Schmall crim today8e_ppt_ch9

Criminology TodayAn Integrated Introduction

CHAPTER

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8eFrank Schmalleger

Copyright © 2017 by Pearson Education, Inc.All Rights Reserved

Social Conflict Theories

9



Law and Social Order Perspectives

• Various events in the 20th century conspired to change laws and create new kinds of criminal activity.

• Understanding the interplay between law and social order is critical to any study of social change and theories of criminology that emphasize the role of social conflict as it underlies criminality.



The Consensus Perspective

• Most members of society agree about what is right and wrong and work toward a shared vision of the greater good.

continued on next slide



The Consensus Perspective

• Key principles Most members of society believe in the

existence of core values. Laws reflect a shared will. Everyone is equal under the law. Law violators represent a unique

subgroup with distinguishing features.



The Pluralist Perspective

• Society consists of distinct social groups.• Each group has its own values, beliefs

and interests.• A general agreement exists re:

usefulness of laws as a mechanism for dispute resolution.

• The legal system is value neutral.• Legal institutions represent the best

interests of society.



The Conflict Perspective

• Conflict is a fundamental aspect of social life; can never be fully resolved.

• Karl Marx Capitalist society has two social classes.• Bourgeoisie, the "Haves"• Proletariat, the "Have nots"

Struggle between classes is inevitable.



Key Elements of the Conflict Perspective

• Society is made up of diverse social groups.

• Each group holds to differing definitions of right and wrong.

• Conflict between groups is unavoidable.• The fundamental nature of group

conflict centers on the exercise of political power.




Key Elements of the Conflict Perspective

• Law is a tool of power and furthers the interests of those powerful enough to make it.

• Those in power are inevitably interested in maintaining their power.



Key Conflict Thinkers

• George Vold Crime is a product of political conflict

between groups.• Ralf Dahrendorf

Power and authority lead to conflict, which leads to change.

• Austin Turk Crime is the natural consequence of

intergroup struggles.



Radical Criminology

• The causes of crime rooted in social conditions that empower the wealthy and politically organized and disenfranchise the less fortunate

• Outgrowth of 3 historical circumstances Writings of 19th century social utopians Rise of conflict theory in social sciences Radicalization of American academia in

1960s and 1970s



Chambliss and Seidman

• Life conditions affect values and norms.• Complex societies are composed of

disparate and conflicting sets of norms.• The probability of a group having its

norms embodied in law is related to its political and economic position.




Chambliss and Seidman

• The higher a group's political or economic position, the greater the probability that its views will be reflected in laws.



Richard Quinney

• Almost all crimes committed by the lower classes are necessary for the survival of individual members.

• Crime inevitable under capitalist conditions

• The solution is the development of a socialist society.



Radical Criminology

• Structural Marxism Capitalism is a self-maintaining system

in which the law and the justice system work to perpetuate the existing system of power relationships.

• Instrumental Marxism The criminal law and the justice system

are tools that the powerful use to control the poor and to keep them disenfranchised.



Critical Criminology

• Radical criminology Way of critiquing social relationships

that lead to crime• Critical criminology

Issues a proactive call for radical change in social conditions leading to crime



Radical-Critical Criminology and Policy Issues

• Focus on promoting gradual transition to socialism

• Middle-range policy alternatives emphasize a justice system that is more fair and closer to the radical ideal.

• Emphasis on creating economic equality or employment opportunities to combat crime



Figure 9–2 Conflict Criminology’s Midrange Approaches to Crime Reduction



Critique of Radical-Critical Criminology

• Emphasizes methods of social change at expense of well-developed theory

• Fails to recognize the fair degree of consensus about the nature of crime

• Confuses issues of personal politics with social reality

• Does not appreciate the varied problems contributing to crime




Critique of Radical-Critical Criminology

• Does not explain low crime rates in some capitalist countries

• Does not address the problems of communist countries with poor records of human rights

• May resemble a religion more than a science



Left Realist Criminology

• Faults radical-critical criminologists for romanticizing street crime and criminals

• Shifts focus to assessment of crime and the needs of victims

• Radical ideas must be translated into realistic social policies.



Critique of Left-Realist Criminology

• More an ideological emphasis than a theory

• Rarely offers new testable propositions or hypotheses

• Crime control approaches focus on needs of victimized.



Feminist Criminology

• Redirects criminologists' thinking to include gender awareness

• Feminism is a way of seeing the world. Views gender in terms of power

relationships Consequences of sexism and unequal

gender-based power distribution have affected fundamental aspects of social roles and personal experiences.



Strands of Feminist Thought

• Liberal feminism Gender role socialization is the primary

source of women's oppression. Eliminating traditional divisions of labor

and power between the sexes will eliminate inequality and promote social harmony.





• Radical feminism Patriarchy causes women's oppression. Eliminating male domination should

reduce crime rates for women and male violence against women.

• Marxist feminism Oppression of women is caused by their

subordinate working-class status in capitalist societies.





• Social feminism Gender oppression is a consequence of

the interaction between the economic structure of society and gender-based roles.

• Postmodern feminism Questions social construction of

concepts like justice and crime



Proponents of Feminist Criminology

• Freda Adler and Rita Simon Gender differences in crime rates due

primarily to socialization (not biology). As gender equality increased, criminal

behavior of men and women would become more similar.

