Assignment 2

Flo20thebest

Schmall_CrimToday8e_PPTCh9.pptx

Home >Law homework help >Criminal homework help >Assignment 2

Social Conflict Theories

Criminology Today

An Integrated Introduction

CHAPTER

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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.

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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.

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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.

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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.

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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.

continued on next slide

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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.

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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.

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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.

continued on next slide

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

Chambliss and Seidman

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

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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.

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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.

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

Source: Schmalleger, Frank, Criminology. Printed and Electronically reproduced by permission of Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.

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

continued on next slide

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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.

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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.

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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.

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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.

continued on next slide

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

Strands of Feminist Thought

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.

continued on next slide

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

Strands of Feminist Thought

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

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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.

continued on next slide

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

Proponents of Feminist Criminology

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

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

Proponents of Feminist Criminology

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.

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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.

continued on next slide

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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.

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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

continued on next slide

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

Proponents of Feminist Criminology

John Hagan

Power-control theory

Power relations in society reflected at home

Family class structure shapes social reproduction of gender relations.

continued on next slide

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

Proponents of Feminist Criminology

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.

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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.

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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

continued on next slide

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

Postmodern Criminology

Deconstructionist

Works toward replacing existing perspectives with ones more relevant to postmodern era

continued on next slide

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

Postmodern Criminology

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

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

Critique of Postmodern Criminology

Approaches are incoherent.

Terminology is vaguely defined.

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

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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

continued on next slide

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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.

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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.

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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.

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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.

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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

continued on next slide

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8e

Frank Schmalleger

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.

Assignment 2

image1.wmf

image2.wmf

image3.emf

image4.jpeg

image5.jpeg

image6.jpeg