CRIME AND DEVIANCE TOPIC 3: CLASS, POWER AND CRIME

Question 1

in what way do MARXISTS agree with labelling theory?

Answer 1

• the law is enforced selectively (biased) to set up people (the w/c) to be penalised more harshly

Question 2

in what way do MARXISTS criticise labelling theory?

Answer 2

-fails to explain why labelling is caused in the first place (due to power inbalances)

Question 3

how do MARXISTS view capitalist society?

Answer 3

-capitalism is a root cause of crime

Question 4

what is criminogenic capitalism?

Answer 4

-the nature of capitalism causes crime
-crime is inevitable in capitalism as it is the very thing that causes it =it’s based on the exploitation of the w/c, by exploiting them

Question 5

what does GORDON say crime is?

Answer 5

Gordon (1976) - crime is a rational response to the capitalist system and hence it’s found in all social classes, despite officials statistics presenting as a w/c phenomenon

Question 6

what are 3 ways in which capitalism may lead to w/c crime?

Answer 6

-SURVIVAL: there is a wealth-divide= leads to people needing to survive by stealing goods such as food or medication due to poverty
-MATERIALISM: can’t afford material goods= commit crime to gain access to what the m/c are privileged to have already.
-FRUSTRATION: capitalism creates power inequalities= use crime to vent their anger into something.

Question 7

what is the state and use of law making? (CHAMBLISS)

Answer 7

-lawmaking and law enforcement serves only the interests of the capitalist class
-Chambliss (1975) suggests that laws which protect private property are the cornerstone of the capitalist economy

Question 8

what is an example to explain the marxist view of the law?

Answer 8

-East African countries e.g. Kenya didn’t operate on a financial economy so the British introduced compulsory taxation-> the only way to pay was to work= exploitation of these workers

Question 9

according to SNIDER, what laws is the state reluctant to pass?

Answer 9

-laws which restrict the policies of big businesses

Question 10

what is selective enforcement?

Answer 10

-law applied to those who are lower-class in society
-while the powerless groups like the w/c and ethnic minorities are criminalised, the police and courts tend to ignore the crimes of m/c

Question 11

according to PEARCE, why are some laws passed that seem to benefit the w/c?

Answer 11

-Pearce (1976) suggests they solely keep workers fit for work to benefit the ruling class, giving capitalism a ‘caring’ face and creating false consciousness among workers (tricking workers into thinking the system cares about them)

Question 12

why are some laws rarely enforced?

Answer 12

• rarely enforced= using them would weaken the power of the m/c
  -e.g. few businesses are prosecuted when a worker dies at work

Question 13

what is the impact of selective law enforcement?

Answer 13

• divides and rules the population by making w/c people think that other w/c people are responsible for society’s problems

Question 14

how do the media and criminologists contribute to the portrayal of criminals?

Answer 14

• criminal are just ‘disturbed individuals’= distracting from capitalism as a cause of crime

Question 15

what are 5 criticisms of marxist theory?

Answer 15

• ignores non-class issues (gender inequalities/ethnicity issues)
• deterministic= not everyone commits crime as its only a minority)
  -low crime rates in some capitalist societies
  -criminal justice system does prosecute rich people
  -crime is INTRA-CLASS (between 2 classes e.g. w/c and m/c)
  (crimes like burglary and ‘mugging’ which cause harm to individuals)

Question 16

NEO-MARXISM: what are 3 ways TAYLOR ET AL agree with marxists?

Answer 16

-capitalism is a source of inequality and conflict
-the state makes laws which benefit the powerful
-In a classless society there would be less crime

Question 17

NEO-MARXISM: according to TAYLOR ET AL, in what way is marxism deterministic?

Answer 17

-it assumes people are driven to commit crime by external factors linked to capitalism so thus ignores other factors

Question 18

according to NEO-MARXISTS what is a voluntaristic view?

Answer 18

-people make a conscious choice to commit a particular offence

Question 19

what are 2 main sources of a full social theory of deviance?

Answer 19

• traditional marxism
  -interactionism and labelling theory

Question 20

what are the 6 aspects of a fully social theory of deviance?

