Chappy 11 Flashcards
(12 cards)
Conflict theory?
societies are more divided by conflict then they are unified by consensus - questions assumption that laws represent society as a whole
Thorsten sellin? conduct norms? culture clash? Legal sphere?
Conduct norms: cultural rules that govern appropriate conduct
cultural conflict: norms of immigrant cultures conflicting with dominant culture
more complex the society - more possibility for conflict
Legal: social valyes kept by those who make legislation become law
Group conflict theory?
Limits?
Focuses on crime that occurs due to conflict between competing interest groups - Lawmaking is a political conflict between interest groups
Two classes resulting is criminal behaviour:
minority group and the laws of the dominant majority (Delinquents against courts)
Competing interest groups vying for power (Political revolutions/reforms)
Limits: Criticized for narrow scope of application - most crime is intragroup which cannot be understood through the theory
Richard Quinney (group conflict)? Six propositions?
Emphasis on unequal distribution of power, especially in terms of public policy - only some interest groups have sufficient influence (VS. Vold - criminal law = values and norms of dominant groups, all groups able to be heard)
Six propositions:
Crime is a product of legal definitions
Crime is behaviour that conflicts with the interest of segments that have the power to shape policy
Powerful segments also enforce and administer the law
People in less powerful segments are more likely to have behaviour criminalized
Conceptions of crime are constructed and diffused in the segments of society by various means of communication (mass media)
Social reality of crime is composed of?
Formulation of criminal definitions
application of ^
dev of behaviour patterns in relation to ^
Construction of criminal conceptions
Marxist conflict perspectives in criminology? Perspectives on crimes?
Focus on social, political and economic structures that give rise to crime
Conflict as rooted in the structure of capitalist society
Political and economic structures of capitalism promote conflict (class division/disparity) The law and crime should not be studied in isolation
Instrumental vs. structural marxism
Instra: agent centered (policy makers)
Struc: structuralism (insyitutions)
Crimes of the powerless? Spitzer?
Marxian theory of deviance: Criminalization of behaviour is often directed at problem populations that arise in capitalist societies
Surplus populations
Those who disturb capitalism
Fucks up anyone who calls into question
choosing where product of human labour goes
social conditions under which capitalist production takes place
patterns of givin shit out and using shit
ideology that supports the capitalist society
Marxian vs. Marxist
Marxian: derrived from marx
Marxist: direct support of marx
Crimes of powerful
Capitalism and profit maximization create strong motivation for corporate crimes - the system is setup to encourage white collar crime. (ex: Menu Foods - pet food poisoning scandal/recall)
Left Realism? Implications?
Limits?
Strong critique of “left idealism” - also criticizes conventional or orthodox criminology
LI: instrumentalist and structuralist accounts of the state, law and crime.
Emphasizes the need to examine the “square of crime”
The relationship between the offender, the victim, the police and the public
Working class criminology: Arose because of perceived failure of other types of criminology in paying attention to “street crime” Majority is intra-class - both offender and victim tend to be from same socioeconomic stratum
Implications: Alternatives to prison Deterrence strategies Making police more accountable to the public Co-operation of citizens with police
Limits:
Ahistorical: fails to take into account the political, economic and cultural history of the society in which crime occurs
Widen the net of social control: increasing state powers over the marginalized and disenfranchised groups under study.
It’s commonsense approach (crime really is a problem) fails to develop a theoretical account
Dekeseredy?
Thinking sociologically about image based sexual abuse
Left realism
