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Criminal Environment and Support for the Law

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 2024

John E. Conklin
John E. Conklin*
Affiliation:
Tufts University
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Extract

The question of who supports the law is commonly approached within a framework of social stratification analysis. Pressure to pass certain laws and willingness to assist the agents of law enforcement are often related to social status and political power. Marx and Engels (1947) were among the first to see the law and support for the law in terms of the interests of various groups in the stratification system, arguing that the law is a tool employed by the bourgeoisie to oppress and exploit the proletariat. In another historical study, Ranulf (1964) concluded that the “distinterested tendency to inflict punishment” is concentrated in the petty bourgeoisie or lower-middle class, suggesting that it is in that level of the social hierarchy where one will find the greatest support for the law, or at least the punitive aspects of the law. Not too different from this is the conclusion reached by Marshall (1968) which is that middle-class values have long been critical in determining what types of social behavior will be labeled criminal.

Type
Research Article
Information
Law & Society Review , Volume 6 , Issue 2: Special Issue on the Police , November 1971 , pp. 247 - 265
Copyright
Copyright © 1971 by the Law and Society Association.

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Footnotes

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This article is adapted from sections of John E. Conklin, Public Reactions to Crime: A Survey of Two Communities, unpublished doctoral dissertation, Harvard University, 1969. I would like to thank Ann Richardson, David J. Armor, and Lloyd E. Ohlin for their assistance in preparing this paper.

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