Critical Criminology

Critical Criminology is…

a way of studying crime that focuses on power and inequality

• It often looks at how race, class, gender, and social power shape the justice system

• It asks not just who commits crime, but who defines crime — and how those definitions reflect broader power relations.

Critical Criminology challenges…

the idea that the law is always fair and asks who has the power to define crime

Within Critical Criminology, Law and punishment of crime are viewed as …

connected to a system of social inequality and as the means of producing and perpetuating this inequality.

Victimless Crimes

Drug use, public intoxication, and vagrancy—all seen as forms of nonconformity rather than real threats.

• Drug use, in particular, became a symbol of political resistance and personal freedom during the counterculture era.

• Critical criminologists argued that criminalizing these acts served to control marginalized or rebellious groups, rather than protect society.

Marxist Criminology

Crime results from class conflict; laws protect the powerful (bourgeoisie) over the working class (proletariat).

Marxist Criminology (bourgeoisie)

The ruling-class elite in a capitalist system, those with the power

Marxist Criminology (proletariat)

The working class or laborers in a capitalist society, those with no power

Conflict Theory

Law is not neutral; it serves those in power

The view that society is divided into two or more groups with competing ideas and values.

Labeling Theory Consequences of Labeling…

Negative Labels Influence Behavior: can push people further into deviance

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: People may internalize the label and begin behaving in ways that confirm it, even if it wasn’t accurate initially.

Labeling Theory

Focuses on the informal and formal act of placing deviant “labels” by society on individuals

• how people become what they’re labeled — especially labels like “criminal” or “deviant.”

Labeling Theory says deviance is created through…

social labeling; people internalize labels and may act accordingly (self-fulfilling prophecy).

Labeling Theory (Primary Deviance)

Deviant act(s) that occurs prior to the labeling process

Labeling Theory (Secondary Deviance)

Deviant act(s) that occurs after the labeling process
• Shame and strain

Saints & Roughnecks (Chambliss)

one community’s society reaction to two groups of highschool boys:

a middle-class group “Saints”

a working-class group “Roughnecks”

EQUAL rate of Delinquency

Community, school, and Police reacted to the “Saints” as though they were good, upstanding, non-deliquent youths with bright futures but reacted to the “Roughnecks” as though they were tough, young criminals who were headed fro trouble.”

Showcases Social bias in how different groups are labeled

Retrospective reading

After someone is labeled, people look back at their past to find signs they were “always” bad.

Example: “Oh, they were always quiet in school — we should’ve
known!”

People reinterpret past behavior to match the new label.

Master status

When a label becomes their master status it becomes the one thing people focus on,
even more than their name or job

Decriminalization

Stop making certain acts criminal (e.g.,marijuana possession, homelessness).

Reintegration

Help formerly incarcerated people return to society (jobs, housing, rights).

Public or city-owned services

Cities run services instead of private companies

Feminist Criminology

Traditional theories ignored women's experiences; focuses on gender inequality.

Focuses on how criminological theories have historically neglected women, emphasizing the need to understand crime through the lens of gender inequality.

Left Realism

Acknowledges crime’s real impact while addressing structural inequality.

Recognizes crime as a real issue impacting working-class communities and advocates for practical solutions that address both social inequalities and criminal justice reform.

Peacemaking Criminology

Promotes addressing crime through non- punitive means, focusing on restorative justice and the importance of reconciliation to achieve social harmony.

Postmodern Criminology

Critiques traditional criminological theories, emphasizing the role of language, power, and social constructs in defining crime and deviance.