8.4 Conclusion
Critical criminology has its beginnings in the critical theories of Marx and the concept of repressive power as it is linked to the state and the capitalist economy. Contemporary critical criminology has largely settled on abolitionist thought. Overall, feminist criminology centers gender, together with other aspects of identity, in crime and criminology rather than minimizing or treating gender as an add-on. Instead of taking the experience of men for granted, feminist criminology actively theorizes about the experience of women in both criminalization and victimization and pays critical attention to racism, classism, sexism, and other bases of discrimination and marginalization. All these ways of thinking about criminal justice share the idea that existing systems are inherently inequitable and violent. Therefore, they must be rethought, denaturalised, and deconstructed in an effort to emancipate and create material change.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter, we discussed the origins and brief history of both critical criminology and feminist criminology. Some of the major thinkers and concepts within each perspective were explored, as well as some theories that fit neatly within each subfield. Both of these areas strive to evolve and adapt their understandings of crime and victimization to modern issues of social inequality.
Discussion Questions and Supplemental Resources
Discussion Questions
- In what ways does the capitalist economic system in the United States contribute to social inequality and crime?
- What are some of the key critiques of traditional criminological theories that are offered by feminist criminologists?
- How do you think critical criminology challenges mainstream explanations of racial disparities in crime rates and criminal justice outcomes?
- What are the challenges and opportunities associated with applying intersectional perspectives to criminological research and policy-making?
- Some paradigms, perspectives, and theories are more concrete and easily summarized than others. Refer to figure 3.15 in Chapter 3, and try making a similar one for critical and feminist approaches. What challenges do you run into when identifying core concepts, theorists, or theories?
Supplemental Resources
If you want to dig deeper into the topics covered in this chapter, check out the following resources:
- Tough Guise 2: Violence, Manhood & American Culture [Website], a documentary that examines America’s social and cultural contribution to men’s violence, particularly against women. (See if your university/library has access through Kanopy or another platform.)
- Power [Streaming Video], a documentary on Netflix about the history of American policing. It takes a critical approach to the subject and begs the question, who do police serve and protect?
- The American Society of Criminology’s Division of Feminist Criminology [Website] has a plethora of resources and information about feminist criminology.
- The American Society of Criminology’s Division on Critical Criminology & Social Justice [Website] has a plethora of resources and information about critical criminology.
- The Women & Crime podcast [Website] is hosted by two criminology professors who study and discuss women who have been victims or perpetrators of crime.
Licenses and Attributions for Conclusion
Open Content, Shared Previously
“Conclusion” includes one paragraph that was adapted from:
- “Critiques of Feminist Criminology,” Introduction to Criminology by Dr. Rochelle Stevenson, Dr. Jennifer Kusz, Dr. Tara Lyons, and Dr. Sheri Fabian is licensed under CC BY 4.0, except where otherwise noted. Modifications by Jessica René Peterson, licensed under CC BY 4.0, include shortening for clarity and brevity.
- “Conclusion“, Introduction to Criminology by Kevin Walby and Kelly Gorkoff is licensed under CC BY 4.0, except where otherwise noted. Modifications by Jessica René Peterson, licensed under CC BY 4.0, include shortening for clarity and brevity.
a perspective or collection of theories that centers social inequality and focuses on the way society defines crime, power, and punishment
the study of crime and why it happens
a perspective or collection of theories that centers gender, along with other aspects of identity, in studying crime, victimization, and the criminal justice system
legal term describing the violation of a criminal law
the system that deals with crime and its consequences