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Critical Criminological Theory

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Unlike the other theories and groups of theories that have been discussed so far, critical criminology focuses on social conditions and constructs on a much larger, systematic scale. In Bonger’s theory of Criminality and Economic Conditions, he emphasizes the connection between poor economic standing and crime and also the connection between good economic standing and crime. In a capitalist society, the set-up is much like a barter system, in which work is exchanged for wages for individuals to live off of. Bonger used the term egoism to define what capitalism causes people to; their focus is only on themselves and what they want to gain. “In his view, capitalism breeds egoism because it is, by its very nature, an economic system in which individual …show more content…

People who are privileged will break the law to get more and more, exploiting people who are less privileged than they are in the process. Bonger uses the Bourgeoisie and the Proletariat classes to illustrate how the upper class prospers at the expense of the lower class. The class known as the lower proletariat, who are ineffective in trading work for a wage, could very well turn to crime out of desperation. The poor participate in crime in order to not starve and the rich participate in crime so they can get even richer. The other strength is that one of the core themes is that “…the present economic system and its consequences weaken the social feelings…” (Cullen, Agnew, & Wilcox, 2014). Morals and empathy have no place in the upper classes when in a capitalist system; the need for more and more overshadow everything else and therefore lead to egoism and apathy. One of the major weaknesses of Bonger’s theory is that the solution to reducing crime is for there to be a shift from capitalism to socialism. That would take numerous, massive social changes for that to even be in the realm of possibility and as of now, it’s simply unrealistic. There aren’t any smaller-scale solutions that wouldn’t take years, several steps and attempts, or a social uprising. Another weakness of the theory is that are aren’t any concrete factors specified that harbor criminality that are caused by

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