CJ 300 Lecture 15: CJ 300 - 15: Radical and Critical Theories (Ch .12)

• School: University of Alabama
• Department: Criminal Justice
• Course: CJ 300
• Professor: Kellin Treadway

Document Summary

Cj 300 - lecture 15: radical and critical theories (ch. An extension of marxist theory that takes a critical stance against mainstream criminology. The other, more traditional theories, don"t work. Not really theories, basically just philosophical ideas. Crime is a discursive production (a result) that comes about when agents act out criminal patterns, when others seek to control criminal and behavior, and when yet others attempt to research, philosophize about, and explain crime. Rejects the search for the cause of crime. Less about power struggle (does not explain behavior) Composed of 3 parts: people who commit the crime, people who seek to control the crime, people who want to explain the crime. If no one is trying to explain crime and if crime isn"t talked about, does crime even exist. Less of a theory and more of a set of statements about other theories.