What Is The Importance Of Social Conflict Theory

For anything to function smoothly and efficiently, it must follow a set of guidelines or have some sense of direction. For example, a machine would not work properly if its gears and levers didn’t all have a specific movement and purpose. The United States runs on the same principle; without some form of overall guidelines, such as laws for people to follow, our country would fall apart. Laws, however, are useless if people don 't follow them. Thus, bringing about the criminal justice system. The United States Criminal Justice System is society 's formal system of social control, an organization that response to criminal deviance and stands as a symbol to citizens the importance of following the laws and the inevitable consequences of breaking laws.
Jeffrey H. Reiman, author of The Rich Get Richer and The Poor Get Prison, makes a convincing argument that “the criminal justice systems real goal is the very reverse of its inevitable,” meaning the criminal justice system initially supports criminal behavior, or at the very least, is doing little to make any serious efforts in putting an end to criminal behavior among the poor communities. …show more content…
The first being that our societies laws and norms typically mirror the interest of the upper class. Therefore, people who threaten their way of life, are categorized as deviant. Second, because the rich and powerful have access to resources beyond that of the lower class, they have the ability to escape from being held accountable for their crimes. Last but not least, the social conflict theory states that “having a believe that norms and laws are natural and good mask their political character.” The fact that people believe it 's simply a way of living now and forever result in people being less likely to question whether the laws set in place really help the greater