Crime And Deviance - Marxist & Neo Marxist Perspectives Of Crime And Deviance Flashcards
RECAP: What are the main points on Marxism?
it is a conflict approach where the conflict is between the social classes & behaviour is seen as mounted to the social structure
Social inequality is the force behind crime
What are traditional Marxist theories on crime and deviance?
Capitalist society is criminogenic
The law reflects ruling-class interests & ideology
Selective law enforcement
How is capitalist society seen as criminogenic?
Crime is seen as in-built & a natural outgrowth of capitalist society as it emphasises economic self-interest, greed & personal gain
Crime is a rational response to competitiveness & the inequality of life in capitalist society (profit seen more important that others’ wellbeing)
Relative poverty has some people struggling to survive -> encourages crime which arises from hostility & frustration at social exclusion
What is social exclusion?
When people are excluded from full participation as a member of mainstream society & cannot participate in education, work etc.
SOCIOLOGIST: What does Gordon say about society being criminogenic?
It is surprising that in these circumstances the working class are not committing more crime
How is the law seen as reflecting ruling-class interests & ideology, in capitalist society?
Laws not expression of value consensus -> Chambliss -> instruments of working class & reflect values & beliefs of the ruling class
Heart of capitalism -> protection of private property & other interests -> state acts as criminal in line with these basic concerns
Laws appear to benefit everyone -> have ideological, manipulative function of providing a smoke screen that law is even-handed, when this isn’t the case (opposite)
SOCIOLOGIST: What does Box say about how the law reflects ruling-class interests & ideology?
Serious crime definition is ideologically constructed -> identified as crime e.g. property crime, violence committed by members of the w.class -> rather than major harm caused by corporations (e.g. environmental damage)/ governments (e.g. human rights violations) -> agencies of social control protect ruling-class interests & power & criminalise those who oppose them
SOCIOLOGIST: What does Snider say about how the law reflects ruling-class interests & ideology?
Argues capitalist states pass health & safety laws/laws against pollution when forced to do so by public crises/unions -> strengthen them reluctantly, weaken wherever possible & rarely enforce them (In a manner calculated to do as little as possible to impede profitability)
How is law enforcement selective? Include Chambliss & Pearse’s views
Official statistics -> crime is mainly presented as a w.class phenomenon due to selective law enforcement
Chambliss -> 1 law for rich, 1 for the poor (crime mainly focused on them, & they’re more likely to be prosecuted) -> Higher classes -> less likely to be prosecuted & let off more leniently
Biggest amount of crimes -> committed by ruling class <- Pearse (“the crimes of the powerful” -> form of white collar & corporate crime e.g tax evasion/breaches of health & safety)
o Such crimes rarely prosecuted (even if discovered)
o Selective law enforcement -> gives impression most crime committed by disturbed w.class & diverts their attention from their exploitation & directs it to members of their own class (individuals blamed for crime)
What are neo-marxist theories on crime & deviance?
Attempt to develop more sophisticated approach to crime
Argue traditional Marxist theories too deterministic -> suggesting people driven into crime by forces out of their control
Suggest no one forced to commit crime -> crime voluntary act
Also suggest w.class crimes e.g. vandalism/burglary are meaningful & symbolic political acts of resistance to w.class oppression
W.class criminals -> Robin Hood figures (taking action against inequality, misdirected into criminal acts rather than trad.forms of political activism)
Adopted by Gilroy -> sees black crime as a form of resistance to ruling class oppression in form of police racism & harassment
Who developed the new criminology?
Taylor et al
What is the new criminology & what is their perspective on crime & deviance?
Developed by Taylor et al -> suggested to fully understand crime & deviance, how it is socially constructed/motivations of offenders & meanings they gave to their crimes -> necessary to draw on structural & interactionalist approaches
They developed a ‘fully social theory of deviance’ which explores 6 dimensions
What are the 6 dimensions explored by the ‘fully social theory of deviance’?
The wider social origins of deviant act -> wider context of crime (e.g. capitalism & unequal distribution of wealth & power/period of economic/political crisis)
The immediate origins of deviant act -> specific situation leading criminals to choose to commit deviant acts (e.g. unemployment)
The actual act & what is means to the deviant -> seen as a political act against ruling class/resistance to police racism/Robin Hood act/alternative to job in paid employment/supports drug habit?
Immediate origins of societal reaction -> how do other people react to it? (E.g., police/family/deviant/victim)
Wider origins of social reaction -> how does wider society/social system react? (E.g those who label acts as deviant (media/police)) why are some acts treated harsher than others?
Outcomes of societal reaction on the deviant’s further action -> what happens when they’re labelled as deviant? (Stops reoffending/leads to bitterness, resentment or acceptance of label/ development of deviant career & further deviance?)
What is the new criminology, applied by Hall et al & what did it suggest?
o Study of black crime (particularly mugging in 1970s) -> suggested crime used to reassert dominance of ruling class hegemony when it was under threat due to political & economic crisis
Achieved by diverting people’s attention from wider structural causes of crisis onto people mugging by scapegoating young black people
To reassert hegemony -> ruling-class-owned media stirred up public
Exaggerated problem of black crime & created demands for it to be stamped out
o Suggested social reaction fuelled by media exaggeration created moral panic (shown by public concerns about alleged black crime wave -> helped justify more repressive & aggressive policing -> became means of re-establishing ruling class hegemony in society & cracking down on opposition to ruling class
RECAP: What is hegemony?
Dominance in society of ruling class’s ideas over others & acceptance of them by rest of society
