*Marxism And Crime Flashcards
What are the 4 key points for marxism and crime?
- Capitalism is criminogenic
- All classes commit crime and crimes of capitalist class are costly
- Law made by the capitalist elite
- State practicing selective law enforcement
What is the concept that capitalism is criminogenic?
Capitalism brews criminality.
Who argues that all classes commit crime and that the crimes of the capitalist class are costly?
Gordon
Capitalist societies are ‘dog eat dog’ societies that encourages the selfish pursuit of profit
- learn its acceptable to harm others and the environment in the process
What is meant by the pursuit of self interest?
In capitalist societies, profit is the only way to ensure survival thus creating immense competitive pressure to make more money
Breaking the law can seem insignificant compared to the pressure to succeed
- pressures to break the law affect all people/classes
What is the role of materialism?
Modern capitalism exists due to the culture of consumerism/materialism that is perpetuated by advertising
Corporations benefit from advertising
Advertising presents a lifestyle that may be unattainable for many people in british society as normal
Who talks about desires to succeed and its effects?
Merton and Nightingale
For some the desire to achieve the success goals of society outweigh the pressure to obey the law
- advertising adds to this strain between legitimate means and goals of material success
Who talks about a type of upper class?
Rothkopf and the ‘superclass’
People who run global corporations are the ‘superclass’
- People at the very bottom are the lower class
Who talks about the differences between super wealthy and wealthy?
Bauman
Superwealthy effectively segregate themselves from the wealthy through living in exclusive gated communtities etc
Why is working class crime justified?
Visible evidence of massive inequalities cause a sense of injustice, anger and frustration that theyre not sharing the wealth flaunted infront of them
Who talks about economic crime being a rational response?
Chambliss
Economic crime ‘represents rational responses to the competitiveness and inequality of life in capitalist societies
Who found proof of crime being a result of capitalism?
Parry visitied Island of Anita (extremely egaliterian) and found there was an extremely lowered crime rate in these egaliterian societies
What does it mean that the law is made by the capitalist elite?
The state passes laws that support ruling class interests.
What is selective law enforcement?
The state practices selective law enforcement.
What do Marxists theorize about the values of the capitalist system?
They filter down to the rest of our culture.
What is the role of advertising in capitalism according to the text?
Advertising morphs products into fantastical images, creating consumer culture.
True or False: Chambliss argues that economic crime is a rational response to capitalist competition.
True.
What does Snider argue about capitalist states regarding regulation?
They are reluctant to pass laws that regulate large capitalist concerns.
What is the main criticism that neo-Marxists have of traditional Marxist views?
They recognize that working class criminals make an active choice to break the law.
What did Young and Taylor attempt to establish in their ‘fully social theory of deviance’?
They aimed to consider the structure of society and the impact of deviant acts.
What did Hall apply the critical criminology approach to?
Black muggers in the 1970s UK.
Fill in the blank: White-collar crime is committed by the ______ class.
middle.
What is corporate crime?
Crimes committed by companies rather than individuals.
What is a significant consequence of white-collar crime and corporate crime according to Marxists?
They exert a greater economic toll on society than ordinary crimes.
What is the estimated cost to the taxpayer in the USA of corporate bailouts due to corporate crime?
$500 billion.
