Final answer:
Pragmatic tolerance involves respecting various viewpoints, but this can lead to conflicts where strategic support, powered by political influence, resolves disputes. In public criminology, decisions on crime prevention and criminal justice are shaped by societal values, political motives, and the balance between punitive and rehabilitative ideologies.
Step-by-step explanation:
The relationship between pragmatic tolerance, strategic support, and public criminology intersects at the crossroads of truth, conflicts, and power. Pragmatic tolerance suggests a willingness to acknowledge and respect diverse opinions, including those with which one disagrees. However, this tolerance can be challenged by inherent conflicts and contradictions, such as cases where tolerance itself may be deemed wrong by some, rendering it both good and bad under certain philosophical lenses. In situations where disputes arise, strategic support often manifests in the form of political power to resolve these disputes, highlighting that knowledge itself is deeply intertwined with who holds power.
Public criminology is concerned with the ways society understands, controls, and prevents crime, a process that depends heavily on societal norms and values. It often involves weighing the costs and benefits of certain actions, like speeding versus public safety, and assessing the socio-legal apparatus in terms of its social efficacy and moral justification. Decisions in criminal justice and crime prevention are frequently swayed by political motives, whether to maintain the status quo or for personal gain.
In the context of public policy development, various players such as political parties, interest groups, the media, and individuals all exert influence. These actors may employ a combination of pragmatic tolerance for divergent viewpoints and strategic support to shape the policies that govern criminal justice and the wider social order. The geography of punishment, another key aspect of public criminology, reflects societal preferences for punitive versus rehabilitative approaches to crime prevention.