Class, power crime Flashcards
1
Q
What do Marxists argue about capitalism & crime?
A
- capitalism is criminogenic >
- Marxist believe capitalism inevitably produces crime as it is based on the exploitation of the w/c forcing them into poverty > giving rise to crime; e.g.
- economic inequality pushes individuals into crime as a means of survival (theft, fraud)
- promotes consumerisms, desire for products they cannot afford (lead to utilitarian crime)
- workers feel alienated > leads to frustration & aggression
2
Q
Why do the upper class commit crime according to Marxists?
A
- the drive for profit encourages greed and ruthless competition ‘dog eat dog’ culture > encourages capitalists to commit white collar & corporate crimes e.g. tax evasion
3
Q
Evaluation of Capitalism being criminogenic
A
- ignore that not all capitalist societies have high crime rates
- ignores role of individual choice in criminal behaviours
4
Q
How do Marxist see the state and law making? use examples
A
- see them as primarily serving the interests of the ruling class
- Chambliss> legal system is designed to protect private property which benefits capitalists
- e.g. in colonial Africa the British forced local people to work in capitalist economies by imposing a tax that could only be paid in cash > which could only be earned by working on the plantations as wage labourer’s
- thus the law serves their economic interests because laws against corporate tax evasion are weakly enforced & laws against w/c crimes are strictly applied
5
Q
Evaluation of the Marxist view on the state & law making
A
- some laws do protect the w/c e.g. minimum wage laws, safety regulations etc.
- social movements & democracy can challenge laws that favour the elite > underestimate this
- explains why corporate crime is under regulated
6
Q
How does the law and crime serve an ideological function according to Marxists?
A
- law & state help to maintain the capitalist system by shaping public perceptions
- some laws appear to benefit the w/c (e.g. workplace safety laws) but Pearce argues these laws ultimately benefit the r/c by keeping workers healthy & fit to work
- creates a false consciousness > making workers believe capitalism cares for them
- in some cases these protective laws not even strictly enforced (e.g. corporate manslaughter laws)
7
Q
Evaluation of the law & crime as an ideology
A
- some laws do protect workers
- assumes people passively accept ideology without questioning it > many w/c movements challenge capitalist policies Gramsci > organic intellectuals
- left realist argue that some some crimes are intra-class
8
Q
What is the Anti determinism approach by neo-Marxists?
A
- reject Marxists explanation of crime as they see it as too deterministic (commit crime due to economic necessity)
- Taylor et al > take a voluntarist view (free will) > crime is committed as a meaningful political act e.g. thefts & riots as a deliberate attempt to challenge capitalism (redistributing wealth)
- actively tying to change society
9
Q
What is Taylor et al’s fully social theory of deviance?
A
- consider 6 aspects that must be considered when analysing crime
- wider origins of deviant act > how wealth & power are unequally distributed
- immediate origins of deviant act > specific situation in which person decides to commit crime
- act itself> meaning of the act for the individual
- immediate origins of societal reaction> police, media reaction
- wider origins of societal reaction > role of capitalism in shaping laws
- effects of labelling > how it affects person future actions
10
Q
Evaluation of Neo -Marxist
A
- romanticises criminals as political revolutionaries when many crimes e.g. DV have no political motivation > ignores victims
11
Q
What is white collar crime and the two types?
A
- Sutherland defined white collar crime as crimes committed by individuals of high social status in their occupations
- occupational crime > committed by individuals for personal gain (embezzling funds)
- corporate crime > committed by employees on behalf of a corporation
12
Q
What is the scale of corporate crime and what types of corporate crime are there?
A
- Tombs> corporate crime has enormous effects as it affects millions of people
- financial crimes
- crimes against consumers
- crimes against employees
- environmental crimes
- state-corporate crime
13
Q
Why is corporate crime often invisible?
