class, power and crime Flashcards
What do Marxists believe about capitalism?
Capitalism is criminogenic; it causes crime.
How does poverty relate to crime in a capitalist society?
Poverty may mean that crime is the only way the working class can survive.
What type of crimes can arise from the need for consumer goods in capitalism?
Utilitarian crimes such as theft.
What may lead to frustration and aggression, resulting in non-utilitarian crimes?
Alienation and lack of control.
What does Chambliss state about laws in a capitalist economy?
Laws to protect private property are a cornerstone.
What is Snider’s argument regarding the capitalist state?
The capitalist state is reluctant to pass laws that regulate businesses or threaten profitability.
What do Marxists believe about the enforcement of laws?
There is selective enforcement; powerless groups are criminalized while crimes of the powerful are ignored.
What does Pearce theorize about the function of laws in capitalism?
Laws give capitalism a ‘caring’ face and create a false consciousness among workers.
How does selective enforcement affect the perception of crime?
It makes crime appear largely as a working-class phenomenon.
Fill in the blank: Marxists believe that the state enforces the law ______.
selectively.
True or False: All classes commit crime equally according to Marxists.
True.
What is a consequence of the selective enforcement of laws for the working class?
It divides the working class by encouraging them to blame criminals for their problems.
What do Taylor et al criticize Marxists for?
Economic determinism
They argue that crime is a meaningful action and a conscious choice.
According to Taylor et al, what motives can drive crime?
Political motives
For instance, to redistribute wealth from the rich to the poor.
What is the view of criminals according to Taylor et al?
They are deliberately striving to change society
Criminals are not passive puppets shaped by capitalism.
What is ‘a fully social theory of deviance’?
A framework produced by Taylor et al to understand crime in society.
What does the fully social theory of deviance take into account?
It 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 according to Taylor et al?
The unequal distribution of wealth and power in capitalist society.
What are the immediate origins of the deviant act?
The context in which the individual decides to commit the act.
What does the act itself refer to in the context of Taylor et al’s theory?
Its meaning for the actor.
What are the immediate origins of social reaction?
The reactions of those around the deviant act.
What are the wider origins of societal reaction?
Who has the power to define actions as deviant and to label others, and why some acts are treated more harshly than others.
What does the effects of labelling refer to?
What effects the deviant act has on future actions.
What do Reiman and Leighton argue about the treatment of crimes committed by high-class people?
The more likely a crime is to be committed by high-class people, the less likely it is to be treated as an offence.
What is the prosecution rate comparison between street crimes and crimes committed by higher classes?
There is a much higher rate of prosecutions for typical street crimes committed by poor people.
What type of crimes are more likely to receive a forgiving view from the justice system?
Crimes committed by the higher classes, such as tax evasion.
What are the three types of costs associated with corporate crime as noted by Tombs?
- Physical (deaths, injuries, illnesses)
- Environmental (pollution)
- Economic (to consumers, workers, taxpayers, and governments)
Fill in the blank: The more likely a crime is to be committed by high-class people, the less likely it is to be treated as an _______.
[offence]
True or False: Crimes committed by higher classes are treated more harshly than those committed by lower classes.
False
What is the media’s role in the perception of corporate crime?
The media gives very limited coverage to corporate crime, reinforcing the stereotype that crime is a working-class phenomenon.
This contributes to public misunderstanding of the prevalence and seriousness of corporate crime.
What is the political stance on corporate crime compared to street crime?
Politicians’ rhetoric of being ‘tough on crime’ only applies to street crime, indicating a lack of political will to tackle corporate crime.
This disparity highlights potential biases in political priorities.
What challenges do law enforcers face in addressing corporate crime?
Law enforcers are often understaffed, under-resourced, and lack technical expertise.
These limitations hinder effective investigation and prosecution of corporate crime.
What is delabelling in the context of corporate crime?
Delabelling refers to the process where corporate crime is consistently filtered out from the process of criminalisation at the level of laws and legal regulations.
This results in corporate crimes being less visible and less likely to be prosecuted.
Why is corporate crime often under-reported?
Individuals may be unaware they have been victimised by corporate crime.
This lack of awareness contributes to the invisibility of corporate crime in public discourse.
