Marxism & Neo Marxism Flashcards
A Crimogenic Society
crime = inbuilt & natural part of soc - emph econ self interest, greed, personal gain, - looking after others X priority
relative poverty means some struggle to survive / excluded from consumer society- encour crimes like theft, vandalism & violence bc perps = excluded
Gordon 1971
A Crimogenic Society
soc shouldn’t be surprised at WC crime rate = surprised there isn’t more
Selective Law Enforcement
Marxism
CJS applies law dif to dif soc groups
WC & EMGs = crim rich = ignored
Reiman (2001)
Selective Law Enforcement
ruling class m likely to commit crime but less likely to have the offence treated as a criminal one
eg social security fraud = poor com & almost always prosec - tax evasion isn’t
Selective Law Making
law reflects the interests of RC
Box - the rich often engage in activities that cause death, injury, fraud = protected under law - health & safety law - what = crime - ideo construc - serious crime = prop crim = WC X envrion damage by corps
Chambliss
Selective Law Making
law shaped to protect property & profs of rich & powerful - argues the rich & powerful = part of a crime syndicate
Snider (1991)
Selective Law Making
argues cap states will pass H&S laws / against pollution & other laws reg priv businesses only when forced by public crisis - will weaken them whenever can - don’t want to effect profitability - will impact donations
Ideological Funcs of Crime
ideo funcs of crime are to give a reason for the soc control by RC to prevent rev - crims portrayed as disturbed rather than reveal the role of cap
Pearce
Ideological Funcs of Crime
laws are occa passed which on look like benefit the WC but still benefit RC = loop holes & lack of prosecution
2007 corp hom law - in 1st 8 yrs only 1 successful pros
Ignores other causes of crime
M focuses on class inequalities & ignores others that can lead to crime eg gender & ethnicity - also completely ignores other causes outside of inequality
Passive WC / Romanticises Criminals
suggests the WC can’t help but commit crime due to economic circumstances
says crims not to blame = soc that causes behav
Crime in Communist States
if crime was a symptom of cap then com states would = crime free - not in russia & cuba
Ignores Victims
m of the victims are poor & WC if M view = true then RC = vics
Law Makers in mod democs = elected
= elected & include a range of interests - m crim laws are not controversial & = no consensus regarding greater good
Neo Marxism V Marxism
agree on:
1. soc based on exploitation
2. law = made & enforced for Bour ben
3. getting rid of cap would greatly reduce if not eradicate crime
Taylor Walton & Young
full soc theory of crime - combo trad m & interac/ label
crime as volunteerist - free will, concious choice, meaningful action, pol motivated not passive puppet
Crime as Political Act
stress crime = delib & concious act w/ pol motives so womens lib etc = example of ppl fighting back against injustice of cap - vandalism = symbolic attack on socs obsession w/ property - banksy
1.wider origins of dev act
full soc theory applied by hull 1978
1970s period of crisis in Brit - result of internat downturn of cap econ
2.immediate origin of dev act
this turmoil shown in a number of inner city riots conflict in NI & inc level of strikes - gov search for group to scapegoat to draw attention away from crisis
3.act itself
mugging according to police - m likely to be carried out by African - Car backgrounds
4.Immediate origins of social reaction
media outrage at extent of muggings linked to racism in Met Police
5.wider origins of social reaction
need to find scapegoat & case which young men from A-C backgrounds could = blamed
6.effects of labelling
a sense of injustice amoungst ethnic mins against the police led to much hostility between them & further arrests
7.the nature of the dev process as a whole
real cause of crime not addressed = hidden by CJS
Hirst 1975
Evaluation of Taylor et al 1973
critical criminology strayed too far frim trad M
Rock 1988
Evaluation of Taylor et al 1973
romantic view of crime & criminals - robin hoods
Evaluation of Taylor et al 1973
difficult to apply to theory so = m model than approach - Hull = closest
doesn’t explain all types of crime - DV
fem criticism = gender blind
Marxist Sub Cultures
centre for contemp cul studies - youth sub culs develop as a for of resistance to cap inequals
Cohen 1972 - skinheads asserting WC masc
Hebdige 1979 - resist through ritual - sub culs quickly = comercialised
Marxist Sub Cultures Evalutation
underestimates the extent to which youth sub culs are influ by consumerism
Cohen - meth probs - biased view points to prove points
Blackman (1995) ignores sub cul variations based on sexual iden, age & location
Thornton (1995) Youth sub culs = creation of media
