Social Conflict Theory Achmad Alfin Muhammadiyah 2 High School Surabaya – East Java Indonesia    Will discuss the Marxist and Conflict perspective Radical – encompasses both Marxist and Conflict Perspectives Emphasizes the political nature of crime and law while focusing on the repressive aspects of law creation and enforcement Traditional vs. Radical Perspectives  Traditional – rooted in structural functionalism  Durkheim  Radical – rooted in Marxism Marxist Perspective   Karl Marx – did not write much on crime Writing during period of unrestrained capitalist expansion  Industrial Revolution Marxist Perspective   Premises 1) Social class and inequality defined by   (a) means of production (b) social relations of production Marxist Perspective      2) Two conflicting social classes with differential power A) Capitalist or Bourgeoisie Owners of capital and means of production Buy labor power The “Haves” Marxist Perspective     B) Wage laborers or Proletariat Sell their labor power to the bourgeoisie The “Have Nots” Petty bourgeoisie  Salaried or management positions  Lumpenproletariat  Unemployed (reserve army of workers)‫‏‬ Marxist Perspective   3) Social Conflict leads to class struggle Class inequality includes exploitation of the powerless at the hands of the powerful Marxist Perspective    4) Believed that the predominant mode of production (e.g., capitalism, etc) created the social conditions that typified that society A society gets the crime that it deserves As the mode of production changes, so does the nature of crime and other conditions of life  Ex. Russia Marxist Perspective  5) Economic determinism – belief that a person’s view of the world and their social behavior is a result of their position in the economic system Marxist Perspective   How does crime occur according to the thoughts of Marx? 1) The difference in power between two groups, in combination with the capitalist stress on profits, results in exploitation of the proletariat Marxist Perspective   2) As a result of their exploited status, alienation is endemic among the proletariat 3) Alienation, a sense of meaninglessness and powerlessness, results in attitudes and beliefs that lead to crime Marxist Perspective    4) The alternative to alienation among the proletariat is class consciousness, which will lead to revolution by the masses False consciousness – emphasizes divisions within proletariat Class consciousness – realize have common problem and same oppressors Marxist Perspective    5) Two separate pathways to crime A) Potential for revolution by the proletariat B) Failure to achieve class consciousness Marxist Perspective   6) Such violent revolutionary changes in the organization of society are the source of progressive improvement for mankind 7) Only way to significantly decrease crime is to abandon capitalism Bonger – Orthodox Marxist Theory of Crime Causation   Premises: 1) No act is inherently criminal  Crime is defined by social and political forces  Crimes are of a social origin and reflect current morality Bonger – Orthodox Marxist Theory of Crime Causation   2) Political authorities assign criminal meaning to acts that they feel are harmful to society Content and enforcement of law is designed to serve the bourgeoisie at the expense of the proletariat Bonger – Orthodox Marxist Theory of Crime Causation    3) Force not consensus holds capitalist system together 4) Capitalism encourages egocentricity and pleasure seeking Human behavior is based on the search for pleasure Bonger – Orthodox Marxist Theory of Crime Causation   5) The moral environment of capitalism itself encourages crime among both classes Bourgeoisie may commit crime to gain further power and pleasure  Ex. - sweatshops Bonger – Orthodox Marxist Theory of Crime Causation  Motivated to crime by a lack of moral insight brought about by capitalism’s emphasis on competition and selfcenteredness Bonger – Orthodox Marxist Theory of Crime Causation   Proletariat may be motivated to crime by outright need or lack of social bonds Proletariat most likely to be identified as criminal since bourgeoisie control the content and enforcement of the law Bonger – Orthodox Marxist Theory of Crime Causation   6) Publicly owned (i.e., Socialist) modes of production will reduce crime to the point where only a few deranged individuals are drawn to it Wealth is distributed based on individual needs  Equalizes the power among groups  Less severe class struggle Quinney – Social Reality of Crime    Combines Bonger with differential association, labeling, and strain Premises: 1) Crime is a definition of behavior that is assigned to certain acts by those with political power Quinney – Social Reality of Crime  2) Acts that conflict with the interests of those powerful enough to create and enforce the law are defined as criminal Political power is a result of economic power  Quinney – Social Reality of Crime   3) Which laws are enforced and under what