but it also allows the convicts to work their way into society, so they aren't just thrown into it right after their sentencing ends. In the US we would not have reacted this nicely to those who are sentenced to prison because he or she has committed a serious crime that harms the community. We make sure that a prisoner has no contact in society, besides having family visits, and we make sure that they don't have the feeling of rehabilitation in a lenient, enjoyable, way. When watching the episode on India's prison system, I just kept thinking how abnormal it was. In the US we would never even consider having an open prison system where convicts can have a medium with communities. I personally don't feel as though it is the best system because I feel that those who committed the murders in the episode, were only happy to be in such a relaxed enforcement, that it lost the meaning of what prison is really for. You commit a serious crime and you get to spend half of your sentencing mingling with the rest of society. My ethnocentrism took over because I kept comparing India's prison system to the United States' and was in complete shock that something like that could actually happen in the world I live in. The United State's normal is not a normal for another country. India's normal is definitely not my normal.
ReplyDeleteIn this episode of Taboo the deviant behavior that I witnessed was the man in India who murdered his own wife. The man killed his wife by giving her cold "medicine" which was intended to kill her and then burned her. Even though he was a convicted murderer, he was still allowed to live his life by having his own job teaching young children, having his own home in the "open" prison, and having the opportunity for family to live with him... even though his children never wanted to see him again. The "open prison" allowed all the people who were in it to have the same perks as this man. The people would only be sent to this special prison after they had already done time locked up in a normal prison. This would be taboo in the United States because people who are convicted of serious crimes are locked away and seriously outcast from society. They are not allowed to obtain positions such as teachers and are seen as a serious threat and are usually sent to prison for life. I think in the Indian society, the "open prison" is a positive and negative sanction. It is a positive sanction because the people can be trusted enough to have their own jobs and basically roam freely because they were seen to have good behavior; however, it is still a negative sanction because they are not completely free. In the US, people who are convicted of murder are always sanctioned negatively and do not receive the freedom like they do in India. People are punished more harshly and aren't trusted like they are in India as well. I was shocked to learn about the prison system in India and can honestly say I would never want it to be that way in the United States. I thin my ethnocentrism affects me because I would be mostly concerned with safety. I wouldn't say that the US system is better, I just think that they systems are completely different, and they both work based on the countries they are in. I don't think the "open prison" system would work in the Untied States, but it seems to be working just fine in India.
ReplyDeleteIn this episode of Taboo the deviant behavior that I witnessed was the man from India who had murdered his wife. He gave her a 'cold medicine' mixture that killed her and he went on to burn her body. After he had spent some years in prison, he was than allowed to to live his life in the open gate prison in India. The man was allowed to have a job as a teacher, be out for a majority of the day, haven his own home on the open prison grounds and basically live the life as a free person. In the India culture, this seems to work for them. All 161 inmates report back each night and it is cheaper for their society. To us as Americans, this seems odd and probably most feel like someone such as a convicted murderer should be locked away in a prison, the same way they do it here in the states. It's hard for me to imagine an open door jail, most likely due to the fact that we here aren't used to it. In the Indian society, I feel like there are both negative and positive sanctions that come along with an open prison. It is positive because they are giving the individual the benefit of the doubt and trusting them to follow the rules they have however I feel like there is still negative sanctions. You can not always give someone the benefit of the doubt, sometimes a little bit of freedom can lead to something more that could be once again harmful. Here in the U.S this would definitely have a negative sanction because it is something that we are not used to at all. Having criminals out on the streets is just something we don't do here in the states. My ethnocentrism affected me probably due to the fact that I would be in constant worry of something that may possibly happen when there aren't so many rules in place. Everyone has there own way of setting rules and how they are played out, but I'm okay with it the way the U.s system works. Maybe if we lived in a different society my thoughts and feeling would differ.
ReplyDeleteIn the Taboo episode we watched, the deviant behavior that I witnessed was the open prison in India. After doing some time in prison beforehand, prisoners on good behavior could come to this open prison. The open prison was in a town and prisoners were welcome to come and go. They could take on jobs during the day but had to be back at the open prison at night. The open prison in India's culture is valued as a second chance for the prisoners. However it is taboo to us because there is nothing like it in our society. If you are convicted of a crime you either do community service or stay in jail/prison. The example in Taboo of the convicted murderer as a teacher is especially taboo to us because that is entrusting this prisoner to be well behaved and teacher our children. In India though there are mostly positive sanctions. Most parents interviewed in Taboo found nothing wrong with the convicted murder teaching their children. The prisoners are also welcomed by the townspeople and the prisoners feel like this is their second chance. The Indian culture sees the past as just being in the past. In the U.S, we would see this as a negative sanction. We wouldn't want convicted murders out on the streets. Overall I admit that my ethnocentrism affected me a lot. I can't ever imagine finding out that one of my teachers was convicted of a crime and by teaching is serving the time. Although the prisoners do time before the prison, it feels as though as long as they are well behaved they can easily get back into the world.
