Controversies in Criminal Justice
Could crime be functional to the society or not
Crime is seen as an act that can bring forth dissent in a society. However, some scholars have argued about its functionality in the society and have said that it is natural. It has been argued that some crimes are normal and they are fundamental part of all healthy societies because they provide a way for one to express their discontent. Durkheim contended that crime is important as a warning device to a society. Crimes give an indication that there is an aspect not functioning well in the society hence draws attention for it to be rectified (Jones, 1986). It is also functional as a source of social change in the society. For instance when the crime is against the norms of a given society, ultimately the society will be forced to transform its belief hence bringing social change.
However, other scholars have also argued crime as being dangerous in the society. Maguire and Okada argued that crimes affect the economic productivity because people who are involved in crimes could instead be doing a productive work elsewhere hence hindering production (Banks, 2011). Also, the community will invest its funds on police force as a way to reduce on the rate of crimes. This means that money that could be used to pay workers higher wages, improve the quality of education is spent on crime prevention. Moynihan also suggested that increase in the rate of crimes may bring fear to the society hence disrupting the population sense of unity, leads to breakdown of social association as a result of avoiding certain places hence damage to the community image (Moynihan, 1993).
References
Book Excerpt: Banks, C. (2011). The importance of ethics in criminal justice. In M. Maguire, & D. Okada (Eds.), Critical issues in criminal justice: Thought, policy, and practice (pp. 6–30). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Copyright 2010 by Sage Publications Inc. Books. Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications Inc. Books via the Copyright Clearance Center.
Book Excerpt: Jones, R. A. (1986). Rules for distinguishing the normal from the pathological. In Emile Durkheim: An Introduction to Four Major Works (Masters of Social Theory, Volume 2) (pp. 65-68). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications.
Copyright 1986 Sage Publications Inc. Used with permission from Sage Publications Inc. via the Copyright Clearance Center.
Article: Moynihan, D. P. (1993). Defining deviancy down. The American Scholar, 62(1), 17–30. Retrieved from: http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=9302190538&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Article: International Association of Chiefs of Police. (n.d.). Ethics: Enhancing law enforcement ethics in a community policing environment. Retrieved fromhttp://www.theiacp.org/PoliceServices/ExecutiveServices/ProfessionalAssistance/Ethics/tabid/140/Default.aspx
