Marxist explanations of crime Flashcards
P1: What is the Marxist view on crime under capitalism?
Crime is inevitable under capitalism because capitalism itself is criminogenic – it creates conditions that lead to crime, such as inequality, competition, and alienation
How does capitalism lead to crime?
Economic deprivation: The working class commits crime out of necessity or frustration.
Alienation: Workers lack control over their lives, leading to non-utilitarian crimes like violence and vandalism.
Corporate crime: Businesses prioritise profit over safety and ethics, leading to crimes like negligence.
What is an example of corporate crime under capitalism?
The Bhopal gas tragedy (1984) – a case of corporate negligence where thousands died due to a gas leak. The company avoided legal consequences, showing how capitalism protects corporate crimes.
How does the Marxist view explain crime?
It explains why crime is more common among the working class due to economic deprivation.
It highlights how capitalism enables corporate crime, which is often ignored by the justice system.
What are the limitations of the Marxist view on crime?
Not all capitalist societies have high crime rates (e.g., Switzerland has low crime despite being capitalist).
Crime also exists in non-capitalist states, suggesting capitalism is not the sole cause of crime.
Right realists argue crime is due to poor socialisation rather than capitalism.
P2: What is the Marxist view on law-making?
Laws are created to protect the interests of the ruling class rather than society as a whole.
How do laws protect the ruling class?
Chambliss (1975): Laws primarily protect private property, benefiting the wealthy.
Snider (1993): Governments avoid strict business regulations to protect profits.
Selective enforcement: The working class is disproportionately criminalised, while elite crimes are ignored.
What is an example of laws protecting the ruling class?
Immigration laws: Criminalise ethnic minorities while benefiting capitalists who exploit migrant labour.
How does Marxist theory explain law enforcement?
Law enforcement is biased, disproportionately punishing the poor and minorities.
Corporate crimes, like tax evasion, are often ignored, showing how the system protects the elite.
What are the limitations of the Marxist view on law-making?
Some laws protect the working class (e.g., health and safety laws), though Marxists argue these serve capitalism by maintaining a healthy workforce.
Functionalists argue laws reflect a collective conscience rather than class interests.
Feminists argue Marxism ignores how the law perpetuates gender inequality.
What is the Marxist view on the ideological function of crime?
Laws and crime serve an ideological function by maintaining class divisions and creating false consciousness.
How do laws maintain class divisions?
Pearce (1976): Health and safety laws appear to protect workers but ultimately benefit employers by keeping employees productive.
Crime is associated with the working class, dividing them and preventing unity against capitalism.
The media reinforces this by focusing on street crime while ignoring white-collar crime.
What is an example of media bias in crime reporting?
Grenfell Tower fire (2017): Negligence by wealthy landlords led to the deaths of working-class residents, yet legal action was minimal
How does Marxist theory explain the ideological function of crime?
Crime is manipulated to serve ruling-class interests.
The justice system criminalises poverty while protecting the wealthy.
What are the limitations of the Marxist view on ideological functions?
Left realists argue Marxists overemphasise class and ignore intra-class crimes (e.g., working-class people committing crimes against each other).
P4: What is the Neo-Marxist view on crime?
Neo-Marxists, such as Taylor, Walton, and Young (1973), argue that crime is not just economic but also a conscious, political act against oppression
How do Neo-Marxists explain crime?
Crime can be a form of resistance against capitalism, particularly among the working class.
They developed a “fully social theory of deviance” to understand the wider social context of crime.
What is an example of crime as resistance?
London Riots (2011): Acts of looting and vandalism can be seen as responses to social inequality rather than mindless criminality.
How is Neo-Marxism useful in explaining crime?
It explains why crime is sometimes a form of resistance rather than just economic desperation.
What are the limitations of Neo-Marxism?
Left realists criticise Neo-Marxists for romanticising criminals as “Robin Hood” figures when most crime harms the working class.