ReplyDeleteAfter pondering upon the documentary called Taboo that we watched in class, I was appalled by all the deviant behaviors that are present in the many cultures of the world. One particular deviant behavior that I witnessed was a man in India that goes by the name Vishnu that brutally murdered his wife. This individual was immediately imprisoned in a closed jail cell for years but because of good behavior he was moved to a new open prison in an Indian city. In this location, he is allowed to have his own house, make his own living by actually teaching a group of kids at a school and roam freely for the majority of the day. This type of prison was created because of overcrowding, not enough government funding and as an experiment to see if crime would decrease. According to the Indian culture, these people should be given a second chance at life and be free even though they committed such horrific acts. Furthermore the parents of the children whom Vishnu teaches were interviewed and they expressed their full support of this system, how great of a teacher he is and how his past should just be let go. I found this to be absolutely ridiculous! This type of behavior is considered to be taboo in our society because we firmly believe that those who have taken harmful actions willingly should be punished and taught a lesson. The prison was full of murderers and sex offenders which in the US would be considered the highest level of criminals and they would be locked up for life in the most secure prison in the country. It would make our society so dangerous if the government and justice system allowed these shameful people to roam the streets among families who care about being safe and prosperous. I was very upset while watching this because the offenders in India were not in an actual prison, they were so happy because they were able to be with their families and make money instead of being forced to think about their actions, repent and start forced rehabilitation. I did notice that my sense of ethnocentrism affected me so much while viewing the short film. Because I believe that my culture is above all others and should be considered the standard, I never fully thought about the situation in these poor countries and how people are treated during the course of their lives. Although this is true, I still firmly think that process of having a trial in court and the justice served is the right way to keep society free from bad occurrences.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the episode of Taboo, the deviant social structure that I found the most shocking was the open prisons in India. After serving some time in a closed jail, and behaving well, they can go to an open prison. In these open prisons, prisoners are free to come and go as they please, get jobs, make money for themselves, and stay with their families inside the prison. The only prison element of the jail is when they have to be back for roll call. It really is more of a halfway house than it is a prison. It allows prisoners to get reintegrated with society and get back on their feet before having total freedom. This practice is very taboo to us because here in the western world, prisoners are kept very isolated from society and not accepted in the community, like they are in India. When one commits a crime in India, yes they get jail time but if they behave well, they are rewarded with lots of freedoms. Overall, I feel that this idea is a really innovative way to help criminals change their lives for the better. I think it works for India because the culture is so open and accepting and less developed than America. I really don't think it would work in America, just because of our nature as a country and group of people. My ethnocentrism really affected my perspective on this because I am so used to how we do things in America, so having a totally different way of jailing criminals is a really extreme contrast.
ReplyDeleteOne deviant behavior I witnessed was the concept of open prisons in India. After serving their sentence in prison, these criminals have the freedom to stay in an open prison and live with their families and have jobs. I could not believe that criminals would be allowed to occupy normal jobs outside of the prison and have a free life, for the most part. This concept is so foreign to our communities and society and differs very much from our way of life. Most of the criminals in the open prisons were murderers, yet they were still able to live a pretty normal and life and could be "respected" in their community, as one inmate claimed. In a way, forgiveness is something valued in that culture because the citizens in that community have to see the criminals and find a way to accept them, whether or not they want to. This gives the criminals a second chance to prove themselves in society, which can be positive in some cases, but negative considering the crime committed and stability of the prisoner. The whole idea of open prisons is taboo to our society because we are not familiar with it at all. In our culture, when someone has committed a severe crime, they are most likely put in prison and are isolated from society, depending on whether they are freed from jail or not. As a result of committing a crime, our initial reaction is to isolate and shun these criminals, not for them to live in open prisons and occupy a normal job outside of the prison. This is one huge between our culture and other cultures. In our society, it is hard for a criminal to get used to and be welcomed back into society after imprisonment because we already have made our assumptions about what kind of a person we think they are. The concept of open prisons in India finds a way to bring these criminals and help them start their new lives in society by occupying jobs and stepping out into their communities again. I think that the open prisons are a positive sanction for these criminals. Yes, they did go to prison for what they did but they are also rewarded with these freedoms that criminals do not get for committing severe crimes like these. In the U.S., we would feel extremely different about this open prison system and would consider it a negative sanction because it is not strict enough and does not limit the freedoms of criminals. While watching the video, I was really shocked that open prisons exist and couldn't believe that these Indian communities would allow murderers to be teachers and have normal jobs. This just goes to show how different societies are around the world. Overall, I thought it was very interesting to learn about this society and how some criminals live on a daily basis, trying to reconnect with their society. My ethnocentrism affected me because I did not realize that other countries' prison systems were this different. It also affected me because it made me feel that our country's prison system is superior to other countries, but each country differs and has their own way of dealing with it, whether we agree with it or not.