Social Control in a Peri-Urban Ghanaian Community, Sege in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana.

ABSTRACT

Social control had been part of all human societies. Traditional Ghanaian societies had means of ensuring social control and order prior to colonialism. Two systems of social control-formal or Western and informal or traditional exist in Ghana. It was observed that the introduction of formal social control challenged and weakened informal social control. However, in the midst of a distinct bulk of works, a few studies were done on the informal social control systems in Ghana. Specifically, there is a dearth of research that examines how the informal social control system contributes to the maintenance of law and order or ensuring social order.

This study, therefore, finds out how the informal social control system contributes to ensuring law and order. The study employs a qualitative phenomenological approach to gather data using focus group discussion and individual in-depth interview from twenty-eight (28) discussants and seven (7) key informants at Sege. In the course of the discussions and interviews, participants shared their views on the role of the informal social control system in ensuring social order in the community. The findings of the study indicated that three forms (sanctions, prohibitions and cautioning) of informal social control measures were available in the community. Some of these informal social control measures were more efficient and regularly used for the maintenance of law and order. However, most of these measures were no longer in existence in the community as a result of some factors of change. The study found that formal and informal social control measures were utilized by the community to ensure social order. The study also found that agents of social control system included both traditional and non traditional leaders. This comprises traditional leaders, political leaders, religious leaders, family heads and the police. The agents of social control were the mediators of dispute resolution in the community. The choice of a mediator depended on the disputants and the issue at hand. It was also found that disputes were resolved by disputants themselves or with the support of a third party. The study likewise revealed that the mechanisms of dispute resolution comprise negotiation, mediation, and arbitration. The findings of the study once more indicated that community members were unhappy with how law and order were maintained and proposed varied ways to improve social order. The study concludes that the informal social control system has contributed to ensuring law and order in Sege. Hence, it is recommended that the formal and informal systems of social control should collaborate to ensure social order in Sege and that the government should also include in the constitution informal social control measures that do not undermine the fundamental human rights of people.