d the position of the upper class by any legal means necessary. Conflict theorists seriously contradict the long-held presumption that the American system of law and justice is humane and fair to all citizens. (Senna, page 228)Conflict theorists view the concept of juvenile delinquency to be created by and for the greater good of the capitalist society. Delinquency is a normal response by youth to the social conditions and controls placed upon them by the system. The roots of juvenile delinquency can be traced to nineteenth-century efforts of powerful and wealthy citizens to control the behavior of weak youths.Social control agencies such as the family and the schools prepare youth for placement in the capitalistic system, by giving them behavior models that help them conform to job expectations. The capitalist state fails to control delinquents, because it is in the states best interest to have a large number of deviant youths. These youths later are used to work in low paying jobs that no one else wants, thus maintaining and underclass of cheap labor that will produce quality goods and services for the upper-class.The lower-class often form gangs as a means to survive in a system that offers no other alternatives for them to reach the American dream. Other classes in stable areas commit crime because the economic system excludes them from advancement. The middle-class youth also face problems such as alienation of individuals, the competitive struggle, and the absence of human feelings, all of which are aspects of capitalism, contribute to middle-class delinquency.Thus, conflict theory can be used to show not only do the poor commit crimes, but also that the so called privileged fall into patterns of criminal activity due to some of the same capitalistic pressures.Many critics of social theory feel that it lack empirical verification and have been historical and theoretical. When Marxist theories of deviance are tested they lack the ...
