6 Conflict Theory of Crime

A theory that helps us begin to examine the legal order critically is the one I call the social reality of crime. Applying this theory, we think of crime as it is affected by the dynamics that mold the society’s social, economic, and political structure. First, we recognize how criminal law fits into capitalist society. The legal order gives reality to the crime problem in the United States. Everything that makes up crime’s social reality, including the application of criminal law, the behavior patterns of those who are defined as criminal, and the construction of an ideology of crime, is related to the established legal order. The social reality of crime is constructed on conflict in our society. The theory of the social reality of crime is formulated as follows.