ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at how deviancy is handled in China. A very large proportion of the social norms in China are articulated and communicated through newspapers, magazines, radio, and the like. Many Chinese "laws" would appear to a Western observer to resemble statements of general principles or policies rather than a set of detailed rules. In thinking about how a society tries to shape conduct and control deviancy, it is useful to begin once again with the familiar—the situation in the United States. One important characteristic of the study process is that there are literally millions of small groups in China, each having a different set of participants and to a greater or lesser extent operating in a different set of local conditions. The extensive use of members of the general public in low-level legal work strongly influences the manner in which the criminal process operates.
