Final answer:
Critical, radical, and conflict criminologists argue that the high crime rate in the United States is a result of economic inequality, the higher rate of women committing crimes compared to other societies, and the lack of investment in the criminal justice system.
Step-by-step explanation:
Critical, radical, and conflict criminologists would argue that the United States has a high crime rate because of several factors:
- Compared with other western industrial nations, the United States has a high degree of economic inequality between the rich and the poor. Economic disparities can contribute to higher crime rates as individuals facing poverty may resort to criminal activities as a means of survival or in response to feelings of injustice.
- More women in the United States commit crime than in other societies, thus increasing the overall rate of crime in America. The reasons behind this disparity are complex and can be attributed to social, economic, and cultural factors.
- The unwillingness of the ruling class to use their tax dollars to build more prisons and lock up criminals. Some criminologists argue that a lack of investment in the criminal justice system, including the construction of more prisons, contributes to the high crime rate in the United States.