Social Conflict Assignment | Online Homework Help

Unit VScholarlyActivity For this scholarly activity, explain the link between crime patterns, trends, and social criminological theories. Select two social conflict theories or schools of thought from Chapter 8, and include responses to the following points in your scholarly activity: 1. Explain the two chosen social conflict theories or schools of thought. Write one to two paragraphs for each theory or school. In your explanation, include how these affect the crime-control policies and crime rates and your rationale as to why. 2. Explain how peer groups, families, and social organizations positively or negatively affect your theory. 3. Analyze the theories as far as their applicability to explain crime. Do you think these are relevant? Why, or why not? Is there anything missing that would make them explain crime better? 4. To what types of programs has your theory led? Provide examples of crime control, including social control, crime prevention, laws, social policies, or even movements attempting to bring about change. Your scholarly activity must be a minimum of two pages in length, A minimum of two outside sources is required; they must be cited in the text and included on the reference page. Information about accessing the grading rubric for this assignment is provided below

Chapter 8: Social Conflict—It’s How We Relate Click on the link below to access the following resource: Richards, S. C., & Ross, J. I. (2001). Introducing the new school of convict criminology. Social Justice, 28(1), 177–190. Retrieved from https://libraryresources.waldorf.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/23191 2750?accountid=40957 Unit Lesson In this unit, we continue our discussion on social environment and its relation to criminology. In the previous unit, the focus was on society as a whole with attention given to relationships and interactions. That group of theories was important to see how people relate to each other, how they interact, and how that influences society. Chapter 8 of your textbook focuses on social conflict, which is less about the positive interaction and relationships and more about the part of social life we cannot escape, conflict. Social conflict theory suggests conflict is a part of social life we will always have (Schmalleger, 2018). · Thinking Point: Why do you think it is inevitable we will always have conflict? Why do you think society needs conflict? UNIT V STUDY GUIDE It’s How We Relate CRJ 2501, Criminology 2 UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title To begin, let us look at the major principles of the social conflict perspective. These principles will assist you in this unit lesson, as well as in your assignment. It also helps because we look at some of the major types of criminological theories within social conflict. Though they are all different theories, these major perspectives tie them together to be part of social conflict theory. In this lesson, we focus on peacemaking and convict criminology, as they are both newer parts of this perspective. As you read about these different areas of thought, you should be thinking about how they affect crime, predict crime, or even prevent crime. · Thinking Point: Why do you think many of these principles hold true? How can you relate these to our current society and political powers? Conflict theory itself is the umbrella, so to speak, of the other perspectives we address throughout this unit. Your textbook addresses more of these, but we are going to look at a few of them together. Now that you have a basis through the perspectives, view the following video to assist you in understanding the broad theory this chapter is based on: Loi, K. (2015, April 1). Conflict theory explained [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlw-biJcXvA The transcript for this video can be found here. Peacemaking Criminology Let us begin with peacemaking criminology, which focuses on the idea that if social control agencies work with citizens, suffering and social problems could decline and therefore, crime would reduce. This form of criminology, rooted in postmodern criminology, is still relatively new. The very core of peacemaking is getting everyone in society to perceive social justice in a similar way and then to connect individuals to their overall Figure 1 Basic Principles of Social Conflict Perspective (Picket, 2017) CRJ 2501, Criminology 3 UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title community and society. Within peacemaking criminology, there is a focus on restorative justice and transformation. This idea seems like an impossible way of thinking, even for students who find it not feasible. It does not seem practical to get everyone to work together to make changes. From a social science perspective, this theory is not testable and seems difficult to implement (Woodward & Fuller, 2014). Also, unlike other theories which try to explain the cause of crime, this one focuses on the fairness of criminal justice, almost blaming the criminal justice system for creating crime. Another question in this theory would be whether criminal justice system causes the suffering. Peacemaking criminology sees crime as a direct result of suffering. Therefore, if we can end suffering, we should end crime. But, what is suffering? This is vague, since suffering could vary from person to person. Barnes (2009) includes poverty, racism, alienation, abuse within families, sexism, harassment, and anything such as this in the idea of what suffering is. · Thinking Point: With ideas of what suffering encompasses, think of your own suffering and those around you. Do you think it is possible to end all of these types of suffering? Which ones do you think are not feasible to end and why? In what ways could criminal justice system prevent this suffering? Peacemaking criminology also contends that social control, like the length of imprisonment, causes the state to add to violence and crime. Similarly, peacemaking criminology contends that sentences, like the death penalty or treating non-violent drug offenses as criminal, also adds to violence and crime. By neglecting the overall problem and focusing on individual offenders and punishment, nothing changes (Barnes, 2009). If we want to fix the crime problem, we have to look away from the punishment of crimes and instead try to restore justice and peace to society. Look at the death penalty for an example of how this theory relates to social policy. Those who align with the peacemaking criminological theory