A
- media bias > media focuses more on street crime reinforcing the stereotype that it is mainly committed by the w/c & corporate offenses are often reported in softer terms e.g. financial irregularities
- lack of political will > governments reluctant to prosecute corporate crime because businesses have political influence thus focus on street crime
- under reporting > victims of corporate crime may not realise they have been affected or may not even regard it as a real crime if they are aware
- de-labelling > corporate crime is filtered out from the process of criminilastion E.G. offences often defined as civil not criminal
14
Q
Evaluation of the invisibility of corporate crime
A
- there is increasing awareness of corporate crime due to activism, social media etc
- invisibility not absolute as some corporate crimes did receive media attention e.g. 2008 financial crisis scandals
15
Q
What are the 4 explanations of corporate crime?
A
- strain theory
- differential association
- labelling theory
- Marxism
16
Q
How does the strain theory explain corporate crime?
A
- Merton > argues that people turn to crime when they cannot achieve success through legitimate means, e.g. if opportunities to achieve goal of material wealth are blocked, individuals may innovate to acquire it
- businesses under financial pressure (cannot achieve its goals of maximizing profit) may engage in illegal activities e.g. tax evasion, fraud to maintain profits
e.g. documentary on corporate crime found that law violations by large companies increased as their financial performance deteriorated
17
Q
Evaluation of the strain theory as an explanation for corporate crime
A
- some businesses under economic strain do not turn to crime
- does not account from crimes committed by already successful corporations
- alternative explanations
18
Q
How does the differential association theory explain corporate crime?
A
- Sutherland > argues that deviant behaviour is learned through interaction with others in a social context
- in corporate environments employees may be socialised into criminal behaviour through workplace norms that justify illegal actions as necessary for success (material wealth)
- e.g. Geis found that illegal price fixing became normalized in industries where new employees were socialised into such practices > suggesting crime becomes accepted as part of the business culture leading to conformity to the majority and more routine violations
- linked to deviant subcultures (groups that share the norm) & techniques of neutralisation (justifications to neutralise moral objections e.g. victim blaming, or that everyone’s doing it)
19
Q
Evaluation of structural differentiation explanation for corporate crime
A
- ignores power structures > corporate crime is a rational choice by powerful individuals
- highlights the impact of group influence on criminal behaviour rather than seeing crime as individual decision
- alternative explanations
20
Q
How does the labelling theory explain corporate crime?
A
- w/c crime more likely to be labelled (Cicourel study expand)
- Labelling theorists argue that corporate crime is often not perceived as “real” crime because of power dynamics in the CJS
- Unlike street crime, corporate crime is frequently de-labelled—avoiding public condemnation and legal punishment
- As Nelklen notes that businesses & professionals have the resources to evade legal consequences by hiring lawyers, accountants, and PR teams
- moreover, corporate crimes, such as environmental violations are often labelled as regulatory infractions rather than criminal offenses
- powerful individuals define what counts as “crime,” corporate offenses are often overlooked or punished less severely than working-class crimes > Means OS underestimate extent of CC > not to be taken at face value
21
Q
Evaluation of the labelling theory as an explanation of corporate crime
A
- explains why corporate crime remains invisible or under punished despite its large scale harm > highlighting the power inequalities in the legal system
- does not explain why corporate crime occurs in the first place (differential association theory or strain are better)
- Marxists view > ruling class controls the state so corporate crime is under policed
22
Q
How do Marxists explain corporate crime?
A
- Marxists argue that corporate crime is an inevitable consequence of capitalism > Businesses operate in a system that incentivizes exploitation, fraud, & environmental harm to maximize wealth
- capitalism has thus created a ‘mystification’ > spread of ideology that portrays corporate crime as less harmful & less widespread than w/c crime
- while some corporate crimes are persecuted Pearce argues that this sustains the illusion that it is as an exception rather than the norm in order to maintain public confidence in capitalism
- this highlights how governments are reluctant to pass or enforce laws that heavily regulate big businesses, as this could hurt economic growth > leading to more corporate crime as a result
23
Q
Evaluation of Marxism as an explanation of corporate crime
A
- Overemphasizes economic motives—some corporate crimes are committed due to individual greed or organizational culture, not just capitalism
- ignores non-capitalist state crimes—authoritarian socialist states have also engaged in economic crimes and corruption
- Left realists would argue that corporate crime is partly due to relative deprivation—business leaders commit crime when they feel their profit levels are threatened compared to competitors
