MARXISM

Question 1

Gordan: what are the 3 ways capitalism causes crime amongst the WC

Answer 1

1. crime may be the only way to survive - cost of living crisis
2. only way to obtain consumer goods promoted by capitalism - utilitarian crime
3. alienation and lack of control over lives leads to frustration and aggression - non utilitarian crime eg vandalism and violence

Question 2

Gordan: what does he say about capitalism being criminogenic

Answer 2

• crime is inevitable, capitalism causes crime by its very nature
• crime isnt confined to WC as capitalism is a dog eats dog system - ruthless competition amongst capitalists , profit motive promotes greed
• WCC or corporate crime is committed due to the need to win crimes such as tax evasion and breaches of h+s laws
• crime is a rational response to capitalist system occurring in all classes although official stats only show it in WC

Question 3

Gordan A03:

Answer 3

deterministic - overpredicts the amount of WC crime as not all WC people offend due to societal pressures

Question 4

pearce: what does he say about crime

Answer 4

• laws are occasionally passed to appear to benefit WC rather than capitalism laws eg h+s laws
• these laws often tend to benefit ruling class - keep workers fit for work - provides capitalism with caring face as laws create false consciousness among workers
• these laws aren’t rigoursley enforced. EXAMPLE: 2007: new law against corporate homicide, only one case prosecuted in first 8 years despite large numbers of deaths
• due to law being enforced selectively crime appears to be working class phenomenon which divides WC blaming the workers not capitalism

Question 5

Pearce: which two sociologists back him up and what do they say

Answer 5

1. Gordan: individuals who offend are labelled as social failures and seen as responsible for actions, not capitalism. Labelling criminals as animals and misfits provides justification for their imprisonments hiding them from public and embarrassing extremes of capitalism are brushed under the carpet
2. Snider: occasionally prosecuting the ruling class for their offences provides a smokescreen suggesting law is impartial. EXAMPLE; mps expensive scandal when only 2 where sent to prison

Question 6

pearce: A03

Answer 6

feminists argue he ignores the relationship between gender and crime and that the ideology that defines society is patriarchy rather than that of the ruling class

Question 7

chambliss: introduction

Answer 7

• law making and enforcement only benefits the middle class, unlike functionalists
• law protects private property of (snider): capitalist state is reluctant to pass laws regulating the activities of businesses or threaten their profitability EXAMPLE: corporation tax is kept low in uk to encourage investment

Question 8

chambliss: selective law enforcement

Answer 8

• os give the impression that crime is mainly across WC, but this is due to the selective enforcement
• crime control is focused on the wc as most likely to offend - one rule for rich, another for the poor
• higher class = less likely to be prosecuted for cries if they are more liekly to be treated more leniently

Question 9

chambliss; evidence

Answer 9

saints and roughnecks:
- both committed the same crime but the wc were criminalised and mc ignored

explain in more detail

Question 10

chambliss: A03

Answer 10

CJS does sometimes act against interests of capitalist class. EXAMPLE: prosecutions for corporate crime do occur
Laws can be passed that impact on capitalist profits. EXAMPLE: windfall taxes on energy companies

Question 11

what is stuart hall?

Answer 11

neo marxist

Question 12

stuart hall: explanation

Answer 12

• policing the crisis (hegemonic curtain)
• focused on mugging street crime in 1970s by black people
• hegemonic curtain: young black people where scapegoated for problems of society to reassert the hegemony
• moral panics are societal reaction to crime which is fuelled and exaggerated by the media. Moral panic over mugging helped ruling class
  1. public = convinced societal issues are due to immigration not capitalism
  2. gov = able to justify force to suppress groups challenging them

Question 13

A03: stuart hall

Answer 13

in our contempary media saturated society it is hard to create hegemonic curtains as establishment views are now freely available on the interent by citizen joirnalists. MC assumes we are blind to societal issues

Question 14

robin hood theory

Answer 14

• stole from rich to give to poor
• wc crime is form of resistance to ruling class

Question 15

what example does gilroy give for the robin hood theory

Answer 15

black crime in uk = form of resistance to ruling class oppression in form of police racism and harassment - can be traced as far back as slave trade

Question 16

A03: robin hood theory

Answer 16

generally wc dont commit crimes against the rich - painting criminals as modern day robin hoods = romanticising wc crime