Steven and Jeff, Two High School Students, Have Been Picking

Steven and Jeff, two high school students, have been picking on Tony, a classmate of theirs. Tony is openly gay. Steven and Jeff regularly taunt him, and they painted derogatory words on his school locker. After Tony complained to the school, Steven and Jeff were both suspended. Jeff retaliated by assaulting Tony on his way home from school one day. Criminal charges were laid and Jeff was sentenced to three months of community service. What do sociologists call the sanction imposed on Jeff for his assault?

A) formal punishment
B) government sanction
C) illegal acts of revenge
D) prosecution in the courts