Author Question: What are the most common characteristics shared by the American prison population? What will be ... (Read 68 times)

MirandaLo · **on:** Jul 2, 2018

What are the most common characteristics shared by the American prison population?

What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Discuss how conflict theorists explain deviance.

What will be an ideal response?

Bison · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 2, 2018

Answer to Question 1

(1 ) Most prisoner inmates are young men, under age 35.
(2 ) Almost 40 percent of all prison inmates are African Americans.
(3 ) Most prison inmates are single.
(4 ) More than 90 percent of all prison inmates are male.
(5 ) Most prison inmates do not have a college education.

Answer to Question 2

Conflict theorists take the position that the group in power ensures that its definitions of deviance are those that are accepted by mainstream society. Conflict theorists maintain that the law is an instrument of oppression and exploitation. The law is used to maintain the privilege of the few over the many. Because the marginal working class have little income and are desperate, they commit highly visible property crimes. The elites manipulate the criminal justice system and use it to punish the crimes of the poor and divert their own criminal activities away from this punitive system.