Radical Theory shows the relationship between crime and law by which the affluent community in the society use their power in relation to the law in order to rule over the poor or less fortunate section of the society.
Radical Criminology has been highly criticized as it fails to take other existing reasons for the existence of crime. It also fails to elaborate on the crime rate being low in some of the capitalist nations given the fact that radical theory believes capitalism is always a source of crime. Moreover, there are a lot of countries that have succeeded in overthrowing capitalism and yet face a high rate of crime.
CHARACTERISTIC, ORIGIN, DEVELOPMENT
Characteristics
1. Radical theory is connected to conflict criminology where it focuses on the Marxist theory and the ruling class.
2. Radical criminology must be anti-statist and anti-capitalist. It must not succumb to the myth, as libertarians do, that there is an opposition between capitalism and the state.
3. It considers that the ruling class uses crime as a tool to subjugate the lower class.
4. It is not supported by any of the policies of the government.
5. It rejects all the theories of crimes including psychological and biological theory as it analyses all groups of people and might label some of them as criminals.
6. It should identify exploitation of labour and stand up with the laws that fight against anti- vagrancy acts and prison workhouse.
ORIGIN
Radical criminology comes from Instrumental Marxism, a form of Marxism. In the 1960s in the United States of America, it became really popular during the Civil Rights Movement and Anti-War Movement. A different group of masses started to protest against the economical and social inequality that the lower class was going through, thus creating awareness not only within the country but all over the world. “In 1990 the Division of Critical Criminology was recognized by the American Society of Criminology, which solidified radical criminology as a legit theory.”
DEVELOPMENT
A group of abolitionists and anarchists connected with the criminology department at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (a Critical Criminology Working Group). Anti-capitalist advice has been given in order to get rid of this kind of radical crime. It has also been published in various journals so that people would get to know about it.
CONCLUSION
Radical criminology is not simply a project of critique but is geared toward a praxis of struggle, insurgence, and practical resistance. It is a criminology of direct action.
