Inequalities of crime

Abstract

A key element in any analysis of inequality and crime is the role of social structures in influencing criminality. Put simply, social structures, regardless of whether they are economic (capitalism), tendered (patriarchy) or ethnically (colonialism) derived, shape crime. Criminological research, expanding on this view, has tended to draw on the social sciences, namely sociology and economics. The enduring appeal of inequality in explaining crime owes something to the ideals of modern criminal justice systems. The notion of the "rule of law" implies a universal application of justice, holding that people should be treated alike, regardless of their class, gender or ethnic background. Indeed, as an ideology, equality has been viewed as a broadly desirable quality to promote in liberal democratic societies. On a national level, the pervasiveness of the ideology of egalitarianism in Australian society has directed attention to all areas of social life marked by inequality, including criminal justice. Left realist and critical traditions of criminology have been highly influential in Australian criminology - a discipline which expanded rapidly in what has been termed the "radical era" of the 1970s and early 1980s (White 2008: 30). The link between offending and social inequality is well supported by empirical evidence. In this chapter we propose this link involves a complex interaction of multiple forms of inequality, mediated by features of social exclusion, such as lack of educational and employment opportunities, neighbourhood disorder, and access to resources.