Class, Power, and Crime Flashcards
An econmic system where trade/industry is controlled by private owners for profit.
Capitalism
The economic base which underpins and determines everything else in society.
Infrastructure
The land, factories, raw materials, technology and labour necessary to produce society’s goods.
Means of Production
The ‘extra’ that is produced by workers which provides profit for the employer.
Surplus Value
The workers who produce things do not get full value of their work.
Exploitation
A small wealthy and powerful class who are the owners of the means of production.
Bourgeoisie
A large poorer class of non-owners, who have no means of living other than to sell their labour.
Proletariat
What the proletariat sells to the bourgeoisie in exchange for a wage/salary.
Labour Power
A lack of awareness by the working class of their own interests.
False Class Conciousness
Because the bourgeoisie owend the means of production, they could decide others factors and influence the rest of society without being ignored.
Ruling Class Ideology
The nature, organisationand values of capitalism cause crime.
Criminogenic
Crime committed for material gain, e.g. theft and fraud.
Utilitarian Crime
A crime that involves the abuse of trust and power associated with particular occupational roles.
White Collar Crime
When crime is committed for the company’s benefit.
Corporate Crime
Competition, greed, profit, consumerism, selfishness and individualism.
Capitalist Values
Marxists see these as serving the interests of the ruling class, and they get to use their own definition of crime to create laws.
The State and Law Making
Selective law enforcement
Reimann
Ideolgical functions of crime - law is part of the ideological state apparatus and in the interest of the ruling class.
Louis Althusser
Invisibility of white collar and corporate crime - Argues that the costs of corporate crime and white collar crime far outstrip the cost of blue (street) collar crime, but they are not often regarded as a serious problem by the public.
Croall
Aims to combine many of the traditional Marxist ideas with ideas from the labelling theory.
Neo-Marxism