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteIn parts of India, open prisons exist where murderers who have already served time and have good behavior can live in open prisons and get jobs. It is valued in that culture because the inmates are trusted, they can be helpful to their communities (like the schoolteacher), and they are treated like normal citizens. This also saves the government money. This is taboo to us because in our culture we completely marginalize criminals and believe that murderers should not interact with society whatsoever. Our notions of justice do not fit in with such a relaxed punishment. The people in these jails recieve mostly positive sanctions, as the schoolteacher's colleges praise his work, the warden honestly beleives that his inmates will not try to escape or cause harm, and the people are free to integrate themselves into society where others will treat them with the normal degree of respect that one gives to strangers, not with the contempt that one would imagine criminals receiving. These sanctions are based on a culture that is more accepting of this type of punishment and that has a different understanding of justice and atonement than the United States.In the U.S. we would ostracize these people, protest that they are free, and probably leave them to fall deeper into crime as a result. There would be many negative sanctions, anywhere from dirty looks to actually complaining/rallying to get rid of these prisons.
At first i was disturbed and shocked, but as I heard the details surrounding the prison, and as I heard how low the crime/escape rate was, I was actually convinced this was a good idea, at least on a practical level. It saves money, allows more people to work and be useful to society, and stops them from becoming more marginalized and doing more crimes. Definitely this system would not work in all places or with all criminals, but I am a firm believer in doing what works in a given situation. On the other hand, my ethnocentrism makes me balk at the idea of not having my vision of justice for murderers. I think i still believe that those who have terrible things should be punished for a very long time, even if letting them go would be more practical and useful to society.
After watching the episode of Taboo in class the deviant behavior I found most shocking was the public shaming because it is present in our very own country. Public shaming takes place in place of smaller crimes or in addition to higher crimes in order to teach the criminal a lesson and not allow them to hide from the crime they committed. For example the episode shows a young man who stole a CD from a store and instead of spending ten days in jail, the man had to pace outside of the store with a sign on his front and back that stated his crime for four days. Public shaming is taboo for us because we believe to us it is not a ethical way for someone to pay for his or her crime. Usually men or women who commit a crime are to due time in a state or federal prison but the idea of publically shaming someone to pay for his or her crime is becoming more prevalent. This type of deviant behavior is considered a negative sanction because it is a way for society to express disapproval. I believe that this type of punishment is a good way to teach criminals a lesson if it is addition to their sentence. I do not believe it should be put in place of the sentence the criminal should receive for his or her crime.
ReplyDeleteWhile watching the episode of Taboo the deviant punishment that shocked me the most was the 17-year old boy who was basically captivated in his own home since the age of three. The reason why he had to be imprisoned in his own home was not because of something he did, but something that had happened within his family about 14 years ago. His father had been involved in a rivalry between his family and another family. The family put a curse on this boy’s family saying that if they see any man from this family outside the boundaries of their home, we will kill them. This is taken very seriously in this part of the world; therefore, this boy will remain to be forcibly captivated in his own home. This is very taboo to our culture because we understand as a whole that when someone is murdered they are put in jail, and these “curses” do not really exist in our society. This boy’s mother is heartbroken over the fact that her son is not able to experience and fully appreciate life, because he has been locked up since he was three. Basically paying the price for something that his father did once upon a time. The sanctions associated with this form of punishment are extremely negative, and in the U.S this behavior would not be tolerated at all. It would probably be considered to be a form of abduction and illegal captivation. These sanctions are very negative but seem to be the norm for this culture. A negative factor in this culture is the presence of these rivalries in these families that could last decades. I personally believe that this practice strips away the dignity and worth of an innocent person. It is not justifiable in any way that this boy has to pay the price for his father’s actions. I believe that the family who set forward this situation is heartless and does not have very good morals. When someone is captivated like that they are unable to experience life and their adolescent years, the best years of their lives, are put to waste. My ethnocentrism affected me in the way that I became very skeptical and judgmental of this culture in general due to the situation that was presented to me in the taboo episode.
