3.2 Marxists On Crime Flashcards
What does criminogenic capitalism mean?
Capitalism creates crime
(Criminogenic capitalism) how does poverty link to crime?
Crime is the only way people can survive
(Criminogenic capitalism) how is crime linked to consumerism?
People commit crime to get the consumer goods promoted by advertising that they can’t afford
(Criminogenic capitalism) how does alienation and lack of control lead to crime?
It leads to frustration and non utilitarian crimes
(Criminogenic capitalism) emphasis on profit encourages what?
Greed and corporate crime
(Criminogenic capitalism) Gordon says crime is what?
A rational response to capitalism
(State and law making) Marxists say laws are made to protect who?
The ruling class and their business interests
(State and law making) chambliss what was introduced into East African colonies?
Tax laws to force the population to work on plantations to earn the money to pay the tax
(State and law making) snider talked about non decision making, what is this?
Ruling class prevent introduction of laws threatening their business interests
(State and law making) snider - give an example of areas of non decision making:
Alcohol and cigarette industry
Pay gap
Working conditions
(Selective law enforcement) everyone commits crime but who are more likely to be imprisoned?
The working class and ethnic minorities
(Selective law enforcement) what was reimans study called?
The rich get richer the poor get prison
(Selective law enforcement) Reiman - the more likely a crime is to be committed by a high class person the less likely what?
It will be treated as an offence
(Selective law enforcement) Reiman - there is a disproportionately high rate of what?
Street crime
(Ideological functions of crime & law) laws are occasionally passed that appear to do what?
Benefit the working class such as health and safety
(Ideological functions of crime & law) Pearce - how do health and safety laws really benefit the ruling class?
Keep workers fit and create a false class consciousness giving capitalism a caring face
(Ideological functions of crime & law) Carson - laws are not rigorously enforced of 200 firms how many broke HS laws?
All of them
Only 1.5% prosecuted
(Ideological functions of crime & law) crime appears to be all working class encouraging what?
Divisions in the working class making them blame the criminals rather than capitalism
(Ideological functions of crime & law) the media portray criminals as disturbed concealing what?
The fact that capitalism is the main issue
(Corporate crime) what is corporate crime?
Crimes committed by big businesses often affecting a lot of people
(Corporate crime) why are they rarely prosecuted or reported?
Not a single bad guy
Many responsible
Money and power to keep it quiet
Strengths - Marxists show a link between law making and what?
Capitalist interests
Strengths - Marxists explain why the working class are what?
Viewed as criminal
Strength - Marxist ideas have influenced more research into what?
Corporate crime
Weakness - focus on capitalism means what is ignored?
Other factors such as gender or ethnicity
Weakness - not all capitalist countries have what?
High crime rates
Weakness - realists criticise Marxists for ignoring increasing what?
Inner city crime affecting working class communities
Weakness - Marxists ignore who?
The victims
(Neo Marxists) Taylor Walton and young decided the new criminology which combined what?
Labelling and capitalism
(Neo Marxists) a full social theory of deviance needs to take into account what?
Both wider society and the individual
(Neo Marxists) hall talked about what?
The policing crisis
(Neo Marxists) hall - 1. What needs to be taken into account?
The wider origins of deviance - street crime of Caribbean immigrants
(Neo Marxists) hall - 2. Origins of deviance also need to be taken into account e.g.
Black youths not accepting racism
(Neo Marxists) hall 3. The origins of social reaction e.g.
The media created a moral panic over mugging
(Neo Marxists) Hall 4. The wider origins of the crisis was actually a crisis of what?
Capitalism
Black people were scapegoated
(Neo Marxists) hall 5. What was the outcome?
Police crackdown
Stop and search
Deviancy amplification
