Marxism And Criminology Flashcards
Marxism
- Crime is not caused by individual defects but rather the defects of social organization (social structure); influenced by class dynamics and the material conditions of life
- criminalization protects capitalism and reflects the interest of the group in power (bourgeoisie)
- Studied the evolution and progress of civilization
- method of socioeconomic analysis (economy, social class, work)
- Believed capitalism exploited labour and the working class, ultimately creating the condition for a revolution
→ a system that is fueled by its workers; harsh working conditions where people are sacrificing themselves to work (losing humanity)
→ class struggle in an industrial capitalist society
Historical materialism
historical materialism: history of class struggle and the interaction between classes
→ social classes and modes of production (everything that goes into the production of the necessities of life) create the conditions of existence
→ means of production: instruments to create capital (large industrial complexes)
→ social relations of production: how members of society interact within the economic system (means of production, distribution of commodities, consumption)
→ evolution of modes of production: transitioning towards socialism (a social state between the overthrow of capitalism and the realization of communism); societies evolve through the different modes of production (several modes can coexist but one is dominant)
Classes in a capitalist society
- Social classes of capitalism are shaped by the mode of production (economic system)
- class struggle (dialectics) between the working class/proletariat and the wealthy/bourgeoisie
- subdivision of classes:
→ lumpenproletariat: less important and unemployed
→ petty bourgeoisie: own small businesses and have more similarities to the working class - when the class struggle is unstable a new mode of production must emerge (communism and socialism)
→ the movement towards socialism would result in an eradication of classes
Cultural theory
- “Base and superstructure”
- the maintenance of power through force (coercion) or by ideology
→ ideology/superstructure: set of structured values, beliefs, and ideas that hide the exploitation of labour; governing without the use of force
→ base: the economy and mode of production - the superstructure convinces the workers that capitalism is natural and the exploitation of labour is inevitable (prevents workers from revolting)
State and law
- Can act as a superstructure
- state: political authority and its legitimacy to govern
→ is a product of society (makes decisions on behalf of what the people want) but also stands above society (there are distinctions)
→ considers itself impartial and neutral (apart from the class struggle); ideological distortion can be caused by the manipulation of the ruling class - functions:
→ represent and promote the interests of the ruling class
→ enforce compliance with the social order (ex. Criminal justice system)
→ mislead the notion of being a neutral mediator
Capitalism as unjust
- Freedom: is not considered the individual right to do anything but rather to not be exploited
- demoralization: the psychological condition of workers under capitalism (could be used as an explanation for working-class crimes)
→ constantly subjected to law and coercion
→ social condition ignored by the state
→ demoralization and brutalizations as a loss of morality
→ attempt to mentally escape from capitalist exploitation
Conflict theory
- Approaches to understanding social relations (social order and the nature of authority)
Consensus:
→ agreement on basic social values
→ cooperation and collaboration
→ social change occurs slowly
→ society chooses leaders based on shared principals (consensual authority)
Conflict:
→ disagreement on basic social values
→ competition; society formed by groups with conflicting interests
→ social change is disruptive
→ authorities conquer power and rule through domination (law represents private interests)
Conflict theory—Turk
- Conflict and domination between authorities and subjects
→ authority: those in power who make political decisions about social order
→ subjects: those who have little influence on the political decisions - law would be the mechanism used to resolve conflicts about acceptable values and behaviour
- the probability of criminalization relies on the power balance between enforcers and resisters (how threatened enforcers feel by resisters)
→ powerful enforcers do not feel threatened, low chance of criminalization
→ power difference is not significant, criminalization is more likely
Radical criminology
- reaction against conventional criminology
→ radical and critical approach based on Marxism and the labelling theory - critiqued capitalist societies and their crime control policies
- goal is to understand why some acts are criminalized and how capitalism creates class patterns of crime
Radical criminology—Spitzer
- Capitalist societies achieve harmony through dominance (dominant group ensures stability)
→ acts that disrupt the dominance (challenge class and socioeconomic order) are labelled as deviant - crimes are disturbances to social harmony (people who challenge the norms of capitalism and capitalist social relations)
→ question the exploitation of labour, refuse to have a stable job, attempt to escape social conventions, adopt an alternative mode of socialization
Two processes of labelling and creating a problem population
→ direct: product of the contradictions of capitalism; surplus population (unemployed) must be controlled because it may rebel (revolutionary potential)
→ indirect: product of the contradictions in social control institutions; people who wouldn’t feel the need to revolt but become revolutionary due to critical consciousness
Two problem populations
→ social junk: people who are a problem due to their inability to participate in the capitalist marketplace (burden/social cost to society;harmless)
→ social dynamite: those who are a political threat to the system and challenge the capitalist relations
Left realism
- Study of conventional crimes and the disorganizing effect of modern life (ex. Individualism, alienation, limited opportunities for social and political participation)
- crime is caused by relative deprivation (caused by capitalism) and selfish attitudes
- the working class suffers from crime and crime repression
Left realism—Lea and Young
- Demarginalization:
→ less imprisonment (more community service and victim restitution (giving back what has been lost)
→ incarceration only in cases of extreme danger - preemptive deterrence: citizen groups in cooperation with the police
- reform policing: public service accountable to the community
