8.1 Introduction

This chapter examines sociological approaches to the study of crime. Sociological theories of crime help us understand why some drug use is stigmatised while other use is not, why crime is over- and under-represented across social groups, and what alternatives may exist to the individualistic punishment models that have dominated the criminal justice system since the 19th century. Many of the theories we cover in this chapter were developed by White, male scholars who held particularly Western assumptions about the nature of crime and punishment. Nevertheless, by exploring crime in relation to social dynamics, we open the door to new possibilities for dealing with crime in a diverse society.

Indigenous legal traditions are particularly important in this regard. While all traditions change over time, Indigenous nations in the territory that came to be known as Canada hold distinct conceptions of law and society that provide a path forward and articulate well with the sociological theories of crime explored in this chapter. For example, Anishinaabe/Ojibway legal scholar John Borrows (2016) explains that within Anishinaabe tradition, freedom is conceptualised not by the extent to which an individual is free from social constraints but rather by the health of a person’s interdependencies and relationships, be they with animals, humans, or the sun, moon, and stars. In Anishinaabewowin, the concept that describes this state is dibenindizowin, which means “a person possesses liberty within themselves and their relationships” (Borrows, 2016, p. 6). This conception of the relationship between the individual and society speaks to the complex ways that freedom and personal responsibility both exist within a network of social relations that not only constrain our behaviour but facilitate our freedom to act in the world.