ABSTRACT
Most theories of crime and deviance assume a level of consensus amongst individual members of society in order to function. For example, it may not be in my own personal interest to stop for a red light, but I have agreed to do so in a social contract with other citizens so that when I have a green light, I can drive through an intersection safely. Conflict theorists take a different approach to this view – they view society, and therefore law, as created by the ruling class for their own interests. That means the values of the ruling class are the impetus behind the passage of any laws. In this chapter, different forms of conflict theories, to include Marxist (Bonger), legal realism (Chambliss), peacemaking (Quinney), radical/new criminology (Taylor, Walton & Young), and the behavior of law (Black) are all discussed. While these theories are all somewhat different, they all use a conflict approach to power as the backdrop for their explanations of deviant behavior.
