Responses to Deviance constitute a sociological category that examines the various ways in which societies, institutions, and individuals react to behaviours that violate social norms, rules, or laws. This domain explores the mechanisms and consequences of social control, both formal and informal, that aim to discourage deviant acts and maintain social order. It includes formal responses such as the processes and institutions of the criminal justice system (e.g., police, courts, prisons, capital punishment, incarceration) which apply sanctions and aim for rehabilitation or deterrence. Informal responses encompass social approval or disapproval, ridicule, gossip, and social ostracism from family, peers, and community. This category also considers concepts like the degradation ceremony, which can strip individuals of their former identities in total institutions, and stigma, a negative label that devalues members of deviant groups. Understanding these responses is crucial for analysing how societies define, manage, and react to deviance, and their impact on individuals and social structures.