Marxist Flashcards
What are Marxist theories on crime labelled as and why?
Left idealism- romanticised view, excuses/minimises WC crime through media so problems don’t get solved
What are the 5 ideas Marx proposes about crime?
- Crime as a form of resistance
- Manipulation of values
- Law creation
- Law enforcement
- Motivation for crime
How is crime a form of resistance?
- those in crime not just victims of captitalist laws but through crime they resist dominance of system
- crime is a fight back against oppression
How is crime a manipulation of values ?
- whats seen as criminal is defined + controlled by ruling class
- believe street crime is big threat, WC more likely be perpetrator.
- capitalists control our perceptions through media so problems
Explanation of law creation
- government creates the law
- law reflects will of powerful rather than will of people
- reluctant for legislation against economy eg minimum wage
- law protects private property therefore protects wealth of ruling class
Explanation of law enforcement
- laws enforced selectively
- street crimes more likely pursued by police than white collar crime eg benefit fraud more likely pursued than tax fraud
- inner cities= more police on patrol
Explanation of motivation for crime
- capitalist society focus on competition/wealth
- desire for money infiltrates society
- capitalism as crimingenic- ‘dog eat dog’ society
- Rerman
Rerman - motivation for crime
- capitalism doesn’t encourage utilitarian crime
- murder, rape explained as capitalism creates social injustice
Difference between utilitarian and non-utilitarian ?
Utilitarian is financially motivated crime whereas non-utilitarian is non-financially motivated
What is white collar crime?
Sutherland- crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in course of occupation.
2 types of
What are the 2 types of white collar crime?
- Occupational crime
- Corporate crime
Difference between occupational and corporate crime?
Occupational crime is committed by employees for own personal gain whereas corporate crime is committed by employees for their organisation in pursuit of its goals
How is white collar crime invisible?
Through:
1. Media
2. Politics
3. Police
4. Law
5. Underreporting
How does the media make white collar crime invisible?
Lanaguge used to describe corporate crime when reporting eg ‘accident’
How does politics make white collar crime invisible?
Governments benefit from ‘ignoring’ corporate crime through media
How does the police make white collar crime invisible?
Don’t police these crimes, hard to see/understand and easy to hide
How does the law make white collar crime invisible?
Some acts not necessarily criminal, just unethical eg. Tax loophole
How does underreporting make white collar crime invisible?
Victims don’t believe their crime will be taken seriously, hard to see/understand
Examples of harm caused by corporations
Gitswold Geotechnical Holdings being reckless instructing man to work in penious way resulted in his death
New Law of The Act criminalises corporate killing without needing to find all the blame in one individual
Explanations for corporate crime?
- Strain theory
- Differential socialisation
- De-labelling
- Marxism
- Techniques of neutralisations s
How does the strain theory explain corporate crime?
- Mertons innovation
- company cant achieve goals of maximising profit may employ illegal ones
- conditions difficult= tempted to break law
How does differential socialisation explain corporate crime?
- Sutherland
- crime as behaviour learned from others in social context
- company’s culture justifies to achieve goals
- employees socialised into this criminality
How does de-labelling explain corporate crime?
- Nelken
- businesses have power to avoid labelling eg afford expensive experts like lawyers
- helps them avoid activities like tax avoidance schemes
How does Marxism explain corporate crime?
- it’s a result of normal functioning of capitalism
- goal is to max profits and inevitably causes harm ie death of employee
- Box: mystification, ideology of corporate crime is less widespread than WC crime. Avoids making laws that conflict with its interest
How does techniques of neutralisation explain corporate crime?
- Sykes + Matza
- individuals deviate more easily if produce justification to neutralise
- eg white collar crime criminals say were carrying out orders from above, blame victims, normalise ‘everyone’s doing it’
What is state crime according to Green and Ward?
Illegal/deviant activities perpetuated by/with the complicity of state agencies
Why is state crime difficult to define?
The state is the one wanting to define and bourgeoisie is responsible for defining it
Examples of war crime
- state crimes taking place during war times so crimes easier to hide
- genocide: intent to destroy national groups
- illegal wars: eg Iraq war
- crimes during war: eg bombing civilians in Ukraine
How are state crimes policied?
State crimes defined by international laws and human rights legislation eg free speech
How are state crimes explained?
- Authoritiarian personality
- Crimes of obedience
- Modernity
How does an authoritarian personality explain state crime?
Adorno:
- willingness to obey of superiors without question
- ww2 many Germans had AP due to dispipliaran socialisation patterns
How do crimes of obedience explain state crimes?
- state crimes= crimes of conformity since require obedience to higher authority (state)
- corrupt police units, officers who accept bribes is conform,in to units norms whilst breaking law
- actions are part of role which individuals are socialised
- Hamilton
Hamilton- crimes of obedience explanation
3 features producing crimes of obedience:
1. Authorisation (acts approved)
2. Routinisation (turn act into routine= detached manner)
3. Dehumanisation (enemy as sub-human)
How does modernity explain state crimes?
- Bauman: certain key features of modern society made Holocaust positive
1. Division of labour- each responsible for one task
2. Bureaucratisation- normalised killing, making it repetitive
3. Instrumental rationality
4. Science + tech- railways transport victims to death camps
Culture of deviance
states now have to make greater effort to conceal human rights/ re-label them as not crime (Cohen)
Chambliss organised crime
- organised crime like illegal gambling, porn
- those involved in organised crime in America ‘belong to enconomic elite’ - bourgeosie
- allowed these crimes to happen bc it benefits bourgeosie
Hobbs and Dunningham organised crime
- organised crime is ‘glocal, operating like a global and international corproation
Challenge to Marxism
- WC crime against WC if its about rebellion?
- non-utalitarian crime?
- punished harshly
- often more profitable to obey law
