class, power and crime

Question 1

what are marxist views on crime?

Answer 1

crime is inevitable in a capitalist society as it encourages poverty, competition and greed
the working class are largely criminalised for their actions because the ruling class controls the state and can enforce laws based on their own interests - this is perhaps why white collar and corporate crime are largely ignored

Question 2

what is criminogenic capitalism (marxism)?

Answer 2

this means that capitalism causes crime - poverty may mean that crime is the only way that the working class can survive (theft) and obtain consumer goods encouraged by capitalist advertising

Question 3

what is the state and law making - Chambliss and Sinder (marxism)?

Answer 3

laws to protect private property are the cornerstone of capitalist economy
the capitalist state is reluctant to pass laws that threaten the profitability of businesses

Question 4

what is selective enforcement - (marxism)?

Answer 4

the working class and ethnic minorities tend to be criminalised whilst the crimes of the powerful goes ignored

Question 5

what are the ideological functions - Pearce (marxism)?

Answer 5

laws give capitalism a ‘caring face’ and creates a false consciousness among workers - this is because the state enforces the law selectively and so crime comes across as a working class phenomenon in order to protect the ruling class - this divides the working class by encouraging the workers to blame the criminals in the midst of their problems, rather than capitalism

Question 6

what is neo-marxist views on crime and deviance - (Taylor)?

Answer 6

criticises marxists for being economically deterministic and instead views crime as a meaningful action and a conscious choice - she produces a fully social theory of deviance to understand crime in society;
- wider origins of the deviant act - unequal distribution of wealth
- immediate origins - the context in which the individual decides to commit the act
- the act itself and its meaning
- immediate origins of social reactions
- the wider origins of social reactions - who has the power to define and label actions as deviant

Question 7

what are white collar and corporate crimes - (Reiman and Leighton, Tombs)?

Answer 7

the more likely crime is committed by the ruling class the less likely it is going to be categorised as deviant
corporate crimes have serious implications of death, pollution and economic effects of its consumers, workers, taxpayers and the government

Question 8

what is the invisibility of corporate crime?

Answer 8

• the media; limited coverage of corporate crime - reinforces stereotypes
• lack of political will
• crimes are complex - law enforcers tend to be understaffed, under resourced and lack technical expertise
• delabelling - corporate crimes tend to be filtered out from the process of criminalisation
• under-reported - individuals may be unaware that they have been victimised

Question 9

what is differential association explanation of corporate crime (sutherland)?

Answer 9

views crime as behaviour learned form others in a social context - the less we associate ourselves with law abiding citizens and the more time we spend with people with criminal attitudes; the more likely we are going to become deviant ourselves