Class,Power and Crime

Question 1

What if the first step to Criminogenic Capitalism / how does capitalism create crime ?

Answer 1

1- Capitalism creates poverty by paying low ages to generate profit. This can lead to crime as workers will have a poor standard of living and can’t afford necessities so can turn to e.g stealing.

Question 2

What if the second step to Criminogenic Capitalism / how does capitalism create crime ?

Answer 2

The media advertises products which make individuals feel like they need those products to fit in. These products keep capitalism thriving. If individuals can’t afford them it can lead to crime

Question 3

What if the third step to Criminogenic Capitalism / how does capitalism create crime ?

Answer 3

As a result these individuals will be alienated from society for not keeping up with the modern day capitalism seen as easy. This can lead to crime because individuals may act in a certain way society them to and feel no reason to try.

Question 4

Marxists argue that the nature of capitalism generates crime amongst the most powerful in society because…..

Answer 4

• increased composition to generate profit
• having money to cover their tracks
• they tend to be the ones making money

Question 5

What do Functionalists see the law as ?

Answer 5

See the law as a reflection of society’s shared norms and values and crime as the product of inadequate socialisation into their values

Question 6

What does Walter B Miller say?

Answer 6

Argues that the lower class have developed an independent subculture with its own distinctive norms and values, leading to lower class having a high crime rate

Question 7

Give the 1st Marxists reasons for crime

Answer 7

-poverty may mean that crime is the only way the WC can survive

Question 8

Give the 2nd Marxists reason for crime

Answer 8

Crime may be the only way they can obtain the consumer goods encouraged by capitalist advertising resulting in crime.

Question 9

Give the 3rd Marxists reason for crime

Answer 9

Alienation and lack of control over their lives may lead to frustration and aggression resulting in violence

Question 10

What is the name/title of Hall’s study ?

Answer 10

Policing the Crisis

Question 11

How is Hall’s study useful ?

Answer 11

It shows how society/ the ruling class manipulates and distracts us from the real problem.

Question 12

How is Hall’s study an illustration of a Neo-Marxist approach to understanding crime?

Answer 12

Crime is a meaningful action and a concise choice by the actor.

Question 13

What is the role of power in Hall’s case study?

Answer 13

The ruling class are using moral panic to oppress the working class

Question 14

What do Marxists and Neo Marxists agree about ?

Answer 14

Society is based on the exploitation of the working class with the interests of the ruling class. Capitalism should be replaced with a classless society

Question 15

How do Neo Marxists disagree with Marxists?

Answer 15

They argue that Marxism is deterministic. Neo Marxists see crime as a conscious choice whereby the criminal is deliberately trying to change society

Question 16

How can the Neo Marxists approach be criticised ?

Answer 16

Feminists -
Focuses on male criminality

Left Realists -
They romanticise working class crimes

Question 17

How do feminists criticise the Neo Marxists approach?

Answer 17

They see it as too focused on male criminality and ignoring female crime

Question 18

Give a Neo Marxists sociologist

Answer 18

Taylor

Question 19

How do Marxists agree with labelling theory

Answer 19

Both think that the law is biased against the working class and is selectively enforced

Question 20

How do Marxists criticise labelling theory?

Answer 20

It doesn’t examine the wider structures of enforcement and offending

Question 21

How is capitalism criminogenic?

Answer 21

Exploitation of the working class created inequality so they need crime to survive or get frustrated and capitalism encourages greed leading to white collar crime.

Question 22

What is the ideological function of laws and crime ?

Answer 22

Appear to benefit working class but are enforced less often so created a false consciousness

Question 23

What is a strength of Marxism?

Answer 23

Puts a wider structural context in place

Question 24

What are the weaknesses of Marxists ?

Answer 24

Deterministic and ignores non-class factors such as gender

Question 25

How do left realists criticise the Neo Marxists approach ?

Answer 25

They argue that it romanticises the working class and doesn’t take it seriously

Question 26

What is white collar crime ?

Answer 26

Crime committed by a high status individual in their course of job

Question 27

What is occupational crime ?

Answer 27

Crime committed by employees for personal gain against an organisation

Question 28

What is corporate crime ?

Answer 28

Crime committed by employees on behalf of their organisation

Question 29

What are some types of corporate crime ?

Answer 29

• Financial crime (Tax evasion)
• Crime against consumers (selling unfit goods)
• Crime against employees (discrimination)
• Crimes against the environment (pollution)

Question 30

How do high status professionals abuse our trust ?

Answer 30

We trust them with our health and security which gives them the opportunity to misuse this such as fraud in the NHS in Sutherland

Question 31

How does white collar crime undermine society according to Sutherland ?

Answer 31

It promotes doubt and mistrust of basic institutions

Question 32

What are the reasons why white collar crime is invisible?

Answer 32

• lack of media
• de labelling
• underreporting
• complexity
• lack of will

Question 33

How does media contribute to the invisibility of corporate crime?

Answer 33

They give it limited coverage and use language that make it seem more like a technical issue rather than crime

Question 34

How does the lack of will to investigate corporate crime lead to it being seen as invisible?

Answer 34

More effort is focused on street crime

Question 35

How does Merton use strain theory to explain crime ?

Answer 35

When people can’t achieve socially approved goals by legitimate means, they use illegal ones. (WC)

Question 36

How does Box expand on Merton’s strain theory to explain corporate crime ?

Answer 36

When a company can’t expand profits by legitimate means, they employ illegal ones instead

Question 37

How does Sutherland use differential association to explain corporate crime ?

Answer 37

Learned from others in a social context so if the culture of a company justifies it , employees will be socialised into criminality

Question 38

What did Geis find about differential association and white collar crime ?

Answer 38

When people entered companies with illegal price fixing they became involved in it as part of their socialisation

Question 39

How can labelling theory be used to explain why white collar crime is so widespread?

Answer 39

They are less likely to be labelled as criminal so have the power to avoid prosecution leading to it being more common

Question 40

How to Marxists explain corporate crime?

Answer 40

They see it as a part of normal functioning of capitalism.

Question 41

What does Box argue about white collar crime ? (Marxists)

Answer 41

The ideology that white collar crime is not widespread or harmful is popular