Marxism Flashcards
what do traditional Marxists argue
Traditional marxists argue that society’s institutions act to promote the interests of the bourgeoisie. Crime is another institution in society that promotes those interests. The bourgeoise influences crime by defining what crime is and controlling the CJS. They also argue that capitalism promotes greed which leads to crime. Marxists agree with interactionists that the law is enforced disproportionately against the working class and therefore OCS cannot be taken at face value. They criticize interactionists for failing to examine the wider structure of capitalism which affects how the law is applied.
3 elements of crime
criminogenic capitalism
the state’s role in law-making and enforcement
the ideological functions of crime and the law
sociologist behind criminogenic capitalism
Gordon
criminogenic capitalism
For Marxists, crime is inevitable in capitalist society because capitalism is criminogenic, by its very nature it causes crime. Capitalism is based on the exploitation of the working class and according to Marxists this gives rise to crime. The WC live in poverty in a world obsessed with material wealth and crime is the only way for the working class to survive, this leads to utilitarian crime. Alienation and lack of success nay lead to frustration and aggression resulting in non-utilitarian crime such as violence and vandalism
how else does criminogenic capitalism cause crime
it encourages greed and self-interest, making people want things they lack and so they turn to crime. for the working class, they turn to crime to obtain goods they lack, for example the 2011 UK riots - WC youths in salford manchester engaged in sporadic looting of priced goods they cant afford, and for Gordon this is because capitalism encourages greed which leads the proletariat turning to crime to satisfy that need.
analysis of criminogenic capitalism
Gordon argues that crime is a rational response to the capitalist system and hence it is found in all social classes even though OS makes it appear to be a working-class phenomenon.
Gordon views the cause of crime to be capitalism itself as it causes greed and selfishness because of this criminogenic nature, the WC commit the most crime as they are more likely to suffer from strain.
middle class crime and criminogenic capitalism
Crime is not only confined to the WC. The MC are also stimulated to be greedy and are encouraged by profit to commit white collar crimes. Though little attention is paid to MC crime because the bourgeoise control the RSAs and ISAs so overlook these crimes. More focus is paid to WC crime as a way of dividing and conquering the WC
solution to crime
According to Gordon, the ultimate solution to crime would be communism. Under communism, there would be no greed since every thing would be shared ‘from each according to their own needs to each according to their own ability’
eval of criminogenic capitalism
- echoes mertons strain theory
- marxists argue that WC commit violent crime because they suffer from strain but not all WC people commit crime - deterministic. Pensioners are one of the poorest people and they do not commit crime
- it ignores the relationship between crime and non-class identities such as ethnicity and gender according to feminists
- According to realists it is too sympathetic to WC criminals and ignores the real victims such as WC victims of WC crimes. LR argue that it is difficult to see WC criminals as victims of capitalist society because they commit crime against other WC people
states role in law making sociologist
Chambliss
states role in law making and enforcement
Laws are not an expression of the value consensus as functionalists contend but instruments of the MC that reflect their values and serve their interests according to Marxists. Chambliss argues that crime only appears to be a WC phenomenon because the bourgeoise make laws in their interests and use agents of social control to protect their interests by criminalizing those who oppose them
ways the bourgeoise control the state
control law making
control the RSA to influence how laws are influenced controlling the narrative, ensuring the way wider society views crime is in their interests. This is done by controlling the ISA, especially the media
control law making
For chambliss, crime only appears to be a WC phenomenon because the bourgeoise controls areas of the state involved in law-making. They control the state body that makes the law so that laws are made in their favor. According to Sinder, the bourg control how laws are made by preventing the introduction of laws that challenge their capitalist status, regulate their activities, or threaten their popularity, most laws focus on protecting the influence or interests of the state, such as tax avoidance, most laws are concerning property rights meaning crime committed majorly by the WC. Thefit and burglary are most likely to be reported.
control the RSA
They influence how the law is enforced by controlling the RSA, this makes it possible for law enforcement to act in protection of bourgeoise interests against the working class, this is done through extensive police control in poor areas. For eg. the guardian article 2021 reported that 683 officers were deployed to birth schools with many assigned to areas of high deprivation, another way is that large corporate crime mostly committed by the MC are rarely investigated by the police
controlling the ISA
They control the way society learns about crime by controlling the ISA, meaning anything they consider a crime becomes a crime. As a result, little coverage or focus is placed on MC crime, this reinforces the stereotype that crime is a WC phenomenon. According to Croal, the media describe crime using soft language like con used to describe theft as opposed to fraud which should be used. According to Croal, the bourgeoise control the narrative around crime to ensure focus is placed less on their crime and more on WC crime
what was Chambliss’s study
Seattle Study
seattle study
He interviewed prostitutes, pimps, police officers, governors, chiefs, and drug runners. He found that crime was present in every strata of society but only the WC were getting caught, this is because of power and influence. Wealth helped give the MC a pass. He found that 70% of reported and recorded crime was for drunken disorder in working-class areas, this was because the police were focusing their attention on WC areas ignoring MC crime. He also found that Mc crime such as fraud, embezzlement, and organized prostitution was ignored by the police and courts because law enforcement focused all their attention on the low level criminals and ignore upper class crime
eval of states’ role in law-making
Laws are sometimes made against the interests of the bout - Marx would argue, however, this is an ideological function in making the system look impartial
MC doesn’t control the ISA, the media report crime as it appears
Func - the RSA are simply agents of social control who work to ensure that the value consensus is adhered to they do not necessarily act to repress the WC
the ideological function of crime and the law-
For marxists, crime plays a role in manipulating the beliefs and attitudes of the working class. Blaming the WC for crimes is ideological and the real problems are not those in prisons but corporate criminals who have stolen the wealth of the people
