Sociological Theories the Adfc Program Research Paper

The criminal justice system, according to Karl Marx, is thought to work for the rich while the resulting policies are more concerned with controlling the poor. Seigel and Welsh state that, "conflict theorists observe that while spending has been cut on social programs during the past few years, spending on the prison systems has skyrocketed." This leads to the conclusion that when there is a disparity between police and public and the rich and the poor, the conflict creates or influences antisocial or deviant behavior ( ).

The Secure Communities program exists in certain states and is a Department of Homeland Security initiative, which aims to identify and remove criminal aliens. Law enforcement officials in certain states will fingerprint every person booked into jail and those fingerprints will be run through Homeland Security's national database to check for illegal immigrant status. Morton believes the program could transform the face of immigration enforcement (Reavy 2010). This program is a prime example of social conflict theory. The program is controversial in that in states like Arizona, the law gives police the right to ask residents about their immigration status and orders that they must carry proof that they are in the United States legally. Many people believe that this initiative is going to encourage racial profiling, criminalizing immigrants in the process. The initiative makes one wonder if the law is just an excuse to deport people, using tactics that go against a person's civil rights.

References

Reavy, Pat. (2010) "Program aids to better identify illegal immigrants." Deseret News.

Retrieved on May 20, 2010, from the Website:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20100401/ai_n53004413/?tag=rel.

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Seigel, Larry J. (2008) Criminology. Wadsworth Publishing; 10th edition.

Seigel, Larry J. & Welsh, Brandon C. (2008) Juvenile delinquency: Theory, practice, and law. Wadsworth Publishing; 10th…