3. Critical Criminology

Question 1

Outline the Neo-marxism view

sociologist: Taylor

Answer 1

taylor takes voluntaristic view ( voluntarism is the idea that we have free will)

Sees crime as meaningufl action & conscious choice by the person, argue crime has political motive. e.g redistributing wealth from the rich to the poor

Criminals are not passive puppets whose behaviour is shaped by capitalism: They are deliberately striving to change society

Question 2

Breifly Outline Taylors ‘fully social theory of deviance’

Answer 2

Taylor et al criticise Marxists for economic determinism and instead see crime as meaningful action and a conscious choice by the actor.
In particular, they argue that crime often has a political motive (for instance, to redistribute wealth from the rich to poor).
Criminals are not passive puppets whose behaviour is shaped by capitalism: they are deliberately striving to change society.

Question 3

Evaluations of Critical Criminology (Taylor)

Answer 3

Feminists criticse taylors approach for being ‘gender blind’ focusing on male criminality at the expense of female criminality

Left realists: 2 Criticisms

• criminal criminology romanticies WC criminals as ‘Robin hoods’ who are fighting capitalism by redistibuting wealth from rich to the poor. However in reality these criminals prey on the poor
• Taylor et al does not take this crime seriously & ignores effects of WC victims

Question 4

Outline the 6 steps of producing a fully social theory of deviance:

Taylor et al

Answer 4

1. The wider origins of the deviant act - the unequal distribution of wealth and power in capitalist society
2. Immediate origins of the deviant act - the context in which the individual decides to commit the act
3. The act itself - its meaning for the actor
4. Immediate origins of social reaction - the reactions of those around the deviant act
5. The wider origins of societal reaction - who has the power to define actions as deviant and to label others, and why some acts are treated more harshly than others
6. The effects of labelling - what effects does the deviant at have on the future actions