Marxism

Question 1

1/4: Consumerism and Greed

Answer 1

• Capitalism values consumerism (constantly wanting more)
• Socialised from a young age to value consumerism (see parents spending lots on consumer goods - cars, holidays) -> seen as normal
• TV adverts give children false needs (must have them or they won’t be happy) and they use their pester power to get what they want
• Culture of Envy - WC want the consumer goods the MC have but cannot afford due to low wages -> turn to utilitarian crimes to get what they want
• Culture of greed and self-interest in the MC, desire to be the best and make the most profit = commit white-collar crimes to be wealthier and more successful than other business (out-compete)
  E.g. commit fraud to support a luxurious lifestyle (expensive clothing, sports cars etc.)

AO3 - Similar to Merton’s Strain Theory - Innovation
Ignore the victims of crime

Question 2

2/4: Laws Benefit the Ruling Class

Answer 2

• Laws created and enforced by the ruling class to protect their interests
• Laws about private property because the ruling class own all of it, want to keep their property safe
• Laws keep the WC in a state of false class consciousness
• Health and safety laws give capitalism a ‘caring face’ - WC believe they are being looked after whilst the ruling class ensure they have fit and healthy workers to make more profit

AO3 - Functionalist would argue laws benefit everyone as they ensure society runs smoothly (reduces injuries in the workplace and ensures they get treatment if they do get injured)

Question 3

3/4: Selective Policing

Answer 3

• Laws are enforced selectively
• Police spend most of their time arresting WC offenders because they fit the police stereotype (deprived background)
• Benefits the ruling class, police focus on WC crimes, shifting public attention, so MC crimes which cause the most harm, like corporate fraud, gain less attention
• More victims and can lead to money being taken away from public services such as the NHS
• WC in a state of false class consciousness and crime is seen as a WC phenomenon, letting the MC get away with their crimes and remain in power (don’t have to fear WC revolution)

AO3 - moral entrepreneurs keep MC crimes hidden, media coverage of WC crimes make the public label WC offenders as real criminals (not the MC and RC)

Question 4

4/4: Class Bias in the CJS

Answer 4

• CJS tend to be more lenient towards MC offenders compared to WC offenders
• MC offenders usually given a lighter sentence/warning, do not fit the police stereotype, usually the crime is seen as a one-off situation or an error in judgement
• Use their economic capital to get a lighter sentence or to get their case dropped (pay for better lawyers)
• Cultural capital - parents use this to convince the judge their child is sorry and it won’t happen again, child let off with a warning

AO3 - 2018, US judge, 16 year old boy’s case was dismissed, and all charges dropped due to his good family and excellent grades
Filmed himself with a girl and shared it with friends (SA,R)

Question 5

Neo-Marxism: Hall et al - Policing the Crisis

Answer 5

• Applied Taylor, Walton, and Young’s fully social theory of deviance (combine Labelling theory with Traditional Marxism) to study muggings in the 1970s
• 1970s -> UK faced an economic and political crisis, leading to many unemployed and homeless people
• Riots, strikes and muggings were common, creating a crisis of hegemony
• Also increasing conflict between the police and the black community
• ‘Black mugger’ was chosen as a scapegoat to blame all of society’s problems on and shift attention away from the real cause (Capitalism)
• Exaggeration by the media about the no. of muggings created a moral panic
• ‘Black mugger’ became a folk devil and publicly demanded more police presence, moral panic was used to justify harsh and aggressive policing against the black community (more stop and searches)
• Resulted in growing distrust and hostility for the police from the black community
• Moral panic helped to reassert hegemony (dominance and acceptance of ruling class ideas by the rest of society), distracted the public from the fact that Capitalism was to blame for the economic and political crisis

AO3 - negative stereotyping still exists today the police and the black community -> 8x more likely to be stopped and searched compared to other ethnic groups in the UK