Class, power and crime Flashcards
What is the main point?
Marxists believe crime is inevitable in a capitalist society because it encourages poverty, competition and greed. Although all classes commit crime, the working class are largely criminalised for their actions because the ruling class control the state and can make and enforce laws in their own interests. In this instance, white collar and corporate crimes are often ignored.
What do Marxists believe about class and crime?
Believe crime occurs as a result of capitalism, working class feel they have no escape than to commit crime.
Upper class get away with crime as they are able to cover it up with money etc
What is criminogenic capitalism?
Marxists believe capitalism is criminogenic. Poverty may mean that crime is the only way w/c can survive. Crime also may be the only way the working class can obtain consumer goods encouraged by capitalist advertising, resulting in utilitarian crimes such as theft. Alienation and lack of control may lead to frustration and aggression, resulting in non-utilitarian crimes such as violence and vandalism.
What do Marxists say about the state and law making?
Chambliss state that laws to protect private property are a cornerstone of the capitalist economy.
Snider argues that capitalist state is reluctant to pass laws that regulate the activities of businesses or threaten their profitability.
What does Chambliss say?
States that laws to protect private property are a cornerstone of the capitalist economy.
What does Snider argue?
Capitalist state is reluctant to pass laws that regulate the activities of businesses or threaten their profitability.
What is selective enforcement?
Marxists believe that although all classes commit crime, when it comes to application of the law by the criminal justice system, there is selective enforcement. While powerless groups such as the working class and ethnic minorities are criminalised, the police and court tend to ignore the crimes of the powerful.
What does Pearce argue? Marxist
Laws give capitalism a ‘caring’ face, and create a false consciousness among workers. This is because the state enforces the law selectively, crime appears to be largely a w/c phenomenon. This divides w/c due to how it encourages workers to blame criminals in their midst for their problems, rather than capitalism.
What is a neo-Marxist?
New Marxism- developed as a result of social and political problems that traditional Marxist theory was unable to sufficiently address.
Which neo-marxist criticises marxism in crime?
Taylor- criticises Marxists for economic determinism and instead see crime as meaningful action and a conscious choice by the actor. Argue that crime has a political motive, criminals are not passive puppets whose behaviour is shaped by capitalism: they are deliberately striving to change society.
What is ‘a fully social theory of deviance’ ?
Taylors theory- takes into account:
The wider origins of the deviant act
Immediate origins of the deviant act
The act itself
Immediate origins of social reaction
The wider origins of societal reaction
The effects of labelling
What are the wider origins of the deviant act? Taylor
The unequal distribution of wealth and power in capitalist society
What are the immediate origins of the deviant act? Taylor
The context in which the individual decides to commit the act
What is the act itself? Taylor
It’s meaning for the actor
What is the immediate origins of social reaction and the wider origins of societal reaction? Taylor
The reactions of those around the deviant act and who has the power to define actions as deviant and to label others, and why some acts are treated more harshly than others
What are the effects of labelling? Taylor
What effects does the deviant act have on the future actions
What is white collar crime?
White-collar crime is a nonviolent crime often characterized by deceit or concealment to obtain or avoid losing money or property, or to gain a personal or business advantage. Examples of white-collar crimes include securities fraud, embezzlement, corporate fraud, and money laundering.
What is corporate crime?
Corporate crime is a type of white-collar crime committed by individuals within their legitimate occupations, for the benefit of their employing organization. It refers to situations where corporate officials commit criminal or harmful acts for the benefit of the corporation.
What do Reiman and Leighton say about crime?
Argue that the more likely a crime is to be committed by high-class people, the less likely it is to be treated as an offence. Much higher rate for prosecuting petty crimes by w/c than prosecuting more serious crimes by m/c such as tax evasion.
What does Tombs say?
notes that corporate crime has enormous costs: physical (deaths, injuries, illnesses), environmental (pollution) and economic (to consumers, workers, taxpayers and governments).
Why is corporate crime often invisible?
media, lack of political will to tackle it, crimes are complex, de-labelling, under-reported(people are unaware they are a victim of it)
What are explanations for corporate crime?
Differential association and labelling theory.
What does Box argue about corporate crime?
Box argues that if a company cannot achieve its goal of maximising profit by legal means, it may employ illegal ones instead.
What is differential association in corporate crime?
Sutherland Sees crime as behaviour learned from others in a social context. The less we associate with people who hold attitudes favourable to the law and the more we associate with people with criminal attitudes, the more likely we are to become deviant ourselves.
