Question

Cocaine in its powder form is expensive, and its typical user is affluent and white. Crack cocaine is cheap, and its typical user is poor and a minority. Prison sentences for possession of crack are much longer than those for possession of powder cocaine. How would a conflict theorist explain this?

Answer 1

Conflict theory centers on the economical and social factors that can cause crime and the inequality that comes from it.

Step-by-step explanation:

Conflict theorists suggest that these factors have a correlation between race and wealth. They center on the idea that those with power and money can influence what affects them and can even influence the law to their favor.

In this case, the difference in the sentence for possession of cocaine or crack cocaine is the example of an unequal system.

Since the users of cocaine are typically more affluent and white, they have their means and hold the power for bending the law in their favor and reducing the sentence for possession. Unlike them, crack cocaine users tend to have less means and are generally a minority so they cannot bend the law in their favor.