Which term describes mechanisms to prevent and manage criminal behavior?

• A. Police
• B. Social Control
• C. Criminal Justice System
• D. Investigation Techniques

Answer: (B)

Social control describes the ways society tries to prevent crime and manage deviant behavior, using both informal means like family, peers, and community norms, and formal means such as laws, policing, and sanctions. It aims to deter crime, socialise people to follow norms, and respond to wrongdoing. The Police are a formal mechanism, but they are only part of social control. The Criminal Justice System refers to the whole network that handles crime after it happens, not the full range of prevention and management mechanisms. Investigation techniques are tools for gathering evidence and solving crimes, not the broader set of mechanisms for preventing and regulating behavior.