Which of the following is not one of the six socialization strategies?

• A. Collective vs Individual
• B. Formal vs Informal
• C. Official vs Unofficial
• D. Sequential vs Random

Answer: (C)

Understanding socialization in criminal justice practice involves looking at how new members are brought into an organization along several dimensions. The six commonly used strategies describe how the process can differ along these lines: whether recruits are trained collectively or individually, whether the process is formal and structured or informal and flexible, whether there is a fixed sequence of steps or a more random order, whether the timing is fixed or variable, whether the newcomer’s identity is reinforced through investiture or stripped away through divestiture, and whether the socialization relies on a series of mentors (serial) or a different, disjunctive approach. The option describing official vs unofficial does not map onto any of these standard dimensions, so it isn’t considered one of the six socialization strategies.