Despite increased gender equality in the past 30 years, this has not happened.





• Carol Smart Sensitized criminologists to sexist

traditions in the field Men and women experience and

perceive the world differently.• Women must have a voice in interpreting

women's behavior. Work led to recognition of women's

issues.continued on next slide




• Kathleen Daly and Meda Chesney-Lind Concerned about existence of

androcentricity perspective in criminology

Gender differences suggest crime is not normal.

Traditional criminology ignores the significance of the relative lack of female criminality.



Elements of Feminist Thought

• Gender is a social, historical, and cultural product.

• Gender and gender relations order social life and social institutions in fundamental ways.

• Gender relations and constructs of masculinity and femininity are not symmetrical.




Elements of Feminist Thought

• Systems of knowledge reflect men's views of the natural and social world; the production of knowledge is gendered.

• Women should be at the center, not the periphery, of intellectual inquiry.



Contributions of Feminist Scholarship

• Focus on gender as a central organizing principle of contemporary life

• Awareness of importance of power in shaping social relationships

• Sensitivity to how social context shapes relationships




Contributions of Feminist Scholarship

• Recognition that social reality must be understood as a process

• Commitment to social change as a crucial part of feminist scholarship and practice




• John Hagan Power-control theory Power relations in society reflected at

home Family class structure shapes social

reproduction of gender relations.





• Feminist thinkers call for increasing controls over male violence toward women, alternatives for abused women, and protection of children.

• Question role of government, culture, mass media in publicizing pornography, prostitution, and rape

• Radical feminists suggest replacing men with women in positions of power.



Critique of Feminist Criminology

• It may be a theory in formation.• Does not explain why the gender gap in

crime still exists• Feminist criminology is impossible

because it does not meet the strict requirements of formal theory building.



Postmodern Criminology

• Applies understandings of social change inherent in postmodern philosophy to criminology theory and crime control

• Claim past approaches have failed to assess the true causes of crime or offer workable crime control solutions





• Deconstructionist Works toward replacing existing

perspectives with ones more relevant to postmodern era





• Constitutive criminology Stuart Henry and Dragan Milovanovic Crime, crime control are constructions

produced through social process. People shape and are shaped by their

society. Uses semiotics• Study of signs and symbols



Critique of Postmodern Criminology

• Approaches are incoherent.• Terminology is vaguely defined.• Deconstructionism challenges

traditional theories but fails to offer viable alternatives for crime control.



Peacemaking Criminology

• Citizens and social control agencies need to work together to alleviate social problems and reduce crime.

• Issue is not "how to stop crime" but "how to make peace."

• Emphasizes rising above personal dichotomies to end the political and ideological divisiveness in society



Figure 9–4 The Differences between Peacemaking and Traditional PunishmentSource: Schmalleger, Frank, Criminology. Printed and Electronically reproduced by permission of Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.



Participatory and Restorative Justice

• Achieve effective crime control through a peace model based on cooperation, not retribution

• Dispute resolution programs based on participatory justice

• Emphasize remedies and restoration rather than prison, punishment, victim neglect




Participatory and Restorative Justice

• Restorative justice based on remedies and restoration over prison, punishment, victim neglect

• Modern social movement to reform criminal justice system

• Healing over retribution• Primary goal is restoration.



The Balanced and Restorative Justice (BARJ) Model

• Restorative justice model• Community, victim, offender all receive

balanced attention, tangible benefits.• Community conferencing

Victim, offender, others meet with impartial facilitator.

Victim has access, stronger voice. Offender has input into methods of

restoration.



Figure 9–5 The Balanced and Restorative Justice (BARJ) ModelSource: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Balanced and Restorative Justice: Program Summary (Washington, DC: OJJDP, no date), p. 1.



Critique of Peacemaking Criminology

• Criticisms Is naive and utopian Fails to recognize the realities of crime

control and law enforcement• Peacemaking criminology envisions

positive change on the social and institutional level.



Moral Time

• Conflict caused by the movement of social time

• Social time Movement in social space, changes in

the amount of intimacy, inequality, diversity

• Static conditions cannot cause crime.• General theory of conflict



Convict Criminology

• Body of writings by convicted felons and ex-inmates who have obtained academic credentials or who are associated with credentialed others

• Largely issues-based and personal• Ethnographic methodology• Provides recommendations for

improving the justice system



Critique of Convict Criminology

• Critics suggest that having been in prison distorts criminologist's view of the field, rather than enhancing it.

• Argue that personal experience rarely gives anyone the entire picture need to understand a phenomenon

• Focusing on injustices of prison life may keep one from appreciating the reformative effects of punishment.



New Issues in Radical/Critical Thought

• Some argue that radical/critical criminology is largely irrelevant today.

• Still an evolving field• Some key areas of concern

Study of indigenous populations Corporatization of higher education



Policy Implications of Social Conflict Theories

• Bringing about social change and redistributing wealth in society will reduce crime rates.

• Radical–Marxists Replace existing capitalist system with a

socialist economic structure.• Peacemaking criminology

Use of conflict resolution




Policy Implications of Social Conflict Theories

• Left-realism and feminist criminology offer a variety of solutions ranging from reducing paternalism to recognizing the consequences of crime to victims.