Crime and Society Assessment: Social and Environmental Harm Report

This report, prepared for a Crime and Society module, delves into the critical issues of social and environmental harm. It begins by defining these harms, providing examples such as air pollution and social inequalities stemming from racism and sexism. The report then applies the social constructivist theory of crime to explain how human interactions and the construction of social reality contribute to these harms. It further outlines the role of criminal justice in responding to these issues, emphasizing policy-oriented practices and community engagement. The analysis also addresses the challenges faced by the criminal justice system, including difficulties in policy development, the monitoring of interpersonal crime, and the limitations of legal regimes in reducing harm. The report concludes with a bibliography of secondary sources including books and journal articles.

RUNNING HEAD: CRIME AND SOCIETY 0
Crime and Society
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3-3-2020

CRIME AND SOCIETY 1
Social and Environmental Harm
Social and environmental harm can be addressed as serious issues which can impact the
society as a whole. Environmental harm refers to the changes in the atmosphere permanently
and temporarily which can take place as a result of the human activities and behaviour. This
might have impact which can be either reversable or irreversible. Environmental harm can
lead to ecological imbalance and can also lead to the uncertain changes in the atmosphere and
their impact on the changes in the environment. Besides, social harm is regarded as the
uncertainties that can arise at the workplace which can impact the communities. Social harm
can also be treated as the topic of debates within the criminology that essentially focuses on
the individual acts of harm1. This can be seen as the result of the behaviour such as racist,
sexist and the criminal behaviour of the individual. This can be regarded as the social
problem affecting the society.
The example of environmental harm can be seen from the emission into the air which can be
caused from the variety of human activities such as construction. This air emission can
reduce the air quality due to the harmful pollutants and is often an environmental harm. There
are other sources as well such as fugitive sources from which the air quality can get impacted.
The example of social harm can be seen from the violence such as racism and sexism as it
makes differences in the society through making differences in the colour and the gender of
the individual2. This is considered as social harm as it divides the society and often lead to
social inequality.
1 Simon Pemberton, Harmful Societies (Policy Press 2016).
2 Alyssa N. Zucker, Caroline C. Fitz and Laina Y. Bay-Cheng, 'Reverberations Of Racism And Sexism Through The
Subjective Sexualities Of Undergraduate Women Of Color' (2015) 53 The Journal of Sex Research.

CRIME AND SOCIETY 2
Criminological Theory for Social and Environmental Harm
Criminological theory explains the certain behaviour or psychological conditions of humans
which guides the actions of the individual for committing the crime and violating the rules of
the society. Social constructivists theory of crime can be explained from this perspective in
which the individual undertakes the criminal activity as a result of the social interactions of
the individual and the social reality of the person3. As a whole, the social construct theory of
crime demonstrates that the person undertakes the actions as a consequence of the social
reality in the people see themselves and constructing their social behaviour.
For the understanding of the social and environmental harm can be explained by the social
construct theory of criminology. In case of social and environmental harms can arise when
one makes the interactions and also constructs the reality of the person build through the
human relationships. The example of emissions of air as the environmental issue can be
understood by the social construct theory in which the particular human behaviour can lead to
the human activities. These human activities are constructed as the environmental harm
causing the air pollution which is the environmental issue4. Further, the social issue of sexism
and racism which can be understood from the social construct theory of crime. This social
inequality is the social harm as it taking place due to the human interactions and the
constructivism drawn from the social connections of the individual.
3 T. Johnston, 'Synthesizing Structure And Agency: A Developmental Framework Of Bourdieu's Constructivist
Structuralism Theory' (2016) 8 Journal of Theoretical & Philosophical Criminology.
4 Patrik Sörqvist and Linda Langeborg, 'Why People Harm The Environment Although They Try To Treat It Well:
An Evolutionary-Cognitive Perspective On Climate Compensation' (2019) 10 Frontiers in Psychology.

