Neighborhood Justice in Capitalist Society: The Expansion of the Informal State

by Richard Hofrichter

Overview

The management of interpersonal social conflict within the American judicial system is changing. Of particular interest is the trend toward informal, decentralized alternatives to the courts for the resolution of many civil disputes. A manifestation of this trend, Neighborhood Dispute Resolution or NDR offers a means of resolving conflicts in a voluntary, peaceable manner without the intervention of attorneys. Proponents of NDR say that it is economical, efficient and fair. NDR, however, may not be the panacea it appears to be on the surface, argues the author. A Marxist interpretation of recent developments in state-sponsored alternatives to courts for the resolution of disputes, this book devises a framework for exploring the relationship between disruptions in reproducing the social order of American capitalism and transformations in the capitalist state that make these dispute mechanisms possible.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313256776
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	08/12/1987
Series:	Contributions in Political Science , #17
Pages:	228
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.69(d)
Lexile:	1350L (what's this?)

About the Author

RICHARD HOFRICHTER is a Policy Analyst for the Public Policy Institute, the American Association of Retired Persons.

Table of Contents

Documents and Figures
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part I: Class Struggle, Crisis, and the Changing Role of the State
Capitalism and Crisis
The Role of the Capitalist State
Hegemony, Social Reproduction, and the Role of the State
The Legal Crisis of the State
Emerging Forms of the State
Part II: Neighborhood Dispute Resolution and the State
The Structure of Neighborhood Dispute Resolution
The Informal State and Neighborhood Justice
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index