Abstract
Utilizing record data, the author examines the relationship between normative law expressed in the statutes, and law in action as reflected in the activities of law enforcement bodies. A discrepancy between normative law and legal action develops from the value-orientations of society to maintain a “one-marriage” monogamous family system, from the high rate of divorce and remarriage, and the inappropriateness of legal sanctions to the offense of child nonsupport. Incarceration of defendants appears more related to infractions of other legal norms than it does the offense of nonsupport. Studies of the perceived consequences of social sanctions is encouraged for the development of sociological theories incorporating both the act of deviancy and the societal reaction.
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