Conflict Criminology
The conflict theory is based on the supposition that crime is an essential element of capitalist civilizations. The key idea of this theory consists in the fact that inequality and bias can be found in any community. Therefore, the members of the society who are marginalized have to fight for equality by engaging in unlawful activities. These actions are aimed at obtaining the material wealth that is one of the basic constituents of the capitalistic societies (Siegel, 2015). The ideas of the conflict criminology are based on Karl Marx’s works and the concept that there is no equilibrium between the citizens and the state. In the modern society, the problem with the conflict theory is that the more authority the individuals have (in terms of economic and political power), the more possibilities they have to break the law and get away with impunity (Wagner, 2013). This can be explained by the complexity and subtlety of the unlawful activities which are backed by the individual’s extensive resources used to conceal the defilement. In modern society, this became a common way to defend oneself against any allegations and influenced the legal processes using authority and monetary resources (Siegel, 2015).
Relative Deprivation and Stratified Society
The theory of relative deprivation is inextricably linked to the notion of reference groups. This means that the feelings of dissatisfaction or deprivation are only contingent on the frame of reference. The idea of relative deprivation is that the desires of a given individual may become authentic expectations (Braswell & Fuller, 2014). At the same time, these desires may be blocked or not accepted by society. The notion of relative deprivation can also be defined as social displeasure. If we connect the theory of relative deprivation to the stratified society and criminology, we will see that the majority of social movements are based on the phenomenon of relative deprivation. The manifestations of this theory can be found in the missions aimed at social change and other similar events. In other words, numerous delinquencies occur due to the display of communal moods of relative deprivation. The theory of relative deprivation can be applied to an extensive set of different contexts. Regardless, if we connect this theory to the modern stratified society, we will have to take into consideration the feelings and perceptions of the society to evaluate their actions objectively.
Sociological Schools of Crime Causation
There are five basic sociological schools of crime causation – strain, social learning, control, labeling, and social disorganization. The theory of strain is based on the assumption that the crime is committed to getting rid of the stress that accumulates in an individual (Anderson, 2015). These crimes may also be caused by retaliation. The theory of social learning presupposes that the future wrongdoers learn the delinquent behaviors from others and then assume that these behaviors are acceptable. The keystone of the control theory is the idea that crime is inherent in society and should be perceived as an inseparable component of the current social order (Anderson, 2015). The labeling theory is directly connected to the concept of relative deprivation because mitigative actions of the criminal justice system occasionally lead to increasing crime rates. The theory of social disorganization is also reliant on the stratified society and relative deprivation because its key focus is the link between the crimes and society.
References
Anderson, J. F. (2015). Criminological theories: Understanding crime in America. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Braswell, M., & Fuller, J. (2014). Corrections, peacemaking and restorative justice: Transforming individuals and institutions. New York, NY: Routledge.
Siegel, L. J. (2015). Criminology: The core (5th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Wagner, W. E. (2013). Practice of research in criminology and criminal justice. New York, NY: Sage.