marxism and new criminology

Question 1

Explain how crime can be seen as a form of resistance?

Answer 1

those involved in crime are not only victims of capitalists laws, but through crime are resisting the dominance and inequalities of the system.
crime is fight back against oppression

Question 2

explain how the manipulation of values causes working class crime?

Answer 2

what’s seen as criminal is defined and controlled by ruling class.
capitalism controls our perceptions through the media

Question 3

explain the law creation argument for crime statistics?

Answer 3

law is reflection of the will of the powerful
state often spends large sums of money trying to attract investments from corporations and thus govts are reluctant to jeopardise the investment by imposing laws to regulate the company.

Question 4

Explain how tax avoidance and benefit fraud can be used as examples of law creation?

Answer 4

CEO’s can move money around accounts to avoid paying tax, this is legal
however, benefit fraud is sought after by govt vigorously, shows laws bias against working class.

Question 5

explain the law enforcement argument for explaining working class crime?

Answer 5

laws enforced selectively, police surround working class areas and therefore are more likely to uncover working class crime

Question 6

explain the motivation for crime to explain working class crime?

Answer 6

capitalists societies, focus is on acquisition of wealth and competition
desire for money infiltrates every strata of society.

Question 7

Who says crime is criminogenic and what does this mean?

Answer 7

Gordon-foundation of capitalism instils and promotes individualism and selfishness leading it to promote utilitarian crime.

Question 8

What does Reiman say about the kind of crime capitalism instigates?

Answer 8

it does not just encourage utilitarian crime
murder, rape and violence can also be explained. Economic failure is source of shame and can cause an individuals to feel frustrated and turn to crime.

Question 9

How can we use the Grenfell tower as a case study for capitalist crime?

Answer 9

government did not carry out proper health and safety regulations on tower, they decorated tower in clad that’s combustible.
government shouldn’t have used clad.

Question 10

What do Taylor, Walton and Young say to show that Marxism aligns with neo-Marxism perspectives of crime?

Answer 10

both say class conflict and inequality is the cause of crime
state makes and enforces law in interest of the powerful
replacing capitalism with a classless society would reduce crime

Question 11

Why is the Marxist perspective of crime different to the neo-Marxist perspective?

Answer 11

Marxism is deterministic. example- idea that economic inequality forces people to commit crimes.
also criticise functionalism and sub-cultural theories

Question 12

What are some examples of crimes of the powerful?

Answer 12

corporate crime
state crime
breaking health and safety laws
organised crime
fraud
environmental crime

Question 13

What does Sutherland say about white collar crime?

Answer 13

“White collar crime” is a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation

Question 14

What’s an occupational crime as a type of white collar crime?

Answer 14

committed by employees for own personal gain

Question 15

What’s a corporate crime as a type white collar crime?

Answer 15

committed by employers for their organization in pursuit of its goals
example- making money

Question 16

What are some examples of contemporary white collar crime?

Answer 16

MP’s expenses scandal 2009- mp;aclaiming expenses that they were not owed, an illegal activity
only a few faced incarceration, most just had to pay the money back

Question 17

How can the media lead to the invisibility of white collar crime?

Answer 17

upper class control the media, therefore will not implicate themselves in crime.

Question 18

How can politics lead to the invisibility of white collar crime?

Answer 18

politicians are the ones committing the crime themselves. can use street crime as a political weapon to distract from corporate crime.

Question 19

How can the police lead to the invisibility of white collar crime?

Answer 19

focus time and resources on undercovering working class crime

Question 20

How can the law lead to the invisibility of white collar crime?

Answer 20

laws created are centred around the ruling class interest

Question 21

How can under reporting lead to the invisibility of white collar crime?

Answer 21

people don’t report corporate crime, may work for corporation. May not know you have been a victim.

Question 22

How are white collar crimes becoming more visible?

Answer 22

pressure groups shed new light on corporate crime, public awareness

Question 23

How can we use the strain theory to explain corporate crime?

Answer 23

Box-if company cannot achieve goal of maximising profit by legal means, may employ illegal ones
Clinard and Yeager-law violations by large companies increased as their financial performance deteriorated

Question 24

How can we use differential association to explain corporate crime?

Answer 24

Sutherland- crime is behaviour learned from others. if company’s culture justifies committing crimes, so will employees.
Geis- individuals joining companies where price- fixing illegally was practiced become involved as part of their socialisation

Question 25

How can we use de-labelling to explain corporate crime?

Answer 25

Neiken-businesses have the power to avoid negative labelling
example-can afford lawyers to help avoid culpability of crimes committed like tax avoidance

Question 26

How can we use techniques of neutralization to explain corporate crime?

Answer 26

Skye’s and Matza- individuals can deviate more easily if they can produce justification tom neutralize deviance
example- white collar crimes may say they were carrying gout orders from above

Question 27

How can we use Marxist theory to explain corporate crime?

Answer 27

Box- capitalism caused mystification spreading the ideology that corporate crime is less than working class crime
Pearce- This sustains the illusion that it is the exception rather than the norm.

Question 28

What are some of the organised crimes Chambis identifies?

Answer 28

illegal gambling, bookmarking, prostitution, pornography and illegal distribution of drugs

Question 29

What does Chambis’ mean when he says that those involved in organised crime in America “belong to the political and economic elite”?

Answer 29

made up of leading businessmen, political leaders and law enforcement officers.

Question 30

How does Chambis study support the Marxist theory of crime?

Answer 30

working class people built their way up to become more powerful through crime, world of capitalism in crime.