ReplyDeleteWhile watching this episode of “Taboo,” one deviant behavior in particular that shocked me the most was that of the open prison in India. Most of the inmates in this “prison” are convicted murderers, and did previous jail time but were transferred into this open jail due to their good behavior. With this facility, the inmates have the option to rebuild their lives and provide for themselves and their families if they choose to look for employment; however, I cannot imagine this would be something most other countries would even consider adopting into their societies. In the United States, you do the crime, you do the time, simple as that – especially with murder. To think that in India, murderers are given a second chance is not a concept Americans can easily wrap their heads around. On one hand, it is a good encouragement tactic to allow those who have committed crimes to better themselves for a chance to restart their lives. But on the other hand, if criminals are just given a slap on the wrist and then transferred to “open prisons” and treated like “average Joes” in society, how important can it be to prevent and fight crime? Of course I am biased because this would never fly in the U.S., and maybe certain criminals DO deserve second chances, but the idea of an open prison still does not sit right with me, as I’m sure it doesn't with other Americans, and I am also unsure if the idea of having one would be moving forward or backward.
ReplyDeleteIn this episode of Taboo the deviant behavior I witnessed was a man from India who murdered his wife gruesomely being allowed to teach young kids in school. In the episode the man who killed his wife served normal jail time and was let out on good behavior, and sent to the normal jail. All the prisoners, including the school teacher, are free to come and go as they please between the hours of 7 AM and 7 PM, and they can work anywhere they want within the 2 mile radius they are allowed in. This is taboo to our society because I could never imagine having a convicted murderer for a school teacher, and I doubt my parents or any parents of my classmates would allow that. Also, having murderers wonder around town and have the same rights as me is also taboo. It is strange that the prisoners are allowed to have their families live with them and it is strange that the villagers who live in the same village as the prisoners do are not afraid or angered at the fact that they are basically free. The whole situation is extremely taboo to me. For the school teacher who murdered his wife, the sanctions from the students, villagers and students are very positive. The teacher claims that the people love and respect him, and in interviews with the parents of the students they claim that he is a very good teacher and deserves a second chance. They view his act of murder as an act of the past, rather than something that lingers with you. My overall reaction was basically surprise. I could not believe that a school teacher not only murdered his wife, but killed her with cough medicine and burned her at the stake. He murdered her in a very psychopathic and terrifying way, so I believe that he is mentally deranged. I am also appalled at the reactions of the villagers and parents of the students. How could a parent trust their child with a murderer? And why do they not know the whole story? The parents basically only know that he was a murderer, not who he murdered or how he murdered them. As a parent I would want to know all of this information before trusting him with my child. I would not even trust a minor offender with my child if I were a parent. My ethnocentrism affected me because I constantly kept believing that my society was right for locking murderers up and giving them either life sentences or at least 25 years in jail. My society is more strict about crimes than the school teacher;s society is obviously. If the villagers are raised to believe an open prison is a good idea, they will believe it all through adult hood. In a way an open prison can be very beneficial considering that has only been one escape from the one in India, but on the other hand I could never image feeling safe and protected knowing that violent murderers war lurking around and could be anywhere I turned.
ReplyDeleteA deviant behavior that I witnessed while watching Taboo was open prisons in India where convicted murderers are able to leave the confinement of the prison and interact with others in society. The part of this that shocked me the most was the man who was able to become a schoolteacher and interact with children, even though he is a convicted murderer. The residents of this prison are free to roam and work within a certain distance and live relatively normal lives. This is something that is completely accepted in their society, and it seemed as if those living in the prison had no negative connotation connected to them. The prisoners were able to work, and sell their merchandise and others in society had no hesitation allowing them to do so. These prisons seemed to be an important part of the culture in India. These prisons were a big help in solving the problem of overcrowding in prisons that India was facing. Since there were less people in prisons due to the open prisons, they helped out economically too. The concept of open prisons seems so taboo too us because our society has such an extreme negative connotation against criminals, especially those who have committed a crime as serious as murder. Safety is such a huge thing here in America, and allowing convicted criminals to just roam the streets here is something that just simply would not be tolerated. Our criminal justice system is something that is often put in the spotlight, and the idea of an open prison is extremely contradictory to our systems beliefs. In India, the sanctions associated with the open prisons are positive. The prisoners in these open prisons are not viewed as criminals in their society and they are seen as taking positive steps forward in their lives to better themselves. However, in America these open prisons would have a negative sanction. These would be seen as extremely dangerous, and no matter what those prisoners would always have a negative connotation attached to them. Overall, I think the open prisons are definitely something that works for India. When the idea was first mentioned in the episode I was appalled at it, but once I heard the statistics and saw how other citizens in India viewed it, I saw that it was not as shocking as I originally believed. I think these prisons are actually something positive in their culture and something that works, however I don’t think anything like that would ever work in America. I think my ethnocentrism affected me because it is just instinct to believe that anyone who has committed as serious of a crime as murder should not be allowed back into society. The idea of an open prison goes against everything that is believed about the criminal justice system here and is definitely a concept that took some getting used to, but now I see the benefits of something like that.
