[3.0] Traditional Marxism

Question 1

What are the three main elements of the Marxist view of crime?

Answer 1

Criminogenic capitalism, the state and law making and ideological functions of crime and law.

Question 2

What does ‘capitalism is criminogenic’ mean?

Answer 2

Capitalism causes crime.

Question 3

Who is capitalism particularly damaging to?

Answer 3

The working class.

Question 4

What might be the only way the working class can survive, due to their poverty?

Answer 4

Crime.

Question 5

Crime is the only way the working class can obtain what?

Answer 5

Consumer goods encouraged by capitalist advertising.

Question 6

What causes the commission of non-utilitarian crimes, such as assault?

Answer 6

Alienation and frustration at the lack of control the working class have over their lives.

Question 7

What encourages crime at all levels?

Answer 7

The need to win at all costs.

Question 8

What kind of crime do the capitalist class commit?

Answer 8

White-collar crime such as health and safety breaches and tax evasion.

Question 9

What does Gordon (1976) argue?

Answer 9

He argues that crime is a rational response to the capitalist system, and is found in all social classes even if official statistics make not seem this way.

Question 10

Who does law making and law enforcement serve the interests of?

Answer 10

The capitalist class.

Question 11

Chambliss (1975) argues that laws to protect private property are the cornerstone of the capitalist economy, how does he demonstrate this?

Answer 11

Britain’s economic interests lay in the tea, coffee and other plantations in East Africa. At the time of colonisation, the economy was not a money economy, so the British introduced a tax which was payable in cash and if it wasn’t paid was punishable by imprisonment so the natives had to work. Cash could be earned working on the plantations, so the law served the interests of the capitalist plantation owners.

Question 12

What can the ruling class prevent?

Answer 12

The introduction of laws which threaten their interests, such as a law which challenges the unequal distribution of wealth.

Question 13

What kind of laws does Snider (1993) argue that the state is reluctant to pass?

Answer 13

Laws which regulate business or threaten their profitability.

Question 14

How is the law enforced?

Answer 14

Selectively.

Question 15

Which groups are criminalised?

Answer 15

Powerless groups such as the working class and ethnic minorities.

Question 16

Who’s crimes are ignored?

Answer 16

The powerful’s crime is ignored.

Question 17

What did Reiman’s (2001) book ‘The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison’ show?

Answer 17

The more likely a crime is to be committed by the ruling class, the less likely it is to be treated as a criminal offence.

Question 18

For which types of crime are there disproportionately high numbers of prosecutions?

Answer 18

Street crimes, such as burglary and assault.

Question 19

For which types of crime does the criminal justice system take a more forgiving view?

Answer 19

Tax evasion, and health and safety violations.

Question 20

What does Pearce (1976) argue?

Answer 20

Laws that appear to be passed for the benefit of the working class actually also benefit the ruling class.

Question 21

By giving capitalism a ‘caring face’, what do laws which benefit both classes create?

Answer 21

A false consciousness amongst the working class.

Question 22

What did Carson (1971) find out?

Answer 22

200 firms breached health and safety regulations, yet only 1.5% of the breaches resulted in prosecution.

Question 23

Why does the state enforce law selectively, and what does this do?

Answer 23

It enforces law selectively to make crime seem like a working class phenomenon, this divides the working class as they blame the criminals among them for giving them a bad reputation.

Question 24

How does the media portray criminals?

Answer 24

As disturbed individuals.

Question 25

Evalute traditional Marxism in three points.

Answer 25

1. It ignores the relationships between crime and gender and crime and ethnicity.
2. It is too deterministic, not all of the working class resort to crime.
3. Not all capitalist societies have high crime rates, such as Switzerland and Japan.