CriminologyLesson 1 of 3 in the course Critical and feminist criminology

Critical Perspectives on Crime: Conflict, Feminist, and Postmodern Criminology

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

Critical criminology applies critical theory to the study of crime, justice, and punishment. Rather than treating crime as an isolated individual problem, it asks how power and social inequality shape laws, enforcement, and criminological knowledge.

Critical criminology examines crime and justice in relation to class, race, gender, sexuality, and social status. It argues that legal and penal systems may reproduce or uphold existing inequalities rather than operate neutrally. Critical criminologists therefore examine not only who breaks laws, but also who has the power to make laws, whose actions are targeted, and whose harms receive less attention.

All flashcards

What is critical criminology?
An approach that examines how power, domination, and oppression shape crime, justice, punishment, and legal institutions.
How do structural Marxists view the state?
As relatively autonomous, yet ultimately helping preserve the broader capitalist system.
What does liberal feminism seek in relation to gender discrimination?
Reform through existing institutions, such as governments and legal frameworks.
What does radical feminism identify as a basis of women’s oppression?
Patriarchy, including domination in public and private life and control over women’s sexuality.
What is convict criminology?
Criminological scholarship informed by direct experience of prisons and correctional institutions.

Quiz questions

  1. How do pluralists generally understand power in society?Answer: As contested among groups seeking influence and resources.
  2. In Marxist analysis, what is surplus value?Answer: Value workers produce beyond the wages they receive.
  3. What did feminist critics argue some early conflict perspectives neglected?Answer: Serious harms such as rape, domestic violence, and child abuse.
  4. What does postmodern criminology examine in legal discourse?Answer: How language and categories can make some accounts authoritative and exclude others.
  5. Which concern is central to left realist criminology?Answer: The real harms crime causes victims, including disadvantaged victims.

Based on the Wikipedia article Critical criminology, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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