ReplyDeleteThe deviant behavior that stood out most to me was the boy being held captive in his house since he was three years old for a crime that his father committed. It was upsetting to learn that because of his father's actions, he had to live a life of isolation and confinement. Because of his father's actions, it created a blood rivalry of revenge that stated if they saw any male member of the family outside of their home confinements, they would be killed. This boy does not attend a school, cannot go out to see his friends, and cannot live a life of freedom. He is repressed to the gates surrounding his home. His mother has put in great efforts to meet with a mediator to settle the blood rivalry to give her son freedom and a normal life. This behavior is not being stopped in Albania and it is not unheard of in the slightest. This is taboo to us because this would never be tolerated in America. We would never be confined to our four walls of our homes because of a blood rivalry. If someone told me that I could never leave my house because I would be shot for my father's actions I would contact the police and government and it would be immediately taken care of. These are negative sanctions because it forbids the boy to leave his house. He must exercise and interact only within his family compound. This also harms his mother to see her son trapped due to her husband. It pains her to see the life that he has to live. The U.S. would instead place these people in jail and make that be there punishment. These actions shocked me to see that in a different country these awful acts are taking place and that there is nothing we can do about it. Albania has to take control over this issue and put an end to it. This ethnocentrism affected me because in any society or country I still believe that this is unjust and not right.
ReplyDeleteThe deviant behavior I witnessed while watching Taboo was public shaming in Tennessee. In this episode an 18 year old boy shoplifted a CD from a local store. He had the choice to either go to jail for 10 days or go to the store he shoplifted from and stand outside with a sign that said "I stole from this store now I am walking by order of Judge McKenzie." We see this a taboo to us because the United states as a whole sees this a very cruel. The sanction that is associated with this is negative. Negative Sanction is an expression of disapproval for breaking a norm, ranging form a mild, informal reaction such as a prize or a prison sentence. Because the 18 year old guy holds up a sign that says he stole from the store practically tells everyone that drives or walks by him that he is a criminal because he stole a CD from a store. This will be viewed the same way all throughout the United States. I personally think this a great technique for teenagers. It will teach them a lesson from somewhat small crimes they commit. Although I don't think its a good idea if you killed someone because you were drunk driving to hold a up sign. They should be put in jail. I don't think my ethnocentrism affected me so much because I never saw this in person.
ReplyDeleteWhile watching this episode of Taboo one of the deviant behaviors that stood out to me the most was the boy being held captive in his own home in Albania for a crime that he never committed. He has be imprisoned in his own home since he was 3 years old. His own father was the one who killed his brother in law and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. This created a rivalry between the two families and that they if they saw any male member from the family step outside of their own house they will automatically be killed. This poor kid is living a life of isolation due to his fathers actions. He doesn't go to school or see his friends. He lives a life of a prisoner which he is not. His mother has been doing everything in her power to settle this blood rivalry so that he son can live a normal life. This type of punishment is almost normal and isn't being stopped. I found this to be a taboo to us here because these types of punishments will never happen in America today. Punishments here consist of life in prison, service hours and public humiliation. You would never hear of someone being confined in their own home for their father committing a crime. This way method of punishment can be a negative sanction because the boy is not allowed to leave his house at all. He doesn't really get to do much except exercise and stared into the sky. Behavior like this would not be tolerated in the U.S. what so ever. It is almost the norm in Albania for other families to curse each other into doing certain things and that is highly unlikely to be seen here. This strips away the boy's dignity and freedom. He has no freedom whatsoever. I personally feel sorry for his mother for trying to help her son but in the process it never works out. All she wants is her for her son to be free and have a life. People like these are so cruel and harsh, this poor kid is alone all day and tormented for something that he didn't even do. My ethnocentrism affected me greatly because things like this don't happen in America and are considered unjust and cruel and unusual punishment. It makes me scared to think of all the other people in Albania who haven't committed crimes and yet are still punished for it.
