ABSTRACT
Conflict and radical theories sought to explain crime and criminal behaviour in terms of the unequal nature of the socio-political structure of society. At the macro level, conflicts occur between two different societal cultures and can arise because of border conflicts, territorial extension or, most typically, through migration. For the later radical criminologists, much of early conflict theory, while accepting the inevitability of social conflict, was still seen as essentially conservative and complacent about the possibility of conflict leading to more successful social integration. Radical theories – like their conflict predecessors – encompass a broad range of ideas. Peacemaking criminologists should also study the institutions that comprise the social structure with attention directed to the systems of court administration, law enforcement and the penal system. Peacemaking criminology has the responsibility to engage in only ethical research, committed to the principles of confidentiality and non-violence.
