4.2 - Class, Power & Crime (Marxism) Flashcards
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
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
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
Reiman - 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
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 bourgeoisie
> 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
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
> Gives criminals a victim status
> Not all capitalist societies have + crime rates e.g. Japan less crime > US
3 ways Neo-Marxists agrees with Traditional Marxism
> Capitalism based on exploitation & inequality, key to understanding crime
> State enforces laws for benefit of UC
> Favour classless society, where crimes greatly reduced
Neo-Marxism & 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.
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
6 Elements of Taylor’s Full Social Theory of Deviance (FTSOD)
- 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
Burke - Criticisms of Neo-Marxism
Too general to explain crime & too idealistic to tackle crime
White-Collar Crime
> Done by people with high status, through their occupation
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
Scale of Corporate Crime (Tombs)
> Does more harm > street crime, huge costs e.g. deaths, injuries, pollutions
> Not just by a few, but widespread & routine
Examples of Corporate Crime
> Financial Crimes
> Against Consumers
> Against Employees
> Against Environment
> State CC
Reasons for Invisibility of Corporate Crime
> Media > Lack of Political Will > Complex > De-Labelling > Under-Reporting
Media - Reasons for Invisibility of Corporate Crime
> 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 Corporate Crime
> 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 Corporate Crime
Law enforcers under-resourced & lack technical expertise to investigate effectively.
De-Labelling - Reasons for Invisibility of Corporate Crime
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 Corporate 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 Corporate Crime (4)
> Strain Theory > Differential Association > Labelling Theory > Marxism
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 (Differential Association) - Explanations of CC
> Criminal behaviour is learned from associating with people with criminal attitudes, leads us to be deviant ourselves.
> Culture of business favours aggressive personality types willing to achieve through crime - becomes socialised.
Techniques of Neutralization (DA) - Explanations of CC
> People deviate easier if they produce justifications to neutralise objections to it
> e.g. say they were carrying orders from above or say everyone’s doing it.
Labelling- Explanations of CC
MC able to negotiate non-criminal labels for behaviour
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
General Criticisms of Marxism - Explanations of CC
Doesn’t explain crime of non-profit organisations e.g. state
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
