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Preferred term

social class  

Definition

  • Social class status has a pervasive influence on the criminal justice system and on both offenders' and victims' experiences with the system. The criminal justice system devotes much of its resources to controlling and punishing individuals of low socioeconomic status—a status indicated by variables such as unemployment, homelessness, and educational achievement—who have committed so-called street crimes. [Source: Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment; Social Class]

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URI

https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/social_class

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