For this discussion I focus my attention on the recent arrest of celebrity Chris Brown. It was alleged that he pointed a gun to a woman’s face who in fear run away. “The incident began early Tuesday when the LAPD received a 911 call about a woman claiming she had been threatened by the performer, police said. Officers arrived about 3 a.m. at the estate in the 5000 block of Corbin Avenue. The woman, Baylee Curran, told The Times that Brown pointed a gun at her during a violent rage before she ran outside. Curran said she and a friend went to Brown’s home with a business associate, who was invited by the musician. She wanted to talk to Brown about future projects, she said”. (LaTimes, 2016). The victim in this case was obviously the girl who alleged that Chris pointed a gun at her. …show more content…
2) critical sociologists do not see the normative order and the criminal justice system as simply neutral or “functional” with regard to the collective interests of society. Institutions of normalization and the criminal justice system have to be seen in context as mechanisms that actively maintain the power structure of the political-economic order. The rich, the powerful, and the privileged have unequal influence on who and what gets labelled deviant or criminal, particularly in instances when their privilege is being challenged. As capitalist society is based on the institution of private property, for example, it is not surprising that theft is a major category of crime. By the same token, when street people, addicts, or hippies drop out of society, they are labelled deviant and are subject to police harassment because they have refused to participate in productive
This essay will evaluate the Marxist theory that the ruling class in society decides the law and enforces it, to reflect their own interests.
Criminologists have long tried to fight crime and they have developed many theories along the way as tools to help them understand criminals. In the process of doing so, criminologist have realized that in order to really understand why criminals are criminals, they had to first understand the interrelationship between the law and society. A clear and thorough understanding of how they relatively connect with criminal behavior is necessary. Therefore, they then created three analytical perspectives which would help them tie the dots between social order and law, the consensus, the pluralist and the conflict perspectives. Each provides a significantly different view of society as relative to the law. However, while they all aim to the same
Seymour M. Lipset2 contends that negative traits that plague the American landscape, such as “high crime and economic inequality”, are fundamental characteristics of and are inherently linked to a capitalistic and openly admirable democratic society. Not only does American history reside in the nature for “disdain of authority”, but current American norms signal that everyone must elevate their own status and rise above the ranks, both economically and socially. In analyzing the trends of high crime, acts such as theft, narcotics production and distribution, fraud, etc. are a means to
7) In criminological theories, we saw how police activity is largely geared towards minor visible crimes committed by individuals from the lower stratums of society as oppose to “white collar crimes” committed by those of higher stratums (Dubé, CRM 3701, 2011). Abolitionists argue that by severely punishing some of the poor in order to deter society from committing crimes; we are only further contributing to the inequalities in today’s society.
The Neo-Marxist “new criminology” developed in the early 1970’s is also key to understanding how Marxists explain crime. Taylor, Walton and Young’s work maintained that crime was best understood in the context of capitalism and the inequalities it creates. One way that the neo-Marxists slightly differ with the traditional Marxist theories is that it says there is more freedom of choice that people have when choosing to commit crime and people are not just puppets of the economy. Here it could be said that the Neo-Marxists are taking interactionist theories on board and are moving away from the structuralist theories of traditional Marxism and Functionalism. With their book “The New Criminology” Taylor et al. attempted to come up with a fully social theory of deviance and looked into the importance of the labelling of certain groups within society as being criminal, in their case it was black working class men being labelled as criminal and dangerous by the law and order systems as well as the media. The book analyses the crisis faced by British capitalism during the recession of the 1970’s and the resulting threat to the authority of the state. It argues that the state responded to this crisis by mounting a law and order campaign which lead to a moral panic over mugging. As a result, black youth became increasingly
Also, it is a challenge to those working in the areas of civil rights and social activism to rise up and organize against the system that supports the New Jim Crow. Her analogy of the New Jim Crow and a caste system is also credible in terms of how it applies to the plight of convicted felons. As she examines the long-term consequences of the “War on Crime” and the “War on Drugs” on criminal convictions and the loss of civil liberties, Alexander paints a clear picture of the casual, almost apathetic, manner in which our society has bought into the belief that we require constant police protection in order to live safe. In addition, she’s not afraid to challenge people for their careless disregard for those who have been relegated to the fringes of civil society. The mantra may be, “Do The Crime…Do The Time,” but in today’s era of the New Jim Crow, the “time” appears to be endless for those with a criminal
Becker argued those who are labeled as a criminal by the police and middle-upper class, are more likely to conform to that label because they view authorities and society as the enemy. He goes on to explain that “social groups create deviance by making the rules, [and] those who break them are deviants” (Slides 6 and 7, 11/18). In other words, Becker insinuates a person could be forced into criminal acts due to the stereotypes the public has about criminals.
