4.2 - Class, Power & Crime (Marxism) Flashcards
How do Functionalist explain Class Differences in Crime?
> Due to inadequate socialisation e.g. Durkheim
> Miller - Focal Concerns
How does Strain Theory explain Class Differences in Crime
> e.g. Merton
How do Subcultural Theories explain Class Differences in Crime?
> e.g. Cohen Status frustration and Cloward and Ohlin - 3 subcultures
How does Labelling Theory explain Class Differences in Crime?
No act is deviant, labelling makes it so, working class people are more likely to be labelled.
General Marxist View on Crime
> Law mainly enforced selectively against the working class, and official statistics are flawed
> The Criminal Justice System serves upper class interests & the structure of capitalism explains crime.
Criminogenic Capitalism
Crime inevitable, as capitalism is criminogenic - it’s very nature causes crime, as it’s based on exploiting the working class for profit.
Why does working class crime occur due to Capitalism being criminogenic?
> Poverty means crime is only way the working class can survive
> Only way of getting consumer goods, promoted by advertising leading to utilitarian crimes e.g. theft
> Alienation causes frustration, leading non-utilitarian crimes e.g. violence
Why does upper class crime occur due to Capitalism being criminogenic?
Win at all costs mentality instilled, encourages greed profit, so do corporate crime e.g. tax evasion
Marxism - Class & Crime Key Sociologists
> Chambliss (Criminogenic Capitalism, State & Law Making)
> Gordon (Prevalence of Crime)
> Mankoff (Welfare State & Crime)
> Snider (State & Law Making)
> Reinan (Selective Enforcement)
> Pearce (Ideological Functions of Crime & Law)
> Althusser (Ideology)
Chambliss - Criminogenic Capitalism
> Crime’s universal & present in all social classes, due to focus on utilitarian gains
> Working class & upper class both used different means to get goods, working class have limited means of crime so use violence & thefts
> Upper class have more options e.g. white-collar crime e.g. fraud or corporate crime
Criticisms of Chambliss
Too deterministic, not all working class turn to crime, despite financial position
Gordon - Prevalence of Crime
> Crime is rational response to capitalism in a dog eat dog society - present in all classes
> Especially in US with lack of welfare, so working class have to do crime to survive
Mankoff (Welfare State & Crime)
> Lower levels of crime in the EU than US, as basic needs e.g. healthcare & food etc are met
> So feel protected by state & don’t do crime
Chambliss - State & Law Making
> Main purpose of law was to protect wealth from masses
> e.g. English law introduced in East Africa, but didn’t want to work for British
> Government made tax with punishment for non-payment, led to new workforce for plantation owners, so they can pay tax
Snider - State & Law Making
> State is reluctant to pass laws, regulating businesses e.g. profit is more important than people
> People who commit corporate crime are less likely to be prosecuted
How do the upper class create Laws?
> Connections with officials to pass laws, protecting private property
> Big companies use pressure groups to pass laws in their interests
> Ownership of the free press (newspapers), make working class activities seem deviant & in need of control
Examples of Laws in favour of the upper class
> Tax laws allows companies to avoid tax, with registered offices in tax havens
> Non-implementation for recommendations of Grenfell, due to costs for companies
Reinan - Selective Enforcement
> Powerless groups more likely to be criminalised, courts tend to ignore crimes of powerful
> e.g. Social Security Fraud by WC always prosecuted, but tax evasion of UC isn’t
Example of how Law is Selectively Enforced
> 47K knife crimes in UK vs 69K workplace accidents
Pearce - Ideological Functions of Crime & Law
> Laws appearing to benefit WC often benefit UC more
> e.g. health & safety laws, keeps workers fit 4 wrk, creates FCC.
Criticisms of Law Creation in favour of UC
> Laws created for harmonious running of society e.g. theft, violence etc.
> Consumer rights laws, protects our rights
Ideological Functions of Crime & Law
> State enforces law selectively due to OS crime appears a WC phenomenon, shifts attention from UC crime
> Divides WC encouraging workers to blame criminals for problems not capitalism
Althusser - Ideology
> Some reject ISA, so control & order thus needs to be maintained through RSA
> Police & Army use physical force to deal with those who rebel vs social order
> e.g. 2011 Riots & Police response to BLM, works in favour of UC
Criticisms of Althusser
Most reject ISA of UC, w/out rebelling to an extent that needs RSA to intervene
Marxism A03 - Key Sociologists
> Left Realists
Left Realists - Criticisms of Marxism
Marx focuses on crimes of powerful ignores most crimes v WC v WC e.g. theft
General Evaluation of Marxism
> Criminals become V, as unequal society is actually to blame
> Not all capitalist societies have + crime rates e.g. Japan less crime > US
3 ways NM agrees w/ Marx
> Capitalism based on exploitation & inequality, key to understanding crime
> State enforces laws for benefit of UC
> Favour classless society, where crimes greatly reduced
NM - Critical Criminology (KS)
> Taylor (Anti-Determinism & Crime as Voluntarist, FSTOD)
> Hall (FSTOD - Policing the Crisis)
Anti-Determinism (Taylor)
Reject idea workers do crime due to poverty as well as ext factors e.g. anomie & labelling
Crime as Voluntarist (Taylor)
> Criminals make conscious choice to do crime, to desperately change society
> Often w/ political motive eg. redistributing wealth & not puppets of capitalism.
