Criminal Justice Practices: Article Analysis

1. In this chapter, Garland focuses on the changing economic, political, and social conditions of late modernity to explain the shifts in crime control and criminal justice practices after the breakdown of the Penal-Welfare State. One major transformation of economic conditions is the shift into a consumer-based economy, where many minorities and low-wage workers began to feel massive economic instability because jobs became scarce and income inequality became more widespread. Through the introduction of the mass media and the television, society has become warier of government institutions as the media is now able to pry into their secrets. The social and cultural changes affected the criminal justice system in that society became more prone
to crime as the opportunities for criminality increased and the informal social controls decreased and policing became reactionary, which is where the police simply respond to crime.
2. The concept that I am having the most difficult time understanding is exactly how the meanings of “delinquent” and “crime” shifted with respect to the changing social and cultural conditions of late modernity. Garland states that these definitions were “less absolute in their moral force”, but I am still confused on this transformation.
3. Over the past few years, there have been many videos posted on social media documenting instances of police brutality towards minorities, especially African Americans. These videos have also sparked several movements, such as Black Lives Matter, advocating for equal protection and treatment under the law. What consequences have these videos had on crime control policy and how will this affect the criminal justice system in the long-run?