304 final Flashcards
conflict theory vs radical theory
>Conflict theorists maintain that conflict is a fundamental element of all societies & conflict occurs between interest groups with varying degrees of power >Conflict theory ignores the social structural sources of power in society (e.g., the ownership of private property) >Conflict theory is liberal; crime can be reduced within the current economic and social structures >Radical theorists maintain that conflict is a fundamental element of all societies & conflict occurs between interest groups with varying degrees of power, BUT class conflict is their focus >Radical theory focuses on the sources of power in a given society >Radical theory is radical; in order to reduce crime we need fundamental social change
Radical theory is based on the work of
Karl Marx > Marx addressed many issues, but is most famous for his analysis of capitalism & how it relates to the state and law >Criticized capitalism because it benefits a small manority and exploits the majority >Over time, capitalism will yield to radical socialism which in turn would yield to communism (a classless society)
what are Three interpretations of how the mode of production (capitalism) relates to law and society
- Instrumentalists: (ruling class determinsits) a mostly homogenous group of capitalists is able to manipulate the state and the law for its own parochial intersts—deciding how to make lawas
- Structuralist: functions of state are determined by structures of society (e.g. the law) rather than by people who occupy positons of state power or by individual capitalists. Focus is protecting long term health of capitalism- set a min age for child labor eg age 18
- Dialetcial: combines other two interpretations and adds that which interperetaoin si more correct at any given time historically contingent. Combines 1 and 2….depends on point in history.
what is the focus of radical theory?
> > the social arrangements of society, especially on political and economic structures and institutions of capitalism
***
A very small % of people are “winners” in the individualistic and competitive struggle for material wealth
and most are “losers”
The more unevenly wealth is distributed in society,
the more likely people are to prey on others (commit crime
Radical theory says that crime is not caused by?
Crime, and other social ills, aren’t caused by inequality per se, but by the individualistic competition, exploitation and class struggle encouraged by capitalism
True or False : radicals reject the legal definition of crime?
True
Radicals reject legal definition of crime
Crime: Violation of human rights (decent food, shelter, health care, education, and basic human dignity)
Crime includes imperialism, racism, capitalism, sexism and other systems of exploitation which contribute to human misery and deprive people of their human potentiality
who Specified 7 elements of “market societies” that, in combination, are likely to breed serious violent crime:
Elliot Currie
1 Progressive destruction of livelihood (absence of steady well-paying work)
2 Growth of extremes of economic inequality and material deprivation
3 Withdrawal of public services and supports, especially for families and children
4 Erosion of informal and communal networks of mutual support, supervision, and care
5 Spread of a materialistic, neglectful, and “hard” culture (emphasis on brutal individual competition and consumption rather than values of community, contribution, and productive work)
6 Unregulated marketing of the technology of violence (guns)
7 The weakening of social and political alternatives for those most “at risk” (limits possibility of a collective response)
What are policy implications of radical theory
- Demonstrate (show people) that the criminal law is used by the state and the ruling class to secure the survival of the capitalist system.
Criminal law serves interests of the ruling class in 3 ways:
Promotes and protects all private property
Gives the impression that it is an impartial arbiter of conflicts & hides its origins in political and economic interests
Is a repressive institution used to incapacitate people who threaten the capitalist system - Reconceptualize the definition of crime
- Expose the CJ system as a “state-supported” effort to rationalize social control and replace it with a system of “socialist justice”
- The solution to crime is a socialist society in which human diversity would be appreciated
This transformation would require raising the political consciousness of all members of society through praxis
Currie argues that the best way to bring about change and reduce crime is “full employment at socially meaningful work at good wages, and with reasonable hours”
what are problems and criticisms of radical theory
Definition of crime is too broad and vague
Doesn’t address the question of how exploited people become conscious of their class interests
Policy implications are utopian: socialism isn’t the solution to the crime problem in capitalist societies (many formerly communist nations are adopting free-market economies)
Are any societies today truly capitalist or socialist?
All countries have elements of both (in the US: Social Security, Farm Subsidies, Corporate Welfare, etc.)
Key question: What is the best mix of capitalism and socialism in order to reduce crime and improve the overall quality of human life?
Femenism refers to
a doctrine and a movement espousing that “women should have the same economic, social, and political rights as men”
Informs many social sciences, but its application to crime is fairly new despite the strong gender-crime correlation
Feminism criminology refers to
“refers to that body of criminological research and theory that situates the study of crime and criminal justice within a complex understanding that the social world is systematically shaped by relations of sex and gender”
what are three genera areas feminism looks at?
- Victimization of women: Blurred boundaries between victim and offender
- Gender differences in offending:
Generalizability: Do theories of crime (usually based on males) apply to women?
Gender-Ratio Problem: Why are women less likely than men to engage in crime? - Gendered justice: How does the CJ system treats females differently from males?
what are four categories of feminist criminology?
Liberal: Earliest version of feminist criminology:
Radical: Role of patriarchy
Marxist: Add a Marxist analysis to radical feminism
Socialist: Combine Marxist and radical feminism
What is feminist research done by Heimer and De Coster?
Association with delinquent peers is associated with delinquency, but boys are more likely to associate with delinquent boys
Boys are more likely than girls to learn definitions favorable to violence because boys are under less direct parental control than girls
Boys have gender too!
Messerschmidt: Examines how “dong gender” increase crime among boys
What are criticisms of feminist theories?
May focus too much on the role of gender when other factors like race & class maybe more important
Debate within Feminism:
How much should we depend on the law and state to address needs of women?
Law is largely a male institution.
British or left realism
Emerged in the Mid-1980s in Great Britain among a group of radical criminologists
Focus:
Redirect attention to the real victimization experienced by poor, working-class people and pay less attention to WCC; We can’t wait for the worker’s revolution to begin helping crime victims
Focus police attention on protecting working-class people; Play a larger role in policy development, lest the conservatives have all the control
Criticisms:
Contradictory position toward the state
No different from mainstream criminology!
Peacemaking criminology is associated with
quinney
Rejects the notion that criminal violence can be repressed or eliminated by more state violence
Based on anarchism, humanism, socialism, and Native American and Eastern philosophies
Focus: Crime and other social problems, are the result of suffering, so suffering must be eliminated