CRIME AND SOCIETY 3
Criminal Justice in Response to Social and Environmental
Harm
Criminal justice can provide the protection against the social and environmental harm to be
caused due to the human activities being caused. Particularly, criminal justice seeks to
undertake the policy-oriented practices which can eradicate the harmful and illegal
behaviour5. The criminal justice is undertaken by the help of the developing of proper
mechanism for the community engagement in which the clean-up activities and researching
for the legal issues pertaining to the social and environmental harm. Further, criminal justice
can be seen from the addressing of the social and environmental issues for the increased
public interest. Criminal justice works as a result of the tackling of the environmental issues
through the sufficient resources and addressing the social issues through the policies and
development of criminal laws which can reduce the social harm within the society. For the
environmental sustainability ‘Green Justice’ is seen as the common approach through the
environmental conservatism initiatives which is related with the criminal justice
counterparts6. Besides, social harms are caused as a result of the human activities which can
be managed through the policy centric approach which can lead to the more legal activities
and protect the inequalities in society.
Issues with Criminal Justice in Response to Social and
Environmental Harm
As criminal justice involves the significant ways by which the justice system can provide
protection from the environmental and social harm, there are various issues related with the
5 Angus Nurse, 'Green Criminology: Shining A Critical Lens On Environmental Harm' (2017) 3 Palgrave
Communications.
6 Rob White and Hannah Graham, 'Greening Justice: Examining The Interfaces Of Criminal, Social And
Ecological Justice' (2015) 55 British Journal of Criminology.

CRIME AND SOCIETY 4
criminal justice system. The issues can be faced in the form of development of the policy by
the justice agencies which are engaged in the making of policy for the reduction of the
environmental issues. Also, the issues are faced by the social regulatory bodies in the making
of the social justice laws. Besides, green criminologist face difficulty in the criminal justice
system that stresses upon the monitoring of interpersonal crime caused as a result of the
social harm7. Also, the relationship between the crime and the environment is concerned to be
environmental justice perspective which can be the major issue for the criminal justice.
Further, there are issues with the criminal justice in the addressing of the environmental and
the social issues. Moreover, the legal regimes are made for the reduction of the harm, there
are difficulties faced by the social and environmental legal bodies which reduces the negative
consequences of the social harm. Further, the difficulties in the development of the legal-
procedural approach can be seen from the legal laws which are being set for the protection
against the environmental and the social issues8. Further, investigations made for the
addressing of the issues through the crime prevention methods which can later be developed
and made the possibility of social harm decline.
7 Rob White and Hannah Graham, 'Greening Justice: Examining The Interfaces Of Criminal, Social And
Ecological Justice' (2015) 55 British Journal of Criminology.
8 Avi Brisman and Nigel South, 'Green Criminology And Environmental Crimes And Harms' (2018) 13 Sociology
Compass.

CRIME AND SOCIETY 5
Bibliography
Secondary Sources
Book
Pemberton S, Harmful societies: Understanding social harm (Policy Press 2016)
Journal Articles
Brisman A, and South N, 'Green Criminology And Environmental Crimes And Harms'
(2018) 13 Sociology Compass
Johnston T, 'Synthesizing Structure And Agency: A Developmental Framework Of
Bourdieu's Constructivist Structuralism Theory' (2016) 8 Journal of Theoretical &
Philosophical Criminology
Nurse A, 'Green Criminology: Shining A Critical Lens On Environmental Harm' (2017) 3
Palgrave Communications
Sörqvist P, and Langeborg L, 'Why People Harm The Environment Although They Try To
Treat It Well: An Evolutionary-Cognitive Perspective On Climate Compensation' (2019) 10
Frontiers in Psychology
White R, and Graham H, 'Greening Justice: Examining The Interfaces Of Criminal, Social
And Ecological Justice' (2015) 55 British Journal of Criminology
Zucker A, Fitz C, and Bay-Cheng L, 'Reverberations Of Racism And Sexism Through The
Subjective Sexualities Of Undergraduate Women Of Color' (2015) 53 The Journal of Sex
Research