Sepide Mirmajidi; Mohammad Jafar Habibzadeh; Mohammad Farajiha; Jalil Omidi
Abstract
According to social constructionism, crime is a social phenomenon that has not necessarily independent objective existence outside the human mind and what counts as crime varies depending on who is defining it. Therefore, in relations among people, we face with construction of ‘social reality of ...
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According to social constructionism, crime is a social phenomenon that has not necessarily independent objective existence outside the human mind and what counts as crime varies depending on who is defining it. Therefore, in relations among people, we face with construction of ‘social reality of crime’. By adopting a moderate view of social constructionism and using social reality of crime theory, this article discusses on the fact of criminalization process in Iran. This theory (social reality of crime) believes that formulation and application of criminal law, development of behavior patterns in relation to criminal definitions and construction of criminal conception are products of shareholders’ action that seek to ensure their domination and interests by affecting the criminal process. The study of proceedings of committees, public sessions of parliament, official discourse of criminal policy actors and comments of religious entrepreneurs shows that at least in some areas of criminalization in Iran, social constructionism theory has dominated criminalization process and mentality of its actors.
