Nils Christie Conflicts As Property Summary

The Canadian legal system has become less concerned with the victim, its focus is no longer on who is affected by the crime. The Crown is not responsible for the victim’s justice and at times his/her satisfaction is ignored. In the article “Conflicts as Property” by Nils Christie, speaks about the impact that individuals have in the legal system. Christie believes that conflicts are seen as a natural characteristic in a society, and that industrialized societies don’t have much conflict. He says, with the growth of population people loss their freedoms. Conflicts are hidden and these important issues are overlooked by the everyday person without even realizing it. Christie believes, we need a process where the original parties can practice
This is the only way to have a fair and most importantly a resolution to the conflict. This system is the perhaps the best solution we have currently. Christie says that these aspects as in the people, their freedoms are stolen by the law and people no longer have their own rights. Christie brings up the idea that conflicts are transformed into an offence against the state, rather than against the individual who was the victim of the crime. The individual who committed the crime. “The key element in a criminal proceeding is that the proceeding is converted from something between the concrete parties and into a conflict between one of the parties and the state” (Christie pg. 11). He also views the judiciary system and lawyers as “Professional Thieves.” Individuals who only have their interests in mind because of their job. He says, that lawyers are very good at stealing conflicts, lawyers are trained to manipulate the law to the best of their ability. Lawyers instead pick out key ideas that one may think are irrelevant and use them towards their argument. Christie used the example of a case that took place after the