Social Inequality, Crime, and Deviance

This chapter examines the role of social inequality in crime and deviance by specifying a social psychological theory of the causal mechanisms by which inequality is associated with crime. We begin by noting that the powerful have more input into the content of criminal law, a point illustrated by the relatively soft penalties for white collar and corporate crimes compared to the harsh penalties for street crimes typically committed by the less powerful. We then draw on pragmatist social thought and criminological theory to provide an integrated social psychological explanation that helps explain how social inequality may produce high rates of crime. We apply this perspective to explain crime rates across neighborhoods and communities, as well as crime across the life course. We end with a discussion of the consequences of mass incarceration for reproducing social inequality in the United States.