class , power and crime Flashcards
3 elements of the marxist view of crime
criminogenic capitlaism
the state and law making
ideological functions of crime and law
criminogenic capitalism Ao1
crime is inevitable because capitalism is criminogenic - by its very nature it causes crime
capitalism is based on exploitation of the working class , gives rise to crime because:
poverty may mean crime is the only way they can survive
crime isn’t confined to the Wc
capitalism is a dog eat dog system of competition with the motive of profit - this desire to win at all costs encourages capitalists to commit white collar crimes
criminogenic capitalism Ao2
gordon
crime is a rational response to the capitalist system - why its found in all social classes
criminogenic capitalism Ao3 - ignores other causes of crime
focuses on class inequalities and ignores other inequalities that can lead to crime such as gender and ethnicity
the state and law making Ao1
marxists see law making and law enforcement as only serving the interests of the capitalist class
have the power to prevent the introduction of laws that threaten their interests
the state and law making Ao2
Chambliss
introduction of English laws into Britain’s African colonies
the Africans were reluctant to work so the British introduced a tax payable in cash - if not payed = punished
so they had to work to pay
serves the economic interest of capitalist plantation owners
the state and law making Ao3
the criminal justice system does sometimes go against the interests of capitalist class
ideological functions of crime and law Ao1
laws are occasionally passed that appear to be for the benefit of the Wc rather than capitalism such as health and safety laws benefit the ruling class by keeping workers fit to work
ideological functions of crime and law Ao2
law against corporate homicide - in its first 8 years there was only 1 successful prosecution
ideological functions of crime and law Ao3
not all capitalist societies have high crime rates - e.g homicide rate in Japan is 1/5 of that in USA
neo marxism Ao1
disagree with marxists that crime is deterministic - instead its voluntaristic and is a meaningful, conscious choice
combines marxist and labelling ideas
Taylor et al aim to create a ‘fully social theory of deviance’ - an understanding of crime that would make society better
a complete theory of deviance needs 6 aspects
e.g
the wider origins of the act
the immediate origins of the act
the act itself - AO2 was ut an act against capitlaism
what 3 ways does Neo-Marxism agree with traditional Marxism?
Capitalism is based on exploitation and class conflict
The state creates and enforces laws for the benefit of the ruling class.
Capitalism should be replaced with a classless society where crime would be greatly reduced
neo marxism Ao3
Burke - its too general to explain crime and too idealistic to tackle crime
crimes of the powerful - white collar and corporate crime Ao1
Sutherlands definition of ‘white collar’ (a crime committed by a person of high social status) aimed to challenge the stereotype that crime was a lower class phenomenon
problems with this is it didn’t distinguish between occupational (personal gain) and corporate (for their organisation) crimes
Pearce and Tombs widen it to include ‘intended to benefit the business’
crimes of the powerful - white collar and corporate crime AO2
corporate crimes include: crimes against employees - racial and sexual discrimination, violation of wage laws
corporate crimes are 10x more harmful than ordinary crimes
crimes of the powerful - abuse of trust AO1
we trust professionals with our health and personal information - their position gives them opportunity to abuse this trust
makes white collar crime a bigger threat to society than working class crimes because it promotes distrust of social institutions
crimes of the powerful - abuse of trust AO2
Harold Shipman killed 360 of his patients yet only received a warning for this
reasons why crimes of the powerful are invisible
the media give limited coverage of corporate crime so it reinforces the stereotype that crime is a working class phenomenon
the crimes are complex - law enforcers are understaffed, underresourced and lack technical expertise
lack of political will to tackle corporate crimes - focus on street crime instead
invisibility of corporate crime AO3 - whistle blowers
since the financial crisis campaigns such as whistle blowers inside companies make corporate crime more visible
invisibility of corporate crime AO3 - neoliberal policies
such as marketisation mean that large corporations are much more involved in peoples lives and thus more exposed to public scrutiny
explanations of corporate crime - strain theory AO1
deviance results from the inability to achieve the goals set by society in legitimate ways
explanations of corporate crime - strain theory AO2
box
if a company cannot achieve its goals of maximising profit by legal means it may employ illegal ones - law violations increased by large companies as their financial success deteriorated
explanations of corporate crime - differential association AO1
crime can be seen as behaviour learned from other in a social context
if a company culture justifies committing crimes to achieve corporate goals, employees will be socialised into this criminality
individuals can deviate more easily if they can produce justifications to moral objections to their behaviours
explanations of corporate crime - labelling theory AO1
whether a act counts a s crime depends on whether it has been successfully labelled
unlike the poor, businesses have the power to avoid labelling - can afford expenses such as lawyers to help avoid tax
explanations of corporate crime - marxism AO1
corporate crime is the result of society’s goal to maximise profits
capitalism has created a mystification - its spread the ideology that corporate crime is less widespread than working class crime
explanations of corporate crime - strain and marxism AO3
over predict the amount of business crime - unrealistic to assume all businesses would offend were it not for the risk of punishment
explanations of corporate crime - AO3 - non-profit crime s
even if the capitalist pursuit for profit is the cause of corporate crime - it doesn’t explain crime in non-profit state agencies such as police
explanations of corporate crime AO3 - law abiding
Law abiding may actually be more profitable than law breaking
e.g US pharmaceuticals that complied with regulations to obtain a license were able to access lucrative (profitable) markets
