Dr. Günther Grewe
+49 89 2351 3218 ab 15 Uhr
+1 914 816 1115
Grewe@WP-RA-usa.com
Grewe@WP-RA-usa.com

„Games for Criminal Status“

Justice as Order through Structured Social Inequality

The concept of „Games for Criminal Status“ explores how social inequality shapes the behavior and perception of individuals in society. The study suggests that relative social status influences how the actions of high-status individuals are perceived, where „saintly behavior“ can appear as „deviant behavior“ for a lower-status person. The study introduces a model based on game theory to illustrate the processes that lead to the differential distribution of immunity in society through status degradation ceremonies, which are games with criminal status as the grand prize.

This model challenges the traditional view of criminology as the study of a marginal group and instead presents it as part of social science and the study of social differentiation. The model highlights the phenomenon of marginality and its ubiquity, scarcity, and relativity in any social structure. The study emphasizes that removing someone from a marginal position can push another person into that position, and these processes could be socially engineered and misused.

The author, a sociologist, uses symbolic interactionist modeling and simulations from game theory to illustrate the interdependence of behavior and status. The study suggests that a new understanding of justice and criminal justice can be achieved by developing the labeling approach into a theory, which can be used to derive hypotheses for empirical investigation and validation.

Previously, the author published a study on the possibilities and limitations of regulating social behavior through law and law enforcement, titled „Straßenverkehrsdelinquenz und Marginalität“ (Lang: 1978).

Dr. Günther Grewe – New York – München – www.WP-RA-usa.de

Grewe, Günther – Games for Criminal Status: Justice as Order through Structured Social Inequality – Frankfurt am Main, Bern, Las Vegas: Lang, 1979 – (European University Papers: Series 2, Law; Bd. 210) ISBN 3-8204-6480-8
(Download PDF Version or Microsoft Word Version)

To read the full version, click hier.

Grewe, Günther – Straßenverkehrsdelinquenz und Marginalität: Untersuchungen zur institutionellen Regelung von Verhalten – Frankfurt am Main, Bern, Las Vegas: Lang, 1978 – (Frankfurter kriminalwissenschaftliche Studien, Bd. 4) – ISBN 3-261-02625-1
(Download PDF Version or Microsoft Word Version)

To read the full version, click hier.