would be against the death penalty. In terms of social justice, an example of what a peacemaking criminologist would look at would be racial bias. Also, the criminologist would view the violence of the criminal justice system by putting someone to death as just as wrong as the death with which an offender is charged. In the end, suffering brings more suffering. · Thinking Point: What are your views on the death penalty, and what led you to feel this way? Was it society, family, friends, peers, or something else? Convict Criminology The newest form of radical criminology can be found in convict criminology, which was formalized in 2001 and is not quite a school of thought. Instead, it is mostly writings on criminology from convicted felons or exinmates who are working towards academic credentials such as a doctorate (Schmalleger, 2018). These people went from a life in prison to a life in academia, so to speak. This is quite a task, and often convicts or ex-convicts can be met with pushback and challenges to expanding this field of criminology; however, they offer a behind-the-scenes access to the prison system which no academic is able to provide (Ross, Zaldivar & Tweksbury, 2014). · Thinking Point: What kind of insight do you think convicts or former convicts have as opposed to others? Why do you think this may or may not be useful in the study of criminology? You can look into the textbooks, issues and recommendations on convict criminology by visiting this website: http://www.convictcriminology.org. You are encouraged to click around this site to learn more about this new and expanding part of criminal justice. Most of what you find within convict criminology relates to issues, usually of a personal nature. It focuses on corrections but also other issues within the criminal justice system. Because of convict criminology, many recommendations have been made to improve the justice system. Due to living in the prisons and jails, these criminologists feel they have a better view on the system because they have seen it from the inside. They were frustrated with academicians’ understandings and explanations of crime and even its control (Convict Criminology, n.d.). There are 10 central issues on which this school focuses (Leyva & Bickel, 2010). Most of these deal with the experience of prisoners and convicts, whether in prison or after completing their sentences and in the community. Their issues deal with policies related to sentencing, the experience of inmates in institutions, and CRJ 2501, Criminology 4 UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title the labels that being a convict or ex-con brings once back in society. Their perspective is not academic but personal in nature, and they are able to see things other criminologists do not. They have lived it and are able to speak about change because of that experience. · Thinking Point: Why would someone want to learn about criminal justice and corrections from someone who had committed crime and could explain it from that perspective? Would you personally want to? Why, or why not? One example of a policy convict criminologists have focused on and written a lot about is regarding programs within prisons. They feel there are not enough vocational and educational programs, skills development, family classes, or higher educational opportunities, among others (Leyva & Bickel, 2010). Without these programs, they feel they will go back into the community essentially the same person as they were when they arrived in prison. Theoretically, would not some turn back to crime if they did not change within prison? The failure of prisons is part of the issue convict criminologists are focusing on. According to Sutherland et al., as cited in Richards and Ross (2001), while some prisoners are rehabilitated and reformed, others are hardened and confirmed criminals when leaving prison. Convict criminologists feel more focus needs to be on the rehabilitation and opportunities in prison. · Thinking Point: What do you feel the criminal justice system is responsible for? Do you think that issues convict criminologists bring up are ones that should be addressed? Why, or why not? There are several potential issues with this school of thought, as it is unlike any other within criminology. One of the main problems is whether we can trust convict criminologists to write fair and non-biased work? It is clear they have an agenda regarding prisons. Some would argue their work distorts the field of criminology rather than adding to it (Schmalleger, 2018). Another issue is that the bulk of the work is mostly by white males, which leaves females out. Females are starting to contribute, so eventually this will be part of this field. · Thinking Point: What types of issues, thoughts, and concerns could female convict criminologists offer that males cannot? With that being said, it is still new, growing, and could potentially help with reform, but this will take time just like the other parts of criminology. It will be interesting to see, in 10 years perhaps, the changes that have been recommended and made from this school of thought. These are two of the many schools of thought included in this chapter, but with them being two of the newest, they are not given as much focus in the study of criminology. These two perspectives, in particular, have the ability to address social problems and address issues within criminal justice, but these two areas are also criticized and not widely accepted by all criminologist and academics. In your assignment, you will look at theories or schools of thought and how they explain crime and propose changes to be made. Your job now is to link the schools of thought with society and programs. Best of luck! References Barnes, R. (2009). Peacemaking criminology: Challenges and possibilities. Contemporary Justice Review: Issues in Criminal, Social and Restorative Justice. 12(2). Retrieved from http://www.nssa.us/journals/2007-29-1/2007-29-1-05.htm Convict Criminology. (n.d.). The New School. Retrieved from http://www.convictcriminology.org/ Leyva, M., & Bickel, C. (2010). From corrections to college: The value of a convict’s voice. Western Criminology Review, 11(1), 50-60. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com.libraryresources.waldorf.edu/docview/366278791?accountid=40957 Richards, S. C., & Ross, J. I. (2001). Introducing the new school of convict criminology. Social Justice, 28(1), 177-190. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com.libraryresources.waldorf.edu/docview/231912750?accountid=40957