NCJ Number
86843
Editor(s)
H E Pepinsky
Date Published
1982
Length
151 pages
Annotation
Unorthodox criminologists, in a series of articles, emphasize the importance of tolerating forms of deviance (often merely representing nonconformity) so that fewer cases are funneled into the criminal justice system.
Abstract
Criminologists should stop arguing in generalities about the Marxist/non-Marxist dichotomy in criminology and concentrate on identifying what social formations must be changed to solve the crime problem. For example, the poor tend to be punished more than the rich. However, the answer is not to treat all cases alike, since criminal justice officials are bound to punish selectively, but to reverse this bias within the system by 'dumping up' (i.e., at white-collar crime) rather than down. A case study of conflict between the Kikuyu and the British in Kenya indicates that the British should have negotiated cultural autonomy for the Kikuyu instead of defining them as terrorists (called 'Mau Mau'). Another criminologist suggests that criminal opiate use or possession differs only in degree from the natural production of human opiates, called 'endorphins,' which are necessary for survival. Other articles examine rationalizations underlying the personal use of power to hurt others, the effects of labeling certain acts as deviant on criminal justice practices, and the 'crisis of legitimacy' in criminal justice. They all demonstrate that society can ill afford to reject alternatives at any level of the social system. Papers include references, notes, and study data. For individual articles, see NCJ 86844-49.