A03 of Crime as Voluntarist (KS)
> Rock (Romantic)
Rock - Criticisms of Taylor
> Overly romantic view of criminals e.g ‘’robin hoods’’ fighting injustice, LR states most crimes by WC v WC
> Ignores effects on WC v’s
General Criticisms of Taylor
Crimes e.g. DV/Rape not politically motivated, RR state crime is opportunistic, not reaction to injustice
Aims of Taylor’s FSTOD
Comprehensive theory to change society for better
2 Sources of FSTOD
> Marx: Ideas on inequality & law enforcement
> Interactionism: Effects of labelling & societal reactions
6 Elements of a FSTOD
- Origins of Deviant Act
- Immediate Origins of Deviant Act
- Act itself & meaning for actor
- Immediate Origins of Social Reaction
- Wider Origins of Social Reaction
- Effects of Labelling
- Origins of Deviant Act - FSTOD
Power structures in society & social inequality
- Immediate Origins of Deviant Act - FSTOD
Context person decides to commit act e.g. loss of job
- Act itself & meaning for actor - FSTOD
e.g. was it a form of rebellion v capitalism
- Immediate Origins of Social Reaction - FSTOD
Reactions of those around deviant e.g. police & society
- Wider Origins of Social Reaction - FSTOD
Those w/ power to define deviant actions & why some get treated harsher than others
- Effects of Labelling - FSTOD
Deviant’s future actions
Hall - FSTOD - Policing the Crisis
- 70’s time of social crisis
- Riots & Strikes
- Mugging - police stigmatise black men
- Media Outrage @ muggings
- Need for scapegoat, black men easily blamed
- Felling of injustice for BAME & confidence in CJS
AO3 - Overall Criticisms of NM (KS)
> Feminist
> Burke
Feminist - Criticisms of NM
Gender blind, only focus on male criminality not female
Burke - Criticisms of NM
Too general to explain crime irl & too idealistic to tackle crime
WCC
> Done by ppl w/ high status, through his occupation
2 Types of WCC Crime
> Occupational Crime
> Corporate Crime
Occupational Crime
Done by employees for personal gain e.g. stealing from company
Corporate Crime
Done by employees for companies benefit e.g. to increase profits
Crimes of the Powerful (KS)
> Tombs (Problem w/ WCC, Scale of CC)
Carrabine et al (Abuse of Trust)
Sutherland (Abuse of Trust)
Problem w/ WCC (Tombs)
> Harms of UC don’t breach criminal law e.g. administrative offences
> e.g. companies failing to comply w/ codes of practice
> Powerful companies influence law, so actions aren’t criminalised
Scale of CC (Tombs)
> Does more harm > street crime, huge costs e.g. deaths, injuries, pollutions
> Not just by a few, but widespread & routine
Examples of CC
> Financial Crimes
> Against Consumers
> Against Employees
> Against Environment
> State CC
Examples of Financial Crimes & Against Consumers
> Financial Crimes: e.g. tax evasion, bribery
> Against Consumers: e.g. selling unfit goods, illegal testing, hiding defects
Examples of Against Employees & Environment & State CC
> Against Employees: e.g. breaking health & safety laws
> Against Environment: e.g. toxic waste dumping
> State CC: When gov & companies team up to pursue goals
Breast Implant Example - Crime vs Consumers
> A breast implant company, give women breast implants filled w/ dangerous industrial silicone > expensive medical silicone
> 300K sold over world
Grenfell Example - State CC
Priv contractors exempt from prosecution for testifying
Carrabine et al - Abuse of Trust
> Professionals have positions of trust w/our finances, health & info but can violate this trust
> e.g. GP Harold Shipman killing 15 of his patients
Sutherland - Abuse of Trust
> WCC more of threat to society than WC crime
> As it leads to distrust of key institutions & undermines fabric of society
Reasons for Invisibility of CC
> Media > Lack of Political Will > Complex > De-Labelling > Under-Reporting
Media - Reasons for Invisibility of CC
> Limited coverage of CC, reinforces idea crimes WC issue
> Sugarcoat CC crime e.g. embezzlement as ‘’accounting irregularities’’
> & death @ work are accidents not negligence
Lack of Political Will - Reasons for Invisibility of CC
> To tackle CC instead focused on street crime
> e.g. HO used crime surveys to explore ordinary crime, not CC.
