The conflict theory defines society as the fight for power between different factions fighting for control over constrained resources. Karl Marx, the author of conflict theory, established two categories of individuals in modern societies – the lower-class and the capitalist class. The lower class comprises of people in places of wealth and power, while the working class comprises of the disadvantaged and powerless in society. These groups are predominantly unequal, and although both commit acts of deviance, the dominant groups define deviance differently for each group.
Conflict theory is grounded on the premise that society is divided into two or more factions with competing values and ideas. The faction(s) with the most power enacts laws and controls society (Black, 2013) . Factions that lack the authority to make laws maintain their norms and persist with their behaviors, which are now deemed as criminal by the larger society. According to conflict theorists, mainstream criminology emphasizes why individuals break the law while ignoring the reasons that particular acts should be categorized as illegal. Conflict theorists argue that power is derived from various sources based on gender, race, or social class (Piatkowska & Hövermann, 2018) . In the United States, those who are White, and wealthy possess more power than those from a minority group and poor. Conflict theorists also associate power with resources, including access to the media, money, or organization. In the United States, political interest groups are responsible for shaping criminal laws. Very few people would dispute the fact that the power of interest groups rests in a wide range of issues such as the death penalty, gun control, abortion, and drug laws.
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Conflict theory also asserts that those with power define the laws that serve their interests and influence the way the criminal justice system works – this indicates that they have power over the laws that are or are not enforced (Black, 2013) . For example, the National Rifle Association and the Marijuana Policy Project lobby the United States Congress to push for laws that are consistent with their ideologies, values, and interests. Conflict theory is not at par with the consensus approach and argues that different groups in society do not necessarily agree on what behaviors should be criminalized, share the same values, and believe in the same penalty structure (Zizumbo-Colunga, 2019) . Instead, groups with power establish what values should be favored, the laws to be enforced, and the imposed penalties. In contrast, the less powerful groups are targeted, arrested, and unfairly punished.
On February 26, 2012, Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old back American was murdered by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood-watch volunteer (Alvarez & Buckley, 2013) . Zimmerman alleged that he had been assaulted by Martin, who was unarmed and shot in self-defense. Since there was no evidence to contradict Zimmerman's version of events and the United States law consents to the use of lethal force in self-defense, Zimmerman was released by the police (Alvarez & Buckley, 2013) . More than six weeks later, Zimmerman was arrested and charged with manslaughter and second-degree murder in a racially polarizing case similar to the O.J. Simpson trial. The killing of Martin intensified race relations and equal justice for African Americans in the United States. Trayvon Martin's case was deliberated by six female jurors who exonerated Zimmerman of second-degree murder and manslaughter (Alvarez & Buckley, 2013) . The unidentified six female jurors rules ruled that Zimmerman did not "intentionally commit an act or acts that resulted in death" or demonstrated a "dissolute mind without regard for human life" - these are the classifications of manslaughter and second-degree murder according to Florida's statutes, respectively (Alvarez & Buckley, 2013) .
In recent years, the United States has been plagued with racial profiling cases, which have become too controversial. May racial minorities in the United States believe that they disproportionality targeted by the criminal justice system. These disparities are grounded on the perspective of conflict theory. The conflict perspective argues that dominant groups use the law as a tool to maintain their rule over subservient groups. The dominant groups consist of Whites and the affluent, while subservient groups consist of minority groups, the politically ignored, and the impoverished people in society. Subservient groups in society seem to pose a threat, and the dominant groups use the law to prevent the subservient groups from seizing their power (Einat & Herzog, 2010) . Zimmerman's verdict by the jurors reaffirms this perspective of the conflict theory. In his defense, Zimmerman claimed that Martin bounced on him, pushed him to the ground, and punched his head repeatedly across the pavement. However, Zimmerman's DNA was not found on Martin's fingernails, and his hands did not have injuries or blood apart from abrasions on his ring fingers and the knuckles of his left hand.
George Zimmerman's acquittal indicates that actions espoused by subservient or minority groups in American society are often criminalized, while the actions adopted by dominant groups go unpunished (Piatkowska & Hövermann, 2018) . The disparity hypothesis is also based on the premise that an increase in minority populations in White populations will often provoke fear and discrimination and increase punitive measures (Chamlin, 2009) . Researchers have supported this argument based on the number of African Americas, and the outcomes of measures such as lynching, the number of arrests, the size of law enforcement, and sentencing practices.
The lack of guilt by Zimmerman for killing Martin indicates that he felt that he had done nothing wrong. Centred on conflict theory, the powerful in the society find no reason why they should arrest, charge, convict, and sentence themselves.
References
Alvarez, L., & Buckley, C. (2013). Zimmerman is acquitted in Trayvon Martin's killing (Published 2013) . The New York Times. Retrieved January 9, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/14/us/george-zimmerman-verdict-trayvon-martin.html.
Black, P. (2013). Conflict theories of crime. The Encyclopedia Of Criminology and Criminal Justice , 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118517383.wbeccj322
Chamlin, M. (2009). Threat to whom? Conflict, consensus, and social control. Deviant Behavior , 30 (6), 539-559. https://doi.org/10.1080/01639620802467797
Einat, T., & Herzog, S. (2010). A new perspective for delinquency. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology , 55 (7), 1072-1095. https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624x10380553
Piatkowska, S., & Hövermann, A. (2018). A culture of hostility and crime motivated by bias: A cross-national multilevel analysis of structural influences. International Criminal Justice Review , 29 (2), 141-167. https://doi.org/10.1177/1057567718772332
Zizumbo-Colunga, D. (2019). Confronting Crime by Ourselves: Trust in neighbors, trust in authorities, and anti-crime organization. Latin American Research Review , 54 (3), 574. https://doi.org/10.25222/larr.324
