The Construction of the Concept of the Criminal in Capitalist Society: a Debate for Social Work

Abstract

Violence, in some form, has always been present in human history, assuming different characteristics in different social and economic contexts. It is the focus of the subject discussed in this article1, above all in contemporary urban capitalist society. Based on a history of criminal law, this paper analyzes the central place of the concept of the criminal during the history of modern society. Based on the observed data the article reflects on the eruption of individual violence in detriment to other forms of violence present in the capitalist social order. It examines how the processes of criminalization and social control employed by the state apparatus elect a common enemy to be combated: the delinquent. Supported by critical criminology theory, it discusses the contributions of these ideas to Social Work and how social workers can use them in their education and professional activity.