ReplyDeleteOne deviant behavior I witnessed was open prisons in Indian for convicted murders. They were allowed to leave the prison during the day and get jobs in society. Everyone in society knows these people's pasts and they still accept them and even let them teach their children. These convicted murderers have already spent several years in a regular prison so now, for them, they are kind of like rebuilding their lives and these open prisons are sort of what we call in the, US Halfway houses. This is so taboo to us because in America we would never even be able to do this if we wanted to because our society is so different. We have much more crimes than Indian does and our society doesn't believe in this. Positive sanctions are given to these people who once gruesomely murdered people, for example their family. Society accepts them and the prisons let them do as they want as long as they return to the prisons at night and are there for roll call. These people are basically living normal lives which would personally scare me. These sanctions are based on culture and I think their religious beliefs in India mostly. In the US, we would sanction this as negative behavior and would never allow it. Personally, this is insane to me. How can convicted murderers be allowed to roam around in society and get jobs that we come in close interaction with? I would feel so unsafe. It doesn't seem right to me and how these people who murdered others are allowed to have their families live with them in prison and live normal lives. MY ethnocentrism played a big part in my judgement though because if I was maybe living in Indian and had the same beliefs as they do, i would probably accept it too and not see the big deal in it, but since this is so unfathomable to us in the US, my judgement is clouded by the strangeness of this behavior and how it is so taboo.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching this episode, one deviant behavior I found interesting was in India where they have the open prisons. I found it extremely interesting how they can leave the confined area and interact in society, based on previous good behavior is another prison. This is extremely taboo to our society, because we typically put murderers or prisoners in a category and try to stay away from them as much as possible. In relation I think we relate to them just like the “untouchables” in early Christianity. When someone became ill, people stayed away in fear they would contract the same disease. A similar philosophy can be related with the situation relating to prisoners. When we see or hear of some criminal, we stay away from them because we fear they will hurt us or do something to harm us.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting how the wardens completely trust the inmates that they will not try to escape or cause harm to surrounding people in society. What if the inmates are just putting on an act? What if this is just their master plan to get back into society? I think that is the only thing that concerns me a bit. I enjoy the fact that the people are able to rebuild their lives, and start fresh. It’s almost like giving them a second try because they know they have made a huge mistake. I also feel like the opportunities given to these people would never be the case in the U.S. The people in India are given second chances, are still able to get jobs and support their families. In the United States, after committing a crime, it’s very difficult to get a high ranking job to support your family if you have a murder or your record. You would be lucky to get a minimum wage job for that matter.
I really enjoy the idea of this prison for many reasons. Not only does it give the inmates another chance to fix a part of their lives, but it also saves the country money. It gets more people out there working and maintaining incomes. It stops the people from making more mistakes, and crimes. Of course, I think the guards trust the inmates a bit too much, but I think it could work in other countries depending on unique situations. I really enjoy the idea of giving the inmates a second chance. I think our country should adopt some of these ideas from this prison in India because they can be beneficial to society and the country as a whole.
One of the deviant behaviors I witnessed on the show Taboo was the man from India who had murdered his wife in cold blood but was still allowed to live a life outside of prison and actually teach children. He murdered his wife with a cold remedy but added in rat poison to kill her. He was convicted and served in a normal prison where he was not allowed to leave. He got out early because of good behavior and he entered an open door prison, which lets him live with society from 7AM to 7PM. He teaches young children and interacts with them. This is taboo to me because I do not believe that criminals who have killed someone should be let off so easily and be allowed to roam around with the rest of society as if nothing is wrong. I believe that a person should face the consequences of their actions without being let off earlier because of “good behavior.” This sanction seems so negative because these murders are out in the world influencing the rest of us. This man is a teacher; he is probably influencing the children in some way. He even said people respect him at the school. In India, it is normal to have open door prisons and it is normal for inmates with good behavior at a regular prison to be released to an open door prison as a sort of halfway house. In the US it would be so crazy for a murderer to be let out for so called good behavior. We would keep these murders in prison until their sentence has been finished and have proven that they are truly sorry for their actions and have now learned how to behave in society. A halfway house before their sentence is finished would not be accepted under and circumstances. It seems like such a scary thought, to have murders walking around with us and teaching our children and influencing the rest of society. I even think that just because they have not seen much rebellion in the open door prison does not mean that it is working. These people may be getting the glimpse of society they need to think that if they still have good behavior, their sentence could be shortened. However, I am still just making assumptions. It still scared me to think of how much danger the community surrounding the open door prison is in. I think that my ethnocentrism affected me a lot because I know that if I lived in India, it would not be hard to imagine this open door prison as a reality. It would be pretty normal to have these criminals come back into society after such a short period of time. But since it is not our way of life in the US, I am very uncomfortable with it and I do not see it as beneficial.
