Marxism and crime Flashcards
What does it mean for capitalism to be “criminogenic” according to Marxists?
Marxists believe that capitalism encourages crime due to its emphasis on economic self-interest, greed, and personal gain. Crime is viewed as a rational response to the competitiveness and inequality inherent in capitalist society.
According to Marxists, why is working-class crime more visible than middle-class crime?
Working-class crime is more visible due to factors such as poverty (survival needs), feelings of alienation, capitalist advertising promoting materialism, and experiencing relative poverty, which fuels frustration and leads to crimes like theft or vandalism.
Why do Marxists argue that the upper class commits crime?
The upper class commits crime to maintain wealth and power. They are driven by ruthless competition within capitalism, and their crimes often go unnoticed or are allowed to continue due to their social status.
How do Marxists explain the occurrence of crime in the structure of society?
Marxists argue that laws, predominantly shaped by the bourgeoisie, are ideologically constructed to expose working-class crime rather than the crimes of the powerful. Laws primarily serve the interests of the ruling class and aim to control and monopolize the right to legitimate violence through state apparatuses such as law, police, and the army.
What does Snider’s analysis of capitalist societies reveal about laws and corporate interests?
Snider’s analysis shows that laws threatening the interests of large corporations, such as health and safety laws, are rarely passed unless forced by public crisis or union agitation. For instance, only a minimal percentage of companies violating health and safety laws face prosecution.
How does Chambliss illustrate the ideological function of laws in maintaining capitalism?
Chambliss’s analysis of the plague era illustrates how laws, supposedly aiming to create fairness, fixed wages, ultimately undermined workers’ bargaining power. This scenario showcased laws creating an illusion of equality while maintaining capitalist interests.
What did Chambliss argue about property law in the US and UK?
Chambliss argued that most laws in the US and UK revolve around property law, primarily protecting property owners. He suggested that the criminal justice system selectively controls the working class while protecting the rich.
How did Graham’s research support Chambliss’s perspective on the application of laws?
Graham’s study on the illegal drug trade during the US “war on drugs” revealed that laws targeted drugs that didn’t profit the bourgeoisie. Pharmaceutical companies engaged in amphetamine production were left mostly unrestricted, showcasing selective law enforcement.
What does Neo-Marxism suggest regarding criminal behaviour and social structures?
Neo-Marxism proposes that social structures shape criminal behaviour but individuals, through agency, assign meaning to their crimes. Criminals are seen as victims of social stigma actively resisting elements of capitalism.
What are the considerations of the Fully Social Theory in understanding criminal motivations?
The Fully Social Theory considers wider social origins, immediate origins, the meaning of the act to the deviant, societal reactions, and the impact of societal reactions on future behaviour to understand criminal motivations.
What were Stuart Hall’s findings regarding black muggers in the UK in the 1970s?
Hall’s findings suggested that a “crisis of capitalism” led to disproportionate unemployment among black individuals. Some turned to crime due to a lack of opportunities. Additionally, there was a deliberate effort to create moral panic about street crime by black people, aiming to prevent radical political change.
What concept did Taylor, Walton, and Young develop to understand deviance?
They developed a Fully Social Theory of deviance that considered both structural forces and individual agency in understanding deviant behaviour.
How did laws serve the ruling class according to Pearce’s argument?
Pearce argued that laws, while appearing to assist the working class, actually functioned as a smokescreen, diverting attention from capitalist exploitation. Laws created an illusion of equality but sustained capitalist interests.
Why did Stuart Hall suggest a moral panic about street crime was fostered in the 1970s UK?
Hall suggested that a moral panic was deliberately fostered to divide the working class, turning white workers against black workers, and preventing anti-capitalist political activism.
What did Neo-Marxists propose about the relationship between social structures and criminal behaviour?
Neo-Marxists proposed that social structures shape criminal behaviour, but individuals assign meaning to their crimes through agency, resisting elements of capitalism.
