Assignment task:
Which of the sociological perspectives would you use to understand crime and the criminal justice system in America? That is, based on your own experience and knowledge, should we look at crime in America (and our community) with a Functionalist lens, and focus on the "strains" in America that lead some people into crime and deviance? Or would you adopt a Symbolic Interactionist lens, and focus on the ways deviance is labeled, and learned, and constructed through people's performances? Would you instead turn your attention, like a Conflict Theorist would, to our legal system, and the ways it tends to criminalize the poor and powerless, thereby protecting the privileges of the powerful? Or perhaps you would draw bits and pieces from several perspectives?
In thinking about this, and posting your response, can you also point to specific examples of crime that you have experienced or know about, in order to support your points?
After posting your response to this discussion, please comment on at least three other responses. Do you agree or disagree with your classmates? Why or Why not?