Complex - Reasons for Invisibility of CC
Law enforcers under-resourced & lack technical expertise to investigate effectively.
De-Labelling - Reasons for Invisibility of CC
CC filtered out of process of criminalisation, seen as civil not criminal penalties are often fines & not jail.
Example of De-Labelling
> 3.6K UK ppl had secret bank accounts w/ HSBC to avoid tax
> But there was only 1 persecution & no action v HSBC
Partial Visibility of CC Crime
> Media investigations into CC crime so + visible > past.
> Due to privatisation of public services, companies + involved in daily lives
> So now exposed to + scrutiny.
Explanations of CC
> Strain Theory > Differential Association > Labelling Theory > Marxism > Organisational Cultures > Globalisation > De-Regulation of Laws
Strain Theory, DA & Labelling Theory - Explanations of CC (KS)
> Box (Strain Theory)
Clinard & Yeager (Strain Theory)
> Sutherland (DA)
Sykes & Matza (TON) (DA)
> Cicourel (LT)
Nelken (De-Labelling) (LT)
Box (Strain Theory) - Explanations of CC
If companies are in tough situations & can’t maximise profit by legal means, they may be tempted to innovate
Clinard & Yeager (Strain Theory) - Explanations of CC
> Law violations by large companies increased when financial performance fell.
> Highlighting willingness to achieve through innovation
Sutherland (DA) - Explanations of CC
> Criminal behaviour is learned from associating w/ ppl w/ criminal attitudes, leads us to be deviant ourselves.
> Culture of business favours aggressive personality types willing to achieve through crime - becomes socialised.
Sykes & Matza (Techniques of Neutralization) (DA) - Explanations of CC
> Ppl deviate easier if they produce justifications to neutralise objections to it
> e.g. say they were carrying orders from above or say everyones doing it.
Cicourel (LT) - Explanations of CC
MC able to negotiate non-criminal labels for behaviour
Nelken (De-Labelling) (LT) - Explanations of CC
> Act is only criminal if labelled, companies can avoid this through expensive rep.
> Reduce seriousness of charges & hide criminal behaviour
> Enforcement agencies can’t investigate effectively reducing NO of offences labelled.
Marxism, Organisational Cultures, De-Regulation of Laws, Globalisation - Explanations of CC (KS)
> Box (Mystification)
Pearce (Smokescreen)
> Tombs & Snider (Organisational Cultures)
> Tombs & Whyte (De-Regulation of Laws)
Marxism - Explanations of CC
> CC results from capitalist goals, corporations only comply if enforce strictly
> They’re criminogenic as if legit means for profit is blocked they’ll resort to illegal means
Box - Mystification (Marxism) - Explanations of CC
Spreads ideology CC is less harmful > WC crime, so stops state making laws conflicting w/ interests
Pearce - Smokescreen (Marxism) - Explanations of CC
> Some CC is prosecuted, but only tip of iceberg, acts as a smokescreen
> Gives illusion state have CC crime under control, but in reality they get away w/ large amounts of crime
General Criticisms of Marxism - Explanations of CC
Doesn’t explain crime of non-profit organisations e.g. state
AO3 - Marxism - Explanations of CC (KS)
> Nelken
> Braithwaite
Nelken - Criticisms of Marxism (Explanations of CC)
> Unrealistic all business would offend w/out risk of punishment
> due to factors e.g. maintaining PR w/other companies
Braithwaite - Criticisms of Marxism (Explanations of CC)
> Law-abiding more profitable than breaking e.g. pharmaceutical companies complying w/ FDA rules
> Could access lucrative markets in poor countries, due to guarantee of quality
Tombs & Snider (Organisational Cultures) - Explanation of CC
> Culture of corporations leds to criminal behaviour
> Excessive competitions leds to risk taking - placing profit > ppl - need to please shareholders
> Making decisions unethical, but able to use bylaws to protect them
Deregulation of Laws - Explanation of CC
> Increase in CC as of less risk breaking regulations, when caught companies are fined
> But these are low - so not disincentive
Tombs & Whyte (Deregulation of Laws) - Explanation of CC
> Decrease in health & safety inspections est 2000
> Allowing companies to breach this putting staff & customers @ risk
Globalisation - Explanation of CC
> Led big companies goto countries w/ less law, eco power of companies outmuscles gov of these nations
> So don’t oppose actions as they want to attract TNC’s to boost employment & popularity w/ppl
> But = human exploitation & health & safety issues
Bangladesh Factory Collapse Example of Globalisation
Workers for Gap, Matalan & major retailers, saw 1K+ workers killed when factories collapsed
Undereporting - Reasons for Invisibility of CC
> Often V is whole of society, not just 1 person. V’s unaware of being victimised.
> Don’t see it as real crime or feel powerless & not report offence
