If an upper-middle-class, white college student is sentenced to rehab for the same drug crime that a lower-class, black man is sentenced to jail for committing, what might a conflict theorist conclude about deviance?

A. Differential levels of punishment are functional, as they keep the most productive members of society out of jail.
B. We need to punish criminals from the lower class more harshly, as they are more likely to re-offend.
C. The two criminals probably had very different motives for committing their crimes, and this explains the difference in punishment.
D. The rules are applied unequally, and those with power or influence are punished much less harshly.
E. The system makes occasional errors, but most of the time, everyone is treated equally.

D. The rules are applied unequally, and those with power or influence are punished much less harshly

Explanation:

This is a form of marginalization against the lower-class black man in the above situation, even though the crimes committed by both are supposed to be of same punishment. In a study of what is called utilitarian, punishment can be beneficial in any or all of the following ways: general deterrence, special deterrence, rehabilitation, and incarceration. General deterrence refers to the belief that the threat of punishment has a deterrent effect on other members of the society. Although this is difficult to show empirically, there does seem to be some truth to the claim that rational beings who wish to avoid punishment and perceive a threat of punishment as associated with committing crimes will have some motivation to avoid committing crimes. The argument that punishment deters generally relies on a perceived threat of punishment; for punishment to deter generally prospective offenders must believe that they are likely to be punished if they break the law.

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