An attorney,pleading leniency for his guilty client,asks the judge to take into consideration his client's unfortunate background,including child abuse and abandonment,before passing a sentence.It is logical to conclude that the attorney is asking the judge to view deviance from a positivist perspective.

Positivist Perspective

A sociological approach that considers society to be a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability, emphasizing empirical, scientific methods to study social phenomena.

Leniency

The act of being more merciful or tolerant than expected, often applied in judicial sentences or disciplinary actions.