marxism and crime Flashcards
what is white collar crime characterised by?
- fraud
- tax evasion
- corporate manslaughter
- bankrupting a nation
what is blue collar crime characterised by?
benefit fraud, shoplifting, muder, breaking health and safety, speeding, assault, rape
Bonger
- capitalist economy has a detrimental influence on society, allowing criminal behaviours to create and flourish
- the ruling class control of the state gives it the power to:
1. make and enforce the law to its advantage
2. protect its pirvelaged position in the class structure
3. criminalise any behaviour that threatens its property/power
what are the 3 main elements of the marxist theory of crime?
- criminogenic capitalism (capitalism creates crime, allowing it to flourish)
- the state and law breaking
- ideological functions of crime and law
David Gordon
- crime is a rational response to capitalism so is found in all social classes, even through official statistics make it appear that largely w/c commit
- capitalism creates greed, competition, materialism, consumerism— which are all values that drive crime
- dog eat dog society- competetive and brutal, vicious
however, does this explain all types of crime?
Chambliss 1972
- ppl in all social classes feel the pressure in a capitalist society to ‘get on’ and improve their positions
- wc and mc have different ways of doing this
- they both use crime but wc are more likely to get caught than the middle class who are better equipped to protect themselves
Reiman 2001
- street crimes are much more likely to be reported and dealt with by police, while white collar crime is less likely (it is backstage and often covert)
- law enforcement look for stereotypical criminals- labelling
- slsective enforcement reproduces class inequality
- fearmongering and showing the power of the state- always watching
- proof of street crime is physical but white collar can be online- fraud is easier to commit since it is less visible and harder to track
Hughes and Langan 2001- why is it hard to catch white collar crimes?
- low visibility- street crimes are highly visible while white collar crimes are in offices and hidden fromt the public gaze. Media makes sure we’re aware of any epidemic and the consequences
- complexity- large scale crime is highly complex and hard to unravel and blame
- diffusion of responsibilty- difficult to apportion blame as many ppl involved
- diffusion of victimisation- refers to victimless crimes, if there’s no obvious individuals involved it’s less likely to pursue claims
Snider 1993
capitalist state is reluctant to pass laws that excessively challenge/regulate the activities of businesses or threaten their profitability
Frank Pearce
laws appear to be for the benefit of the working class, like workplace safety laws but…
plays into ideological function of crime + law = it is only superficial and such laws often only benefit the working class too
What do marxists think about the state and lawmaking?
- law making and enforcement only serve interests of capitalism
- the ruling class have the power to prevent the introduction of laws that would threaten their interests-> few laws seriously challenge the unequal distribution of wealth!
Althusser and crime
ISA-> media can pick and choose, name and shame. Institutions provide informal social control
RSA-> enforce law via physical methods eg 2011 riots, police responses to black lives matter protests
economic base determine superstructure
Evaluation of Althusser’s theory on crime
- theoretical and no research to support
- people can reject the ideology of the ruling class without resorting to actions that cause the RSA to intervene
- democratic principles in the UK require the state to obtain the consent of the masses in order to govern
