marxist theories, class power and crime

Question 1

whats does marxists believe?

Answer 1

society as a structure in which the economic base determines the shape of the superstrucure made up of other social insititutions (state, law criminal justice system)

Question 2

according to marxists, what is the function of society?

Answer 2

to serve the ruling class interest and maintain the capitalist economy - capitalist society explains crime

Question 3

what does traditional marxists bvelieve generates crime and deviacne?

Answer 3

the expoitative structure of capitalism - legal system is not neutral body but reflects the economic, legal and moral interest of the ruling class

Question 4

what are the two societital opposiing camps?

Answer 4

proletariat and bourgeoisie who have a conflict of interest

Question 5

what does marxists focus on?

Answer 5

• power
• conflict
• expoitation
• domination

Question 6

what are the 4 main elements of crime according to marxists?

Answer 6

• criminogenic capitalism
• the state of law making
• selective enforcement
• ideological functions of crime and law

Question 7

what is criminogenic capitalism?

Answer 7

the very nature of capitalism it causes crime

Question 8

how does criminogenic capitalism explain crime and deviance?

Answer 8

capitalism involves expoitation of the working class results living in poverty and means that crime is the only way the working class can survive

Question 9

how does alienation result in crime and deviance?

Answer 9

capitalism may lead to fustration and aggression, leading to non ulartarian crimes such as vandalism and violence

Question 10

why is crime not confined to the working class?

Answer 10

gordon - crime is a rational response to capitalism hence its found in all classes

Question 11

maxwells study

Answer 11

middle class may commit corportate crime because of the greedy nature of capitalism (tax fraud, white collar crime)

Question 12

how does the state of law making expain crime and deviance?

Answer 12

the process of law making reflect the views of the ruling class

chambliss - law protects private property support the foundations of capitalism
capitalist state is reluctant to pass laws that challenge the unequal distribution of wealth

snider - capitalist state are reluctant to pass laws that regulates the activites of businesses or threaten their profitability

Question 13

how does ideological function of crime and law explain crime and deviance?

Answer 13

pearce - laws benefit the ruling class keeping workers fit for work by giving capitalism a ‘caring face’ - support the false class consciousness

laws are passed to apear to be for the benefit of the working class rather than capitalism

Question 14

how does selective enforcement explain crime and deviance?

Answer 14

while all classes commit crime, criminal justice process makes selective enforcement

Question 15

what is selective enforcement?

Answer 15

the idea that the powerless or working class groups are more likely to be criminalised than crimes committed by the powerless

Question 16

what is an example of an ideological function of law making?

Answer 16

jenabi - despite a new law against corporate homocide being passed in 2007, the first eight years there was only one successful prosecution against a uk company

Question 17

what was the bhopal disaster?

Answer 17

american owned multi national company, set up a pesticide plant in bhopal - the plant accidently leaked deadly gas fumes into the surrounding atmosphere. the leak resulted in 15,000 deaths

indian state supported capitalist development in the interest of allowing profits to be made and yet no criminal charges

Question 18

how can you evaluate traditional marxists

Answer 18

ignores the relationship between crime and important non class inequalities - ethnicity, gender

deterministic - assuming all working class commits crime

strain theory argues that marxists failed to look at the blocked legal oppotunitites in creating crime and deviance

not all capitalist societies have high crime rates

Question 19

what are neo marxists?

Answer 19

sociologists who have been influenced by many of the ideas put forard by traditional marxism but combines these ideas from other approachs such as labelling theory

Question 20

what is capitalist society based on according to neo marxists?

Answer 20

capitalist society is based on expoitation and characterised by extremem inequalities of wealth and that this is the key to understanding crime

Question 21

what does the state do according to neo marxists?

Answer 21

the state makes and enforces laws in the interests of the capitalists class and criminalises memebers of the working class

Question 22

what does neo marxist argue?

Answer 22

neo marxists argues that capitalism should be replaced by a classless society.

this would greatly reduce the extent of crime

Question 23

how does neon marxists criticise mrxists view?

Answer 23

marxists are deterministic

Question 24

what view does neo marxists take?

Answer 24

takes a more voluntarisitic view, in that individuals have free will and crime is a meaningful action and a conscious choice by the actor

criminals are not passive puppets whose behaviour is shaped by the nature of capitalism; they are deliberately striving to change society

individuals should not be labelled deivant just because they are different

Question 25

what view does taylor et al take?

Answer 25

taylor takes a neo marxists view

Question 26

what are taylors social theory?

Answer 26

two main sources:

• traditional marxists idea bout the unequal distribution of wealth and who has the power to enforce these laws
• interactionalist and labelling theory about the meanings of the deviant act for the actor, societial reactions to it and the effects of the deivant label on the individual.

Question 27

what 6 aspects is required to complete the theory of deivance?

Answer 27

1. wider origin of the deviant act in the unequal distribution of wealth and pwer in capitalist society.
2. immediate origin of the deivant act
3. act itself and its meanings for the actor
4. immediate origins of societal reaction
5. wider origins of societal reaction
6. effects of labelling

Question 28

what does occupation crime mean?

Answer 28

crime committed by employees for personal gain

Question 29

what does corporate crime mean?

Answer 29

crime committed by employees for their own organisations

Question 30

what 3 examples of financial crimes are there?

Answer 30

• tax invasion
• money laundering
• illegal accounting

Question 31

what 2 examples of crime against customer are there?

Answer 31

• false advertising
• selling unfit goods

Question 32

what 2 examples of crime against employees are there?

Answer 32

• sexual discrimination
• racial discrimination

Question 33

what examples of crime against the environment are there?

Answer 33

illegal pollution

Question 34

what state - corporate crimes are there?

Answer 34

government coming crimes - persecution

Question 35

why is corporate crime ignored?

Answer 35

• de labelling - corporate crime is filtered out from the process of criminalisation - police often target street crimes
• under reporting - the victim of coporate crime is society at large or the environment which makes reporting and recording hard

Question 36

evaluate why corporate crimes are ignