class , power and crime

Question 1

3 elements of the marxist view of crime

Answer 1

criminogenic capitlaism
the state and law making
ideological functions of crime and law

Question 2

criminogenic capitalism Ao1

Answer 2

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

Question 3

criminogenic capitalism Ao2

Answer 3

gordon
crime is a rational response to the capitalist system - why its found in all social classes

Question 4

criminogenic capitalism Ao3 - ignores other causes of crime

Answer 4

focuses on class inequalities and ignores other inequalities that can lead to crime such as gender and ethnicity

Question 5

the state and law making Ao1

Answer 5

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

Question 6

the state and law making Ao2

Answer 6

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

Question 7

the state and law making Ao3

Answer 7

the criminal justice system does sometimes go against the interests of capitalist class

Question 8

ideological functions of crime and law Ao1

Answer 8

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

Question 9

ideological functions of crime and law Ao2

Answer 9

law against corporate homicide - in its first 8 years there was only 1 successful prosecution

Question 10

ideological functions of crime and law Ao3

Answer 10

not all capitalist societies have high crime rates - e.g homicide rate in Japan is 1/5 of that in USA

Question 11

neo marxism Ao1

Answer 11

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

Question 12

what 3 ways does Neo-Marxism agree with traditional Marxism?

Answer 12

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

Question 13

neo marxism Ao3

Answer 13

Burke - its too general to explain crime and too idealistic to tackle crime

Question 14

crimes of the powerful - white collar and corporate crime Ao1

Answer 14

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’

Question 15

crimes of the powerful - white collar and corporate crime AO2

Answer 15

corporate crimes include: crimes against employees - racial and sexual discrimination, violation of wage laws
corporate crimes are 10x more harmful than ordinary crimes

Question 16

crimes of the powerful - abuse of trust AO1

Answer 16

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

Question 17

crimes of the powerful - abuse of trust AO2

Answer 17

Harold Shipman killed 360 of his patients yet only received a warning for this

Question 18

reasons why crimes of the powerful are invisible

Answer 18

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

Question 19

invisibility of corporate crime AO3 - whistle blowers

Answer 19

since the financial crisis campaigns such as whistle blowers inside companies make corporate crime more visible

Question 20

invisibility of corporate crime AO3 - neoliberal policies

Answer 20

such as marketisation mean that large corporations are much more involved in peoples lives and thus more exposed to public scrutiny

Question 21

explanations of corporate crime - strain theory AO1

Answer 21

deviance results from the inability to achieve the goals set by society in legitimate ways

Question 22

explanations of corporate crime - strain theory AO2

Answer 22

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

Question 23

explanations of corporate crime - differential association AO1

Answer 23

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

Question 24

explanations of corporate crime - labelling theory AO1

Answer 24

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

Question 25

explanations of corporate crime - marxism AO1

Answer 25

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

Question 26

explanations of corporate crime - strain and marxism AO3

Answer 26

over predict the amount of business crime - unrealistic to assume all businesses would offend were it not for the risk of punishment

Question 27

explanations of corporate crime - AO3 - non-profit crime s

Answer 27

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

Question 28

explanations of corporate crime AO3 - law abiding

Answer 28

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