ReplyDeleteOne of the deviant behaviors I thought was interesting was the open prisons in India. After a certain amount of years in a normal jail, a convict has the privilege to switch to an open prison. They are allowed to walk freely in and out of the prison gates. They are allowed to have family live with them inside the prison. They are even aloud to have jobs in the nearby community. The prisoners are treated as normal citizens when in the village. People don’t treat them any less because they are prisoners but even allow them to be teachers at schools. This is taboo to us because criminals are treated as the lowest people in our society. We wouldn’t even think of letting them become teachers because we would think it would be dangerous for the children in our society. The fact that inmates can live a somewhat free life while still serving time is a positive sanction. They are being rewarded for good behavior and are being shown trust by the prison guards and citizens. I think that an open jail is crazy. I can understand the logic of it but I still could never imagine that happening in the U.S. My ethnocentrism has definitely affected me. If I lived in that part of India my view would probably be opposite.
ReplyDeleteThe story of the boy in Albania who was held "captive" in his home shocked me the most. The deviant behavior was vengeful killing. The boys father was killed by another family, and then the fathers family killed the boys father. They also declared that if the opposing family saw the boy outside his house he would be shot on sight. So the boy lives in the confines of his home, in fear that if he leaves he will be killed. The reason why this is 'allowed' is because this group of people follow a book of law that condones of revenge threats and killing. This is taboo to us because we are used to a legal system and law enforcement to protect everyone in the country. There is also a separation of church and state. This is a negative sanction because the boy and his family has to live in fear because of the norms of their culture. He is robbed of a normal life and freedom because of this. My overall reaction was, this is serious injustice. It also made me think about the law enforcement in Albania. It must be pretty weak if it allows small religious group's beliefs to override the law and violate human's basic rights. I'm used to having a government that protects the freedoms and rights of every citizen. My ethnocentrism made seeing this ALbanian practice this seem extremely taboo to me.
ReplyDeleteThe documentary described a punishment practiced in the United States of America in Dayton, Tennessee called ‘the walk of shame’. It describes a punishment handed down by a judge there. It would appear by the example seen that Judge Mackenzie does this mostly to younger, first time offenders for relatively minor crimes, such as theft below $500. The crime in this case would traditionally be punishable by a term in prison. The convicted criminal was a young man who stole a CD. He was made to walk in front of the store with a sign that stated what he did for a total of 4 days or 96 hours. The judge thinks that this man will learn his lesson from the humiliation he will feel while doing this. It is thought this will prevent him from ever doing this again. It also saves the county money. A guest speaker from Princeton University, Prof Robert George, proposes that this type of punishment is considered by some to be cruel and that it will cause the person psychological harm. The reactions of spectators to the person serving the sentence can be quite harsh. To the person serving the sentence, this experience is very embarrassing. In the example, some people were really mean to the young man. There is a question of whether the ‘Public Shaming’ will ruin their lives – especially with young people who may end up thinking their life is not worth living after this. In our US culture, the view is that people are not worth much if they steal. American people would think people who steal are worthless if they cannot afford to buy the things they need. They would also think they were not brought up properly and are not worth their friendship.
ReplyDeleteThis practice is a negative sanction. Although it seems to be severe, it is not as bad as what that person would probably experience in prison. The people in prison might not feel the direct humiliation of parading around with a big sign that says you’re a thief, but there are much worse things that could happen to people in prison. It does make it very hard for the person to live in this community after they do the ‘walk of shame’. A lot more people would know about what they did than if they went to prison. Especially for young people who are naïve and sensitive, their community and their peers can be very cruel so the person may feel the humiliation for a much longer time after the sentence. However, being an ex-prisoner may also cause them to be shunned by their community.
I would have thought that something like this would not be allowed in the US. I would have assumed that this was an old fashioned punishment - done in the early days of our country by shackling and exhibiting criminals and their crimes in the town square for all to see. I would have thought that this would be considered ‘cruel and unusual’ now and not allowed. It makes me think that when you commit a crime, you forfeit your human rights even in the United States of America, which is considered to place a high value on those rights. People in power can do things to you that seem to be wrong but you don’t have the power to disobey. Even though this was in my home country, I felt ashamed of this practice because I felt sorry for the people who committed the crime when people would honk or make fun of them on the streets. I think that both this practice and jail have serious effects on an individual, each in its own way.
One deviant behavior I witnessed that shocked me the most was the open prisons in India.
ReplyDeleteAfter a criminal has served hard time in jail, they can be promoted to open prisons if they show improvement. Once they are in the open prisons, they are allowed to come and go as they please as long as they follow a set curfew, and their families can live in the unit with them. They can also obtain jobs outside of the prison; for example, one convicted murder's day job is being a school teacher. This can definitely be considered taboo to us, because in the United States we would NEVER think of letting a convicted murder walk freely as he/she pleases, let alone interact with our children! We have extremely high-security jail systems. However, despite our own concerns, this sanction is actually positive. With open prisons, criminals can be gradually re-introduced to society, instead of all at once.Another term we might use for this is a halfway house, which we have in the United States.
