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LAW AS A TOOL OF OPPRESSION
Controlled by the power elite
Training Handout
The conflict perspective sees law (enforcement officers, laws, courts, prisons, parole departments, the whole system) as a means for the elite to maintain their position of power, prestige and property, and to keep the poor people poor.
The conflict perspective sees that power is maintained largely by elite white, wealthy males. These individuals
work carefully, often in a hidden manner, to ensure that their interests
are represented in government. For the most part, they identify with
the power centres and executives of the corporate community, and support
the corporate culture. They are called the "Power Elite."
The working class pose a threat to the privilege and the power that the elite control, which is why there
are many arrests of those who step out of line. People are arrested
at rates that reflect their social class; a street person would more likely
be arrested than a wealthy person. First Nations persons are arrested
at a much higher rate than mainstream persons.
Much of the media is controlled by powerful and wealthy people, through corporate ownership. To a large
extent, they control what is seen by the public, which means that they
can withhold specific information or make bad news sound good or neutral,
by spin doctoring or "newspeak."
Crimes committed by the powerful are often left unnoticed because they generally have the money to pay off
the people who know their secrets, or hold enough power for them to commit
crimes without people noticing.
Footnote:
If you are a member of a visible minority, and a successful dentist, who
likes to drive an expensive sports car, be prepared to be stopped often
by police who may assume you are a drug dealer. Members of mainstream society,
however, are resistant to the idea that racism is practised in our society.
See notes on the Vertical
Mosaic.
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