Which concept focuses on fair legal procedures and the protection of individual rights?

• A. Internal Forms of Social Control
• B. External Forms of Social Control
• C. Due Process Model
• D. Control Theory

Answer: (C)

The key idea here is due process, which centers on fair procedures and protecting individual rights within the justice system. It emphasizes that everyone should be treated with legal rights during policing, charging, and trial—things like the presumption of innocence, the right to legal counsel, the right to be informed of charges, the opportunity to challenge evidence, and freedom from unlawful searches or coercion. This focus on procedural legitimacy helps prevent miscarriages of justice by ensuring that how the law is applied matters as much as the outcome itself.

Internal forms of social control refer to internalized norms and self-regulation within groups. External forms of social control involve institutions and sanctions outside the individual, like policing and courts, but not specifically the procedural protections and rights central to due process. Control theory explains why people conform based on social bonds, not about legal procedures or rights.