Social Constructions of Crime and Justice
All values and realities are experienced or learned. The construction of values and individual perspectives are often socially constructed, that is the various social institutions in operation affirm and reaffirm ideologies, values, and realities they choose to maintain. This can be in terms of tradition and religion, such as the work ethos of the Protestant tradition, or it can be in terms of other institutions with more specific and exclusionary purposes. For example, the criminal justice system adheres to racial profiling as a means of efficient resource distribution. Targeting young African American males in this manner may be statistically valid in sheer terms of economics, but it also fosters a perception among the mainstream public that all young African American males have criminal intent. Such policies are limited and may cause more harm to innocent young African American males than good to the public. However, in modern society the social construction of values and perceptions is difficult to undermine. Legal, religious, political, educational, the media and other institutions foster and reinforce values and perceptions. As such, with respect to crime our impressions and values are often heavily influenced by these institutions. We can see this concept in operation if we look at the recent arrest of actor Robert Blake for the alleged murder of his wife, Bonny Blake-Bakely.
Bonny Blake-Bakely was fatally shot in the head while her husband allegedly returned to the restaurant where they had just finished dining, ironically to retrieve the left behind handgun he carried to protect his wife. After a year of widespread media scrutiny and intense law enforcement investigation, Blake was arrested April 19, 2002, charged with murder and solicitation of murder. Within this case we see three very powerful social institutions that help construct the reality of crime and justice:...