Dd208_Tma_02

‘To have an in-depth understanding of social justice we need different types of evidence.’ Select examples of evidence from the Surveillance DVD and the Social Justice book to discuss the accuracy of this claim Social justice: A concept that there should be an even handed distribution of social resources, or, the consideration of processes of social injustice' Either could be used to argue the definition of this concept. However, in order to have an in-depth understanding of social justice, we need different types of evidence including: quantitative and qualitative evidence, documents of the period including policy documents, graphs, newspapers, news reels and photographs. This list is by no means exhaustive and some forms of evidence will be judged more robust than others. This essay will demonstrate the accuracy of this claim through examples from the Surveillance DVD and the Social Justice book. Society’s idea about what is right or wrong can vary and established concepts of what is tolerated in society may change. Usually new ideas have to be fought for by the people who feel that they are being discriminated against and this struggle for social justice can be at a great cost to those involved. Social Justice evidence can be one of two types, qualitative or quantitative. Qualitative data provides a detailed picture that is built up by gathering information about why people act in certain ways, and their feelings about why they acted in this manner. While quantitative evidence is a methodical approach to research during which statistical data is gathered and is transformed into numerical data. However, it is important to be aware that both qualitative and quantitative evidence have their advantages and disadvantages. Qualitative evidence can record attitudes, feelings and behaviour of people during an event or about a topic, but it can be very time consuming to collect and may be difficult to compare accounts, as people can have different responses to the same event or topic. While quantitative evidence allows for a broader study with greater objectivity and accuracy, its results can be limited as they only provide numerical descriptions through pre-set answers and will not, inevitably, reflect how people really feel. When thinking about the idea of social justice, there are three main questions we need to answer. The first is how are ideas of social justice and injustice developed and how do such ideas change over time' Although social justice may be seen as something that is very personal, it is also highlighted in wider social principles and standards that materialise in the laws and institutions of a particular area. However, these principles and standards may be the focus of change and often many different ideas can be called into play in different places at different times and for different reasons. (Newman & Yeates 2008 p3) The extract from Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, showed how justice and injustice can be experienced in our everyday lives. In the particular extract, Mandela’s co-worker was able to tackle the “system” in South Africa during Apartheid, although it seemed that it was only in a small way, whereas Mandela chose to be non-confrontational. Where such struggles involve a challenge to the existing social order those involved may be labelled as being part of a ‘problem population’ or, as was the case for Mandela and the ANC, the state’s response could be to criminalise them. (Newman & Yeates 2008 p7) Today, not only have these ideas and norms themselves changed in South Africa, partly because of Mandela’s political work, but so have the ways in which these ideas led to social change. However, it was stated that Mandela wrote his autobiography while he was in prison, so can we be sure that the memories and recollections of these long past events are accurate' We should not only rely on this type of evidence alone, instead other sources would be needed to give a fuller and rounder account of what apartheid was like during this period, such as films, newsreels or newspapers produced at this time. The second question to look at is what is the relationship between social justice and social welfare' To answer this question we need to focus on welfare as a means of putting right types of social injustice, such as poverty, discrimination, and segregation. (Newman & Yeates 2008 p4) Welfare may be something that is provided informally, for example, the Baby Café mentioned on the DVD. Here the team of social workers based at the Children’s Centre provide support to mothers attending the breastfeeding clinic. This service helps parents gain access to advice, information and support with their new-born babies. This service gives the staff an opportunity to watch over the parents and how they interact with their children. This gives them the chance to identify any problems there may be early on. As there has been no reduction in the effects of poverty and class over the years, inequality can be a very important issue. However, this can result in many of the parents not attending the Baby Cafe, as some of the mothers can perceive this “watching” as intrusive and can resent the presence and the input from the staff. ('Surveillance1, 2008, Chapter 2, scene 1) Struggles against social inequality have led welfare states to try to redistribute resources to produce an impartial and, possibly a more economically prosperous society. They can focus on redistribution as a way of bringing about social justice. This redistribution can take place through taxation, but also by providing education, better health services, and childcare facilities so that they are available to everyone on an equal basis, regardless of their income. (Newman & Yeates 2008 p16) Social welfare is oriented towards the formation and preservation of social well-being through the supplying of a range of social policies to help fight social inequalities and by supporting redistribution and social inclusion, while dealing with a variety of social harms such as poverty and inequality. Iris Marian Young argued that, when there is such a focus on redistribution as a way of bringing about social justice, the conditions that brought about that injustice in the first place can tend to be ignored. Young suggested that in order to overcome this, the wider picture should be looked at and not just the existing social arrangements. (Newman & Yeates 2008 p17) Studies of fiscal inequality must pay attention to, not only the distribution of wealth but income as well. One widely used measurement is the Gini coefficient. This is a very powerful comparative tool as it allows us to measure the spread of income inequality within a country and it allows us to compare how this inequality changes over time. It also gives us the ability to compare one country against another. However, as with all such indicators, it has its limitations. Whilst knowing about the distribution of income is important, income is not the only material asset that may be unequally distributed. Wealth also needs to be examined alongside income. (Newman & Yeates 2008 p38) States can be the main focal point for demands for justice and equality and welfare states try to address many of these issues, for example unemployment, poverty and health. William Beveridge described the fight for social policy as trying to “defeat the five giants: idleness, ignorance, poverty, sickness, and squalor.” (Newman & Yeates 2008 p42) Another piece of evidence that has been included in the course so far, that relates to this issue is the photograph, taken in context with the ActionAid Report, of the women shelling cashew nuts in India. This was intended to try to get states to move towards changing their policies and practices with supermarkets and also by helping customers to change their choices too. (Newman & Yeates 2008 p18) The final question we should look at is how does social welfare intersect with crime control policies and strategies' Here we should be concerned with how the boundaries between injustice, harm and crime are complicated. Some types of injustice can be tackled through the provision of welfare services and benefits, while other issues may be seen or defined as a crime and must be addressed through the law. However, this difference may not always be as obvious as this. (Newman & Yeates 2008 p4) Social welfare is related to the formation and preservation of social well-being through the supplying of a range of social policies to help fight social inequalities and by supporting redistribution and social inclusion, while dealing with a variety of social harms such as poverty and inequality. The area of crime control is seen to be more set towards the establishment and protection of social stability, social order and security by addressing the behaviours and activities of those who are perceived to threaten these in some way. Evidence of this can be seen, in the extract from The Guardian, in the story of Rosa Parks. In the 1950s, racial segregation and discrimination through the Jim Crow law reflected the views of most of the white population in Alabama, and Rosa Parks’ modest act of defiance was seen to be a crime. However today, because of the change in racial discrimination in the USA, many were offered pardons for their “acts of criminality” during this time period. But many of these people did not believe that they should need to receive pardons as they believed that their only crime was fighting to have the same rights as the rest of the population and had Rosa Parks been born at a different time her actions may have been different. (Newman & Yeates 2008 p9) In conclusion, people’s experiences of injustice are shaped by their social relationship and cultural practices. To help us to understand social justice we must engage different ideas and accounts. Choosing too many personal accounts can lead to a one sided view of a situation, but using too much statistical evidence may not give enough personal depth to the argument. Word count: 1623 References Newman, J. and Yeates, N. (eds) Social Justice: Welfare, Crime and Society. Maidenhead, Open University Press. The Open University (2008) ‘Safeguarding Children, DVD 1, Chapter 2, DD208 Welfare, crime and society, Milton Keynes, The Open University.