Answer 20

1) understand how wealth is distributed
2) consider particular circumstances that can influence the individual
3) consider the deviant act itself (why did they do it?)
4) understand why wider society react to what happens e.g. gun violence
5) understand who has the power to make a difference (ppl w/ power to enforce law)
6) understand the impact of labelling the individual a “criminal” and society are influenced

Question 21

according to REIMAN AND LEIGHTON how are crimes committed by higher classes treated in comparison to ‘street crimes’ ?

Answer 21

-when wealthy ppl are less likely to be punished but street crimes get punished frequently and harshly

Question 22

according to SUNDERLAND what is white collar crime?

Answer 22

-crime committed by a person of responsibility and high status

Question 23

what are the differences between occupational crime and corporate crime?

Answer 23

• occupational: individuals benefit from committing the crime e.g. embezzlement

-corporate: employees commit offences to make company gains

Question 24

what’s an example of something which can be harmful but doesn’t break the law?

Answer 24

-administrative offences e.g. using loopholes to avoid tax

Question 25

in what way is PEARCE AND TOMBS’ definition of white collar crime different from SUNDERLAND’S?

Answer 25

• actions which break civil law should be treated as criminal

Question 26

according to PEARCE AND TOMB why does corporate crime do more harm than street crimes

Answer 26

-dodging paying 💰 causes more harm than claiming 💰
-e.g. in 2013 £1.2 billion of benefits was claimed fraudently but in the same year £34 billion of expected taxes were not paid!

Question 27

what is financial crime? (CORPORATE CRIME)

Answer 27

-crimes committed for financial gain

Question 28

what are crimes against consumers? (CORPORATE CRIME)

Answer 28

• crimes committed against consumers

Question 29

what are crimes against employees? (CORPORATE CRIME)

Answer 29

• crimes committed against employees

Question 30

what are crimes against the environment? (CORPORATE CRIME)

Answer 30

• crimes committed against the environment
  e.g. crude oil spillage

Question 31

what is state-corporate crime? (CORPORATE CRIME)

Answer 31

-crimes committed by the government agencies for their own interests

Question 32

what’s an example where someone of high-status profession used their position to commit crime?

Answer 32

• Dr Harold Shipman: as a doctor he was expected to help heal people but abused his power by exploiting his patient’s trust and killing them for his own benefit

Question 33

reason for the invisibility of corporate crime: media

Answer 33

• the media ignores corporate crime or describes it in a ‘sanitised way’ which makes it seem less serious

Question 34

reason for the invisibility of corporate crime: lack of political will

Answer 34

• politicians fail to be tough on corporate crime and do little research into its frequency

Question 35

reason for the invisibility of corporate crime: the crimes are often complex

Answer 35

• law enforcers lack the means to investigate and prosecute offenders
  (most influential)

Question 36

reason for the invisibility of corporate crime: de-labelling

Answer 36

• corporate crimes have been de-labelled as civil rather than criminal offences and offenders are rarely prosecuted

Question 37

reason for the invisibility of corporate crime: under-reporting

Answer 37

• corporate crimes are under-reported as individuals may not realise they’ve been victimised/ may feel uncomfortable taking on corporations in court

Question 38

why has corporate crime become more visible since 2008?

Answer 38

• growth of agencies which investigate such offences and more media coverage of them has been done

Question 39

explanations of corporate crime: strain theory

Answer 39

• according to BOX: it explains how companies who can’t maximise profits legally use criminal means instead=
  innovate in order to make more 💰 = law violations committed inc. their financial performance

Question 40

explanations of corporate crime: differential association

Answer 40

• joining a culture of illegal practices which are socialised into the ‘normal’ = adopting an ‘enterprise culture’

Question 41

explanations of corporate crime: labelling theory

Answer 41

• don’t see what they’re doing as a crime, m/c are less likely to be charged due to the capitalist system since they seem to have ‘fewer incentives’ to commit crimes

Question 42

explanations of corporate crime: marxism

Answer 42

• corporate crime is driven by values of capitalism, law enforcers are more willing to ignore crimes of ruling class