4.6 Conclusion
There is a plethora of theories from various fields – biology, psychology, sociology, law, economics, and more – that have been used to help explain the connection between race and crime. Many, especially early theoretical perspectives, are rooted in white supremacist ideologies that paint people of color as inferior. The resulting non-fact-based theories contribute to the mistreatment of Black and Brown individuals by spreading misconceptions and racial stereotypes. More recent approaches, particularly in the field of sociology, use a more critical lens that considers history, the legal system, power dynamics, social status, personal identity, and more to better address the topic of race and crime.
As we analyze the overrepresentation of people of color within the criminal justice system, we can see how race and ethnicity play a massive role. For example, strain theory looks at how people act in order to achieve their goals when they experience strain in their lives. General strain theory follows a similar premise, but expands it to highlight how social injustice or inequality can make people experience strain, and therefore make them more susceptible to participating in devious acts. Status frustration theory, subculture of violence theory, and social disorganization theory are also similar to strain theory because they take into account external factors that influence crime. On the other hand, personality theory argues that personality, developed through conditioning or from genetics, can predict criminal behavior. Sociological paradigms highlight how society aids in racial and ethnic inequality and how race relates to crime, and help us understand why Black and Brown people are overrepresented in the criminal justice system.
Discussion Questions and Chapter Resources
Discussion questions
- Why do social scientists theorize to understand why and how things occur in society?
- The U.S. Constitution leaves many areas open to interpretation. Many of our laws are shaped by U.S. Supreme Court decisions. Do you think that this is a good thing? Is it better to have a constitution that leaves rights up to interpretation, or would it be more desirable to have one that spells out all of a person’s rights, privileges, and protections in one document?
- How have the scientific fields of biology and psychology been co-opted to create discriminatory policies that negatively impact or criminalize people of color?
- Considering your own intersectional identity – including but not limited to your gender, race/ethnicity, country of origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, socioeconomic status, geography, and migration status – how might your position impact your thoughts about or approach to the study of criminology and criminal justice? From an intersectional lens, how might your experiences shape your understanding of criminological theories?
- Strain, economic barriers, and frustration are key parts of many of the criminological theories discussed in this chapter. How does each one make sense of these? How does each theory explain how these concepts might lead to criminal behavior?
Chapter resources
- To learn more about the history of IQ testing, see The Dark History of IQ Tests [Streaming Video].
- To learn more about the inaccuracies of the bell curve, see Bell Curve Flaws [Website].
- To learn more about intersectionality, see Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw in Kimberlé Crenshaw: The Urgency of intersectionality | TED Talk [Streaming Video].
- To learn more about critical race theory, see Legal Defense Fund Explains Critical Race Theory [Website].
- To learn more about the Scopes Trial, see Scopes Trial [Streaming Video].
- To learn more about the Scopes Trial, see Timeline: Remembering the Scopes Monkey Trial: NPR [Website].
- To hear about personal experiences of race, see CNN project The First Time I Realized I Was Black [Streaming Video].
- To see data visualizations, visit Smithsonian Article: Du Bois’ Data Visualizations [Website].
- To learn more about redlining, see Adam Ruins Everything: Redlining [Streaming Video].
- To learn more about redlining, see Redlining and Heat Wave Risk [Website].
- To learn more about gang affiliation and escape, see How I Got Out of MS-13 [Streaming Video].
Licenses and Attributions for Conclusion
Open Content, Original
“Conclusion” by Jessica René Peterson is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Open Content, Shared Previously
Discussion Question 4 is from “8.3 Feminist Criminology” by Jessica Reneé Peterson, Introduction to Criminology: An Equity Lens, Open Oregon Educational Resources, which is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
scientific explanations of things happening around us, such as patterns in social behavior, and how certain things are related
the scientific and systematic study of human relationships, institutions, groups and group interactions, societies, and social interactions, from small and personal groups to large groups
a category of people grouped because they share inherited physical characteristics that are identifiable, such as skin color, hair texture, facial features, and stature
widely held beliefs or assumptions about a group of people based on perceived characteristics.
shared social, cultural, and historical experiences of people from common national or regional backgrounds that make subgroups of a population different
Merton’s theory that when people face strain, social norms become confused, resulting in a willingness to take alternative routes or use alternative means to get to the goals people want
theory which argues that four factors—social class, school performance, status frustration, and reaction formation (coping methods)—contribute to the development of delinquency in juveniles (Cohen 1955)
theory that suggests violence is not expressed in every situation but rather that individuals are constantly prepared for violence (Wolfgang & Ferracuti, 1982)
personality traits and behavioral characteristics people learn
a group of people living in a defined geographic area that has a common culture
theory which suggests we cannot separate the effects of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and other attributes (Collins 1990)
the idea that institutional racism is so embedded in the legal institutions of the United States that law functions to create and maintain inequalities between white and Black people
