Chapter 8: Social Conflict, Critical Criminology, and Restorative JusticeVideo Case1.The French National Assembly authorized additional support for the internationalcoalition’s military response to the terrorist organization responsible for the CharlieHebdo terror attack. Which of the following is an example of state-organized crime thathas been justified by the United States as a response to terror attacks?
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2.The Charlie Hebdo attack increased focus on the terror organization known as ISIS.according to the left realist theory, why might a person be drawn to terroristorganizations?
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3.Left realists argue that terrorists may seek support from like-minded peers in order toalleviate the stress of relative deprivation. What twentieth-century technology enhancesthe ability of these terrorist peers to find and connect with one another?
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4.What do left realists argue is an effect of “get tough” military responses to terrorism?
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5.Advocates of what movement reject terminology like the “war on terror” in favor ofcollaborative terms?
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Social Conflict Theory/Perspective
Introduction to Social Conflict Theory
●Conflict promotes crime by creating a social atmosphere in which the law is a
mechanism for controlling dissatisfied, have-not members of society while the wealthy
maintain their power. This is why crimes that are the province of the wealthy, such as
illegal corporate activities, are sanctioned much more leniently than those, such as
burglary, that are considered lower-class activities
●Criminologists who view crime as a function of social conflict and economic rivalry have
in the past been known by a number of titles, such as conflict, Marxist, left, or radical
criminologists, but today most commonly they are referred to as critical criminologists
and their field of study as critical criminology.
● Critical criminologists: Researchers who view crime as a function of the capitalist mode
of production and not the social conflict that might occur in any society regardless of its
economic system
●Critical criminology: The view that capitalism produces haves and have-nots, each
engaging in a particular branch of criminality. The mode of production shapes social life.
Because economic competitiveness is the essence of capitalism, conflict increases and
eventually destabilizes social institutions and the individuals within them
●Defining the concept of social conflict and how it shapes behavior
○As their title hints, critical criminologists view themselves as social critics who dig
beneath the surface of society to uncover its inequities. They reject the notion
that law is designed to maintain a tranquil, fair society and that criminals are
malevolent people who wish to trample the rights of others. They believe that the
law is an instrument of power, wielded by those who control society in order
to maintain their wealth, social position, and class advantage. The ability to
control the law has resulted in the accumulation of wealth in the hands of a
relatively few creating income inequality that threatens to undermine the
economy
○They consider acts of racism, sexism, imperialism, unsafe working
conditions, inadequate child care, substandard housing, pollution of the
environment, and war-making as a tool of foreign policy to be “true crimes.”
The crimes of the helpless—burglary, robbery, and assault—are often an
expression of rage over unjust social and economic conditions rather than selfish
acts of greedy people
○Contemporary critical criminologists try to explain crime within economic and
social contexts and to express the connections among social class, crime, and
social control. They are concerned with issues such as these:
■The role government plays in creating a crime-producing environment
■The relationship between personal or group power and the shaping of
criminal law
■ The prevalence of bias in justice system operations
■The relationship between a capitalist, free-enterprise economy and crime
rates