Review Summary
Main points
In the criminal review article: “Cumulative Disadvantage in the American Criminal Justice System,” the authors Megan, Kurlychek & Brian, Johnson outline three main points; first of all, the theoretical roots of cumulative disadvantage; secondly, its unfolding over the life course, and lastly, its ultimate role in impacting treatment in the American justice system. Concerning the first point, theoretically, the cumulative disadvantage process encompasses the collective impact of a specific form of disadvantage over time and the accumulation of multiple, interactive ways of difficulty, both within and across time points (Megan and Brian 292). This is the general idea from a wide range of social-science scholars, although it is yet to be developed extensively concerning the criminal justice system.
The second point on this criminal review is the unfolding of cumulative disadvantage over the life course. Primarily, the social, environmental, and personal factors are the core determinants that have direct or indirect impacts on social control and crime. This perspective is vital because it borrows fundamental elements like turning points and trajectories. Then, they are applied to the treatment within the justice system, which is critical because it helps in understanding cumulative disadvantage through the developmental process. For instance, trajectories determine an individual’s life direction at the early stages of development.
The last point of the review is the ultimate role of cumulative disadvantage in impacting treatment within the American justice system. Although a wide range of cumulative advantage theory insists on the importance of contact with the criminal justice system, there are limited discussions concerning the various processes that could lead to a cumulative disadvantage in the justice system. However, crucial decision points the justice system can alter the case-processing trajectory in ways that produce accumulated disparities across sequential steps in the punishment process (Megan and Brian 292). From this perspective, cumulative disadvantage involves the discriminatory treatment impacts that occur over time, within the criminal justice system.
Support studies
Concerning the first point the theoretical roots of cumulative disadvantage, the authors carried collected literature supports studies from Merton (1968). From the research, the increasing problem is the sequential growth in unequal features that increase the pre-existing differences between people (Megan and Brian 292). This is quite different from fundamental inequality because it insists on growing disparities as time goes by. Through this time, the prior levels of disadvantage are the primary determinants of future life. All in all, the fundamental ideology is that the relative position of a person diverges as a preferable treatment or other social aspects and accumulates differently.
The authors carried out studies to support the second point on the developmental process of the cumulative disadvantage. From the research, Sampson & Laub (1997) propose that the idea of increasing problem draws on a dynamic conceptualization of social control over the life course integrated with the one theoretical perspective in criminology that is inherently developmental—labeling theory (Megan and Brian 292). From the best works on the labeling theory, social influences on the primary deviance could result in secondary deviance since it causes social adjustment challenges. All in all, common reactions to deviance start in the early stages of life and grow, thereby leading to cumulative disadvantage.
The last point is the ultimate role of cumulative disadvantage in impacting treatment within the American justice system. For extensive understanding, the authors carried out support studies from Black (1976), which said that punishments come from complex gathering processes from various experiences at the expense of a specific group of people. In other words, the legal decision-making systematically favors politically influential members of society and disadvantaged members of the lower social classes (Megan and Brian 296). In summary, the social distance actors increase with the increase in the process of the law.
New Terms
Cumulative Disadvantage
Cumulative disadvantage encompasses the cumulative impact of a specific form of difficulty overtime or the accumulation of multiple, interactive ways of problem, both within and across time points (Megan and Brian 292). What is more, punishments come as a result of complex gathering process from various experiences at the expense of a particular group of people. In other words, the legal decision-making systematically favors politically influential members of society and disadvantaged members of the lower social classes. For these reasons, extensive research on sources of cumulative disadvantage is timely and fundamental in contemporary America.
Criminal Justice
This is one of the new terms from the criminal review. It means the act of giving justice to the committers of a crime. The primary purpose of criminal justice is to prevent the occurrence of other criminal events in the future; secondly, it ensures the victims are morally supported in the fact of a negative experience. Lastly, it is usually meant to rehabilitate and change offenders. The police, the prosecution, and the prisons are the primary institutions that support the criminal justice system. There is an extensive number of cases in the United States concerning racial discrimination within the justice system. For these and other reasons, extensive research on sources of cumulative disadvantage is timely and fundamental in contemporary America.
Proposed Actions
Despite the extensive amounts of research on unequal treatment and punishment, criminological studies involving cumulative disadvantage are not sufficient. Consequently, the limited clarity meaning theoretical mechanisms makes it is challenging to understand whether the aspects of social disparities influence increasing problem in the criminal justice system. What is more, it is quite challenging to separate the outcomes of prior treatment in the system sources of unmeasured heterogeneity that may lead to differential outcomes (Megan and Brian 296). As a solution to these challenges, social science scholars and the policy-makers should combine efforts in finding, improving, and utilizing the sources of data on cumulative disadvantages. In the United States, the National Research Council was given the responsibility of carrying out studies on criminal punishment, followed by preferable recommendations. As a result, the council proposed that the sufficient understanding of cumulative disadvantage comes from longitudinal data of individualistic experience within the criminal justice system.
Secondly, the cumulative understanding disadvantage comes from both defining the nature and magnitude of discrimination at specific points and throughout the entire process (Megan and Brian 310). In other words, policy-makers and researchers need to double their efforts; in a bid to ensure that there is a higher level of investigation within a wide range of cumulative disadvantage sources. Secondly, there should be deeper thinking and studies concerning casual pathways and processes across the whole criminal justice system. And lastly, the development of alternative statistical models to better capture the potential forms of cumulative disadvantage over time (Megan and Brian 310).
Finding the best solution to these challenges is essential because the full range of social inequalities exist. After all, the justice system promotes them. For instance, the number of people in prisons has increased in the United States. What is more, there are more African Americans in jail than their white counterparts. Also, the young minority populations from poor backgrounds are likely to end up in prison than college. Even in prisons, racial minorities are more likely to be involved in violence, either as a victim or an offender. Although there are apparent racial differences in criminal behavior and arrest rates, especially for crimes of violence, research suggests these differences only partially account for stark racial disproportional ties in prison populations (Megan and Brian 311). For these and other reasons, extensive research on sources of cumulative disadvantage is timely and fundamental in contemporary America.
Work cited
Megan, Kurlychek & Brian, Johnson. Cumulative Disadvantage in the American Criminal Justice System. Annual Review of Criminology. Annu. Rev. Criminol. 2019. 2:291–319