Essay on The Marxist Crime Perspective of Conflict Theory

Introduction Countless studies from respected sociologists, criminologists, and psychologists have suggested several theories as to why juvenile delinquency exists. The theory this paper uses to explain for juvenile delinquency is the Marxist perspective of the Conflict Theory. What this paper seeks to achieve is to show how this theory is conceptualized, how it causes juvenile delinquency particularly for African Americans, statistics on African American juveniles, and why it could lead to a life of crime as juveniles transition into adulthood. In addition to this, the government will be examined on how it uses the legal system, law enforcement, and certain officials to control most of the population and contribute to this problem.†¦show more content†¦According to Onwudiwe (2004), coercive forces against lower class workers on their jobs causes negative effects such as stress, anger, and contempt which they bring back at home and ultimately affects their families, thus leading to juven ile delinquency. Jobs are the means of the working class to acquire the basic necessary resources to survive such as food, water, and shelter for their families. According to Quinney (1977), when the lower classes are unable to earn an honest day’s work or lose their job, after a period of time, they finally break down from all this pressure and resort to crime, to support themself and their loved ones. Children seeing the struggles of their parents then follow in their footsteps leading to juvenile delinquency and later as adults, become more susceptible to crime. Allen, Latessa, and Ponder (2010) theorize that a juvenile delinquent is a child that has committed a criminal act that if committed by an adult would be punished. The child’s behavior, under the law, would subject those children to the juvenile court and become a ward of the court, subject to its discretion. Allen et al (2010) propose that there were three categories of juveniles which are: status offenders who are offenders that violated some regulation which an adult would not be punished for; children who committed crimes who would be punished if an adult had committed them; and finally unruly juveniles who have proved unmanageable by the family or courtShow MoreRelatedFunctionalism and Marxism: Sociological Perspectives Essay670 Words   |  3 PagesSociological Concepts and Perspectives: Functionalism and Marxism In this essay I am going to compare and contrast Functionalism and Marxism. They are both sociological perspectives which have theories about society and the people that live within it. They attempt to explain how society influences people, and similarly how people influence society. However, the two perspectives are clearly different. Functionalism is a macro system theory which sees society as a mega structure of linked socialRead MoreEvaluate the usefulness of Marxist theory to our understanding of crime and deviance1201 Words   |  5 PagesEvaluate the usefulness of Marxist theory to our understanding of crime and deviance (40 marks) Synopticity - Crime Deviance sociological theory Marxist explanations of crime and deviance, like their work on other areas like the family and education, rest on an economic and structural analysis of society that sees a class struggle between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. This struggle comprises the attempts by the proletariat to free themselves from the domination of the bourgeoisieRead MoreCompare and contrast two main sociological theories of crime and deviance.1636 Words   |  7 Pagesmain sociological theories of crime and deviance. Deviance and crime are wide-ranging terms used by sociologists to refer to behavior that varies, in some way, from a social norm.  Cultural Norms are societys propensity towards certain ideals; their aversion from others; and their standard, ritualistic practices. Essentially the norm is a summation of typical activities and beliefs of group of people.  This essay will evaluate the sociological theories associated with crime and deviance and toRead MoreKarl Marx s Theory Of Crime And Deviance1696 Words   |  7 Pagescentury and was one of the first to develop and explain a conflict perspective on how society functions, he was a liberal reformist who had more radical views about the origins of crime and deviance. He became popular in the US and UK during the 1970’s. Like many radical criminologists, he developed the perspective of the conflict theory that explained how some social interactions result in to conflict and how individuals engage in conflict daily to gain mor e social wealth and resources. As some groupsRead MoreMarxist And Conflict Theories Of Deviance Essay1580 Words   |  7 PagesMarxist and Conflict Theories of Deviance The theorists discussed in this chapter surroung Marxist and conflict theories do not always agree on all the views of their theories, they come from the same social constructionist or relativist perspective. Social construction is referred to as a theory of knowledge in sociology and communications theory that examines the development of cooperatively constructed understandings of the world. There are two general ways in which theories differ from eachRead MoreW.E.B Dubois’ Theory on the â€Å"Double Consciousness† Conflict/Radical Marxist Theory as It Applies to the Novel – a Lesson Before Dying1462 Words   |  6 PagesLIT 327 W.E.B DuBois’ Theory on the â€Å"Double Consciousness† Conflict/Radical Marxist Theory as it applies to the Novel – A Lesson Before Dying DuBois’ theory on the â€Å"Double Consciousness† states, â€Å"After the Egyptian and Indian, the Greek and Roman, the Teuton and Mongolian, the Negro is a sort of seventh son, born with a veil, and gifted with second-sight in this American world,--a world which yields him no true self-consciousness, but only lets him see himself through the revelation of theRead MoreCrime And Deviance Essay1649 Words   |  7 PagesCrime can be defined as ‘An action or omission which constitutes an offence and is punishable by law’ (Oxford Dictionary, 2017). It’s the violation of a written law that is set by society and is known as ‘committing a crime’. Deviance is defined as ‘the fact or state of diverging from usual accepted standards, especially in social or sexual behaviour’ (Oxford Dictionaries, 2017). To be deviant would be to perform an act that strays from the normal behaviours, or â€Å"norms† of any given society. ThereRead MoreCriminology1427 Words   |  6 Pagesto demonstrate your knowledge of and a familiarity with the theory/perspective and the second requires you to demonstrate an understanding of its application (in either policy or practice) and the impact of its application. i)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Briefly identify the main features and concepts of radical criminology. ii)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Critically discuss the ways in which the various radical perspectives challenge existing ideas about crime and justice. Radical criminology made its appearance onRead MoreCritical Theories Of Criminology903 Words   |  4 Pagesdiscuss conflict criminology, radical criminology, peacemaking criminology, and postmodern criminology providing a comparison as well as a contrast to each. Discussion There are several theories developing critical theories of criminology, the first discussed in this paper will be conflict theory (Bohm Vogel, 2011). The conflict theory is the inequality of competing groups, moreover, the different social statuses of individuals. This theory compares the differences in white collar crime to theRead MoreSociology Is The Study Of Individuals In Groups In A Systematic Way1611 Words   |  7 Pagessociological 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 perspective grasps the matter. Before one can observe society, one needs to take into account the ways in which it can be viewed. Perspectives that focus on social systems, are known as macro perspectives. Alternatively, the micro perspective, focuses