1. 9
Social Conflict Theories

2. Law and Social Order Perspectives
Various events in the 20th century conspired to change laws and create new kinds of criminal activity
An understanding of the interplay between law and social order is critical to any study of social change and of theories of criminology that emphasize the role of social conflict as it underlies criminality

3. The Consensus Perspective
Most members of society agree about what is right and wrong and work together toward a common vision of the greater good
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4. The Consensus Perspective
Key principles
Most members of society believe in the existence of core values
Laws reflect the collective will of the people
Law serves all people equally
Law violators represent a unique subgroup with distinguishing features

5. The Pluralist Perspective
Society consists of many and diverse social groups
Each group has its own values, beliefs and interests
A general agreement exists re the usefulness of laws as a mechanism for dispute resolution
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6. The Pluralist Perspective
The legal system is value neutral
The legal system is concerned with the best interests of society

7. The Conflict Perspective
Conflict is a fundamental aspect of social life – can never be fully resolved
Karl Marx
Two fundamental social classes in capitalist society
Bourgeoisie – “Haves”
Proletariat – “Have nots”
Struggle between classes is inevitable
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8. 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
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9. 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

10. Key Conflict Thinkers George Vold Ralf Dahrendorf Austin Turk
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

11. Radical Criminology
The causes of crime are rooted in social conditions empowering the wealthy and politically organized and disenfranchising those less fortunate
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12. Radical Criminology Outgrowth of three historical circumstances
Writings of 19th century social utopians
Rise of conflict theory in social sciences
Radicalization of American academia in 1960s and 1970s

13. Chambliss and Seidman
The conditions of one's life affect one's values and norms
Complex societies are composed of highly disparate and conflicting sets of norms
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14. Chambliss and Seidman
The probability of a given group having its particular normative system embodied in law is not equally distributed but is related to the group's political and economic position
The higher the group's political or economic position, the greater the probability that its views will be reflected in laws

15. Radical Criminology Richard Quinney
Almost all crimes committed by the lower classes are necessary for the survival of individual members
Crime is inevitable under capitalist conditions
The solution is the development of a socialist society
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16. Radical Criminology
Contemporary radical criminology emphasizes social class differences as a factor in the existing propensity toward criminality
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17. Radical Criminology Structural Marxism Instrumental 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

18. Critical Criminology
Critical criminology forces an inquiry into how the normative content of the criminal law is internalized in different segments of society, and how norm-holding is related to behavior
A proactive call for a radical change in the social conditions that lead to crime

19. Radical-Critical Criminology and Policy Issues
Most radical-critical criminologists focus on promoting a gradual transition to socialism
Middle-range policy alternatives emphasize bringing about a justice system that is more fair and closer to the radical ideal
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20. Radical-Critical Criminology and Policy Issues
Emphasis on creating economic equality or employment opportunities to combat crime

21. Critique of Radical-Critical Criminology
Emphasizes methods of social change at the expense of well-developed theory
Fails to recognize the fair degree of consensus about the nature of crime
Marxist thinkers seem to confuse issues of personal politics with social reality
Does not appreciate the many problems contributing to crime
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22. 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

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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

26. 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
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27. Strands of Feminist Thought
Radical feminism
Patriarchy is the cause of women's oppression
Eliminating male domination should reduce female crime rates reduce male violence against women
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28. Strands of Feminist Thought
Marxist feminism
Oppression of women caused by their subordinate working-class status in capitalist societies
Social feminism
Sees gender oppression as a consequence of the interaction between the economic structure of society and gender-based roles
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29. Strands of Feminist Thought
Postmodern feminism
Questions social construction of concepts like justice and crime

30. Proponents of Feminist Criminology
Patriarchy
male dominance
Freda Adler and Rita Simon
Explain divergences in crime rates by gender as due primarily to socialization (not biology)
Said as gender equality increased, the criminal behavior of men and women would become more similar
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31. Proponents of Feminist Criminology
Freda Adler and Rita Simon
Despite increased gender equality in the past 30 years, this has not happened
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32. Proponents of Feminist Criminology
Freda Adler and Rita J. Simon
Gender differences in crime due to socialization
Expected male and female criminality would become more similar as gender equality increased
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33. Proponents of Feminist Criminology
Carol Smart
Sensitized criminologists to sexist traditions in the field
Work led to recognition of women's issues

34. 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
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35. 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

36. Contributions of Feminist Scholarship
Focus on gender as a central organizing principle of contemporary life
Importance of power in shaping social relationships
Sensitivity to how social context shapes relationships
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37. Contributions of Feminist Scholarship
Recognition that social reality must be understood as a process
A commitment to social change as a crucial part of feminist scholarship and practice

38. Proponents of Feminist Criminology
Power-control theory – John Hagan
Power relations in society reflected at home
Family class structure shapes social reproduction of gender relations
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39. Proponents of Feminist Criminology
Feminist thinkers suggest social policies such as increasing controls over male violence toward women, creating alternatives for abused women, and the protection of children

40. 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 neither feminism nor criminology meet the strict requirements of formal theory building

41. Postmodern Criminology
Applies understandings of social change inherent in postmodern philosophy to criminological theorizing and crime control
Claim past approaches have failed to assess the true causes of crime or offer workable crime control solutions
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42. Postmodern Criminology
Much postmodern criminology is deconstructionist - works toward replacing existing perspectives with ones more relevant to the postmodern era
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43. Postmodern Criminology
Constitutive criminology (Henry and Milovanovic)
Crime and crime control are constructions produced through a social process
People shape and are shaped by their society
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44. Postmodern Criminology
Semiotics (study of signs and symbols)
May be applied to notion of crime
Crime should be understood as an integral part of society not as something separate from it

45. Critique of Postmodern Criminology
The terminology is vaguely defined; the approaches are incoherent and confusing
Postmodernism challenges traditional theories but fails to offer feasible alternatives

46. Peacemaking Criminology
Suggests that citizens and social control agencies need to work together to alleviate social problems and reduce crime
The problem of crime control is not “how to stop crime” but “how to make peace”
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47. Peacemaking Criminology
Emphasizes rising above personal dichotomies to end the political and ideological divisiveness in society

48. 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

49. 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

50. 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

51. Convict Criminology
Body of writings by convicted felons and ex-inmates who have obtained academic credentials or who are associated with credentialled others
Largely issues-based and personal
Primary method used is based in ethnography
Provides recommendations for improving the justice system

52. Critique of Convict Criminology
Critics suggest that having been in prison distorts the 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

53. Policy Implications of Social Conflict Theories
Bringing about social change and redistributing the wealth in society will reduce crime rates
Radical–Marxists
replace existing capitalist system with a socialist economic structure
Peacemaking criminology
use of conflict resolution
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54. 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