My overall reaction was one of interest and shock. Prior to watching this video, I had no knowledge of open prisons. I think that open prisons are a good idea in theory; however, the U.S. would never support it. In order to have an open prison in our country, the entire community would have to accept and support it. Without the support of the community, it would never work. That is one of the reasons why open prisons work so well in India. My ethnocentrism definitely played a part in my reaction to open prisons; I immediately judged the open prisons as preposterous, and shocked that their culture would permit such a thing. Now, looking at it in retrospect I can definitely see why open prisons can be a positive thing.
One behavior that i thought was taboo was the open prison in India. The criminals in India are allowed to leave the prison during the day to make a living for themselves. They can get jobs and live with their families. And most of these people in the prison are murderers. They took the lives of another person, but they are allowed to have a life out of prison. In my opinion this is outrageous. I could never imagine this was actually a thing. Open prisons actually scare me. Because if that was in the US, i would be scared for my life. And also these people could just be putting on a front so that they can go out and do bad again. My ethnocentrism is a part in my decision. i know i should but I do judge sometimes. When i first saw this in the video i judged it and i was shocked at what i saw. But that is there culture and if it works for them, good for them.
ReplyDeleteThe open house in India was the one that confused me. I don't agree with it at all. The prisoners (including murders) are allowed to leave the prison during the day and are even allowed to hold a job. I can't even imagine what that would be like here. The people in the video seemed to not care that someone dangerous (such as a murderer) was allowed to leave the prison during the day. I would think that the prisoners didn't mind this at all. If anything it only helps them think of knew ways to commit their crimes again, only they would know how they wouldn't get caught. I don't like the thought of that happening here at all. If I ever go to India, I know I will be pretty scared.
ReplyDeleteI think it is fair to say that in our society, murder is viewed as the worst of all crimes. The act of taking the life of another violates the sanctity that we place on human life and, as such, our punishment for such a crime is the worst, sometimes going so far as to take the life of the one who committed the crime originally (as questionable practice in and of itself). As such, when we hear about the treatment of murderers in other societies, we are put off if they are not treated the same as they would be here. An example of this is the practice of the open prison in India. In this system, a murderer who has demonstrated good behavior can serve out the remainder of his sentence in what is called an open prison. There, he is allowed to leave each day and enter into society to find work and begin re-integrating himself into the society that he was isolated form for so long. This practice demonstrates the Indian peoples’ values. They believe that one can truly rehabilitate himself after a crime. This prison shows prisoners that the community has faith in them, believes in their ability to change, and trusts that they will not violate this liberty. Such behavior is taboo to us in America. Here, the general belief is that a criminal, particularly one who has committed such a heinous act, can never fully change and, as a result, cannot be trusted to integrate into society again. There is an inherent distrust of anybody convicted of a crime in our society and, as a result, treating them like they may be changed people is unheard of and taboo. Many sanctions are associated with each treatment. In India, those in open prisons are viewed as equal members of society. They are greeted warmly by friends and strangers on the street, often with a smile or a warm expression. Employers welcome them into the work place as a sign of their trust in them, and family fully embrace their coming back into the home. In the video, the colleagues of the teacher speak highly of him, not bothered by the fact the he is a convicted murderer. The warden agreed that he in no way feels unsafe around these prisoners and treats them as such. There are mostly positive sanctions for the individuals in open prison in India, confirming the trust that the community has in them. Here in America, criminals would not be treated with this same respect. They would be shunned, often forbidden from certain jobs. Strangers would fear them and family would be hesitant to welcome them back home. On the intimate level, eye contact would likely be avoided, as would close contact, as if criminality was contagious. These sanctions are based on our society’s tendency to view criminals as inferior and unworthy of our respect.
ReplyDeleteAt first, I was as put off by this behavior as anybody in our society would be. I feared for the safety of individuals in the community with an open prison and was uncomfortable with the idea of treating these criminals as equals. I am sure this came in part from my ethnocentrism. I would like to believe that the treatment of criminals by my society is the best and that the behavior in India is taboo, mostly because I am defensive of the ways I am comfortable with. I do not like hearing that perhaps my society treats criminals with less respect than they deserve. However, as I continued considering this practice, I began to see the merit behind it. Treating criminals with this respect shows them that the community believes in their ability to rehabilitate themselves. It demonstrates an inherent trust that would reaffirm the notion that these criminals probably have of themselves. Upon reexamination of our practice, I could see that perhaps our treatment actually reaffirms the notion that they have of themselves as criminals. This might actually lead to more criminal behavior. It is interesting to see how behaviors in our society may be viewed as taboo in the societies of others, and vice versa.