The abolitionist perspective has had a hard time with conservatives and the Left, but is more focused on emancipation from the status quo (Sheerer, 1986). Conservative political thought rejects abolitionist thought at its core. Conservatives have a tendency to welcome a centralized state authority, and so, the notion of decentralization through abolitionism is not well received (Sheerer, 1986). Left realists welcome traditional classifications of crime (Tabibi, 2015b). The focus here is on crimes associated with the middle class. Left realists rely on existing criminal justice procedures to fight street crime (Sheerer, 1986). The Left also provides a counter to abolition and has a tendency towards leftist moral crusades (Sheerer, 1986). Groups associated with the Left, such as the women’s movement and the environmental movement, have begun to see the benefits of operating within the criminal justice system (Sheerer, 1986). These groups have found leverage in the criminal justice system, which has helped them achieve some goals. Penal laws are being used to establish general principles that are favourable to the cause of the individual groups (Sheerer, 1986). Mathiesen (1874) would argue that these groups are no longer able to function as alternatives because they are operating from within the system, and are using
Brym, R.J., & Lie, J., & Rytina, S. (2010) Deviance and Crime. Sociology: Your Compass for a New World. 3rd Canadian Edition. Toronto: Oxford University Press. Toronto: Nelson
Social class differences are used to explain racial differences in criminal involvement in the United States. Social Class is defined as a division of a society based on social and economic status. Usually when a person thinks about crime in the United States, he also thinks about the race of the person and the crime. Thinking about crime anywhere in the world is to think about why certain groups of population have more criminal activity and involvement than other groups. People usually focus on race when they are looking at crime. Blacks are often victimized as being criminals than the whites. In Robert D. Crutchfield’s essay he talks about the subculture of violence and the subculture of poverty which explains crimes such as drug sales, property crime, and robbery. Within the subculture of violence he talks about crimes such as homicide and assault. This essay will discuss and explore the author’s central point’s as well as how Crutchfield describes subcultures of violence and poverty and if he agrees with the other explanations made by scholars about racial differences in criminal involvement.
Stevland Hardway Morris began his journey in Motown. Motown is an American recording company; it is the first black recording company. That is where Stevland Morris got his nickname, Stevie Wonder. His producer gave him that name because he has a very angelic and soft voice which is very relaxing and it is very nice to listen to. His talent has made an impact on the music industry; he made a significant contribution to the world which influences a lot of peoples thinking and behavior.
Britney Spears, Justin Bieber, and Bruno Mars are all incredibly talented performers who have served as influential role models in today’s society. While they all share fame and prominence in the media, each performer has impacted diverse areas of pop culture with their distinct style. Each of these Grammy award winners has over 10 million Instagram followers and a spot on Billboard Hot 100. “I’m a Slave 4 U” portrays Spears true image, a bold young girl with a wild side, which wasn’t a common theme during the time she rose to fame. Her individual style inspired young women. Bruno Mars has a collection of inspiring, iconic music videos such as, “That’s What I Like” which has crowd appeal, a catchy tune, and pure amusement. Partially Puerto
The challenge of crime policy is that crime is not evenly distributed across the socio-economic population. There are a multitude of reasons why this is a fact, but what is important to know, is that it greatly impacts crime policy. Criminal justice policies have vastly changed, especially in the last fifty years, in an effort to respond to citizens’ needs because of the uneven distribution of crime. Therefore, this means it is a reactionary response. It is imperative to remember that crime tends to effect the poor, the young, and particular ethnic groups more, when examining criminal justice policies. Policies that are of the criminal justice persuasion in their nature, in the extent of the policies, and in their impact directly effects the liberties of a governments’ citizens are always in flux.
Marshall Mathers, widely known as Eminem, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor, who is recognized as one of the most controversial and best-selling artists of the early 21st century (“Eminem”). Marshall writes most of his lyrics through his personal life experiences while adding a comical “I don’t give a S***” vibe to them. He struggled through a rough and lonely childhood, had relationship issues, became a father at a young age, and worked hard with dedication and persistence to get where he is today.
Sociology is the study of individuals in groups in a systematic way. It is an intricate set of styles and approaches trying to perceive society. (Burgess and Murcott, 2001). As a result, many perceptions have arisen over the last centuries. Many methodologies have been debated and discussed. Challenging these assumptions will in turn, cause for quantitative and qualitative based research on the struggle to gain a firm grip on how society works. As a result, there are different sociological perspectives that hold valued theories in society. In this essay three perspectives will be assessed. How society operates in the view of these perspectives. Also, scrutinizing theories on the subject ‘crime and deviance’ aiming to outline how each