Class,Power and Crime Flashcards
What if the first step to Criminogenic Capitalism / how does capitalism create crime ?
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.
What if the second step to Criminogenic Capitalism / how does capitalism create crime ?
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
What if the third step to Criminogenic Capitalism / how does capitalism create crime ?
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.
Marxists argue that the nature of capitalism generates crime amongst the most powerful in society because…..
- increased composition to generate profit
- having money to cover their tracks
- they tend to be the ones making money
What do Functionalists see the law as ?
See the law as a reflection of society’s shared norms and values and crime as the product of inadequate socialisation into their values
What does Walter B Miller say?
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
Give the 1st Marxists reasons for crime
-poverty may mean that crime is the only way the WC can survive
Give the 2nd Marxists reason for crime
Crime may be the only way they can obtain the consumer goods encouraged by capitalist advertising resulting in crime.
Give the 3rd Marxists reason for crime
Alienation and lack of control over their lives may lead to frustration and aggression resulting in violence
What is the name/title of Hall’s study ?
Policing the Crisis
How is Hall’s study useful ?
It shows how society/ the ruling class manipulates and distracts us from the real problem.
How is Hall’s study an illustration of a Neo-Marxist approach to understanding crime?
Crime is a meaningful action and a concise choice by the actor.
What is the role of power in Hall’s case study?
The ruling class are using moral panic to oppress the working class
What do Marxists and Neo Marxists agree about ?
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
How do Neo Marxists disagree with Marxists?
They argue that Marxism is deterministic. Neo Marxists see crime as a conscious choice whereby the criminal is deliberately trying to change society
How can the Neo Marxists approach be criticised ?
Feminists -
Focuses on male criminality
Left Realists - They romanticise working class crimes
How do feminists criticise the Neo Marxists approach?
They see it as too focused on male criminality and ignoring female crime
Give a Neo Marxists sociologist
Taylor
How do Marxists agree with labelling theory
Both think that the law is biased against the working class and is selectively enforced
How do Marxists criticise labelling theory?
It doesn’t examine the wider structures of enforcement and offending
How is capitalism criminogenic?
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.
What is the ideological function of laws and crime ?
Appear to benefit working class but are enforced less often so created a false consciousness
What is a strength of Marxism?
Puts a wider structural context in place
What are the weaknesses of Marxists ?
Deterministic and ignores non-class factors such as gender
How do left realists criticise the Neo Marxists approach ?
They argue that it romanticises the working class and doesn’t take it seriously
What is white collar crime ?
Crime committed by a high status individual in their course of job
What is occupational crime ?
Crime committed by employees for personal gain against an organisation
What is corporate crime ?
Crime committed by employees on behalf of their organisation
What are some types of corporate crime ?
- Financial crime (Tax evasion)
- Crime against consumers (selling unfit goods)
- Crime against employees (discrimination)
- Crimes against the environment (pollution)
How do high status professionals abuse our trust ?
We trust them with our health and security which gives them the opportunity to misuse this such as fraud in the NHS in Sutherland
How does white collar crime undermine society according to Sutherland ?
It promotes doubt and mistrust of basic institutions
What are the reasons why white collar crime is invisible?
- lack of media
- de labelling
- underreporting
- complexity
- lack of will
How does media contribute to the invisibility of corporate crime?
They give it limited coverage and use language that make it seem more like a technical issue rather than crime
How does the lack of will to investigate corporate crime lead to it being seen as invisible?
More effort is focused on street crime
How does Merton use strain theory to explain crime ?
When people can’t achieve socially approved goals by legitimate means, they use illegal ones. (WC)
How does Box expand on Merton’s strain theory to explain corporate crime ?
When a company can’t expand profits by legitimate means, they employ illegal ones instead
How does Sutherland use differential association to explain corporate crime ?
Learned from others in a social context so if the culture of a company justifies it , employees will be socialised into criminality
What did Geis find about differential association and white collar crime ?
When people entered companies with illegal price fixing they became involved in it as part of their socialisation
How can labelling theory be used to explain why white collar crime is so widespread?
They are less likely to be labelled as criminal so have the power to avoid prosecution leading to it being more common
How to Marxists explain corporate crime?
They see it as a part of normal functioning of capitalism.
What does Box argue about white collar crime ? (Marxists)
The ideology that white collar crime is not widespread or harmful is popular
