Introduce “Critical Theory”
Review a bit for Thursday Exam
Can’t we all just get along?
 In
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1950-1960s = strain
Policy = provide opportunity to those who lack
means for achieving legitimate success.
Turmoil of 1960s  criminologists become more
skeptical

Politicians and other interests groups lack will to make
real changes
 Cloward and Ohlin story
 Many groups actively oppose providing opportunities
Law reflect shared
belief about what is
wrong
 Law resolves conflicts
and maintains order
 The state is “neutral”
 Bias is temporary and
unintentional

Consensus
Law is an end process
in a conflict over
values
 Bias is built into the
law (winners punish
losers)
 The state (CJS)
responds to the needs
of those in power (not
neutral)

Conflict
 Central
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Themes
Emphasis on “inequality” and “power”
Crime as “political” concept
CJS serves interests of powerful
Solution to crime is more equitable society
 EXPLANATION
than crime
OF LAW and CJ SYSTEM rather
 Why
are some things defined as “criminal”
whereas others are seen as “poor judgment”
or “bad,” but not really criminal?
 The
Housing Bubble and Great Recession as
an example

PBS Frontline
 Thursday
 What
two things will you need?
 Psychology
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Freud
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Learning types and their implications
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Personality, defense mechanisms
Classical conditioning
Operant conditioning
Social Learning/Cognitive
 Skills vs. Restructuring
Personality
IQ
 Sociological
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Social Structure
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Theory
Chicago School and Social D
 Original, Sampson and friends
Anomie and Strain Theories
 Merton, Agnew, Messner and Rosenfeld
Social Process
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Social Learning/DA
 Sutherland, Akers, Sykes & Matza
Social control
 Hirschi, G&H, S&L
Labeling + updates
 Assumptions
made about human nature (for
sociological theory)
 Policy Implications
 Central Concepts
 Different Flavors of the theory
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Hirschi bonding vs. Gottfredson and Hirsch low
self-control
Agnew GST vs. Merton strain
 Unit
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of anaylsis
Most are “individual” level theories, make note
of the ones that are not