conditions is a result of the power of various societal segments to shape public policy Without enforcement, law has no practical value Quinney – Social Reality of Crime  4) One’s position in the class structure predicts the likelihood of one’s behavior being defined as criminal Quinney – Social Reality of Crime     5) The idea of what constitutes crime is created and transmitted through normal forms of communication 2 types of reality A) physical reality – independent of human activity B) social reality – product of human efforts Quinney – Social Reality of Crime   Law and crime are within the social reality of human invention Since social realities, we are free to change our definition of law and crime Quinney – Social Reality of Crime    6) Reification – belief that a human creation is actually a phenomenon independent of human actions and biases Leads to false consciousness by creating illusion that the law is always right and its violators always wrong Ex. – juvenile justice system Quinney – Social Reality of Crime     7) Quinney notes 2 general types of crimes A) Crimes of domination and repression Those committed by bourgeoisie Crime is committed in order to remain in power and maintain their position of supremacy Quinney – Social Reality of Crime      Examples Crimes committed by the government White collar crimes Organized crime Crimes committed by businesses such as pollution, etc. Quinney – Social Reality of Crime    Crimes of accommodation and resistance Those committed by working class in order to survive under capitalism Examples – street crimes, etc. Spitzer – Structural Marxism Theory  Relationship between law and capitalism is not unidimensional  Doesn’t always work for the rich against the poor Spitzer – Structural Marxism Theory   Law maintains the capitalist system and controls members of any class who pose a threat Wont be taken seriously    Illegal dumping Unsafe products Unsafe work environment Spitzer – Structural Marxism Theory  Will be taken seriously     S&L scandal Price fixing False advertising Anti-trust violations Conflict Perspective   How are Conflict and Marxist perspectives similar? 1) Macro-level view of crime  Focus on society not individual  2) Focus on conflict not consensus Conflict Perspective   3) Focus on the distribution and use of power in society 4) Interested in the process of law creation, interpretation, and enforcement Conflict Perspective   How are they different? 1) Conflict perspective recognizes a multitude of groups to which individuals simultaneously belong     Social class Gender Race/Ethnicity Religious affiliation Conflict Perspective   Marxists see 2 basic groups based on ownership of mode of production 2) Marxism focuses on capitalism as source of crime while conflict is broader perspective Conflict Perspective  Conflict perspective came into prominence in 1960s   Civil Rights movement Vietnam War Conflict Perspective     Conflict theorists concerned with: 1) The role the government plays in creating a criminogenic environment 2) The relationship of personal or group power in controlling and shaping the criminal law 3) The role of bias in the justice system Conflict Perspective   Conflict theorists see the justice system as a mechanism for controlling the lower class Maintain the status quo rather than dispensing fair justice Conflict Perspective    Research has found: 1) Comparable crime rates across social classes 2) Bias in the criminal justice system  At every stage of the process Conflict Perspective   3) Police act more forcefully in lower class areas 4) Powerless groups more likely to receive harsher sentences including death Consensus view has alternative explanations for these findings  Chambliss and Seidman’s Theory of Law Enforcement   Premises: 1) Law enforcement agencies are bureaucratic organizations whose activities and resources are controlled by political authorities Chambliss and Seidman’s Theory of Law Enforcement   2) Official goals of agencies are less important than informal ones in determining agency activities Informal goals and norms increase rewards and decrease pressure on the organization Chambliss and Seidman’s Theory of Law Enforcement  3) The replacement of official organization   goals and norms is possible in law enforcement because: A) There is a lack of resistance to such changes within these organizations B) The legal code allows these organizations much situational freedom  Discretion Chambliss and Seidman’s Theory of Law Enforcement   C) There is a lack of effective sanctions for rule violations by these organizations 4) Police agencies can increase their rewards and decrease pressures on the organization by processing the powerless but not the powerful Chambliss and Seidman’s Theory of Law Enforcement   5) A disproportionately high number of individuals from powerless groups will be processed by law enforcement agencies Many crimes committed by the powerful will be ignored