Conflict criminology
Definition
A family of theories holding that criminal law and its enforcement reflect the interests of powerful social groups rather than universal moral consensus. Draws on Marxist, Weberian, and critical social theory to analyse how inequalities of class, race, and gender shape crime and punishment.
Related terms
- Broken windows theory
- The proposition by Wilson and Kelling (1982) that visible signs of physical and social disorder invite further disorder and serious crime by...
- Collective efficacy
- A concept developed by Robert Sampson referring to the combination of social cohesion among neighbours and their shared willingness to intervene in...
- Feminist criminology
- A body of theory and research that critiques the androcentric bias of mainstream criminology, making visible the gendered dimensions of both offending...
- Left realism
- A criminological perspective developed by Jock Young, Roger Matthews, and others in the 1980s, arguing that critical criminology had neglected the real...
- Social disorganisation
- The condition of a neighbourhood in which social institutions have weakened to the point where they can no longer effectively regulate behaviour...
Explained in
- Social Disorganisation and Critical CriminologyA family of theories holding that criminal law and its enforcement reflect the interests of powerful social groups rather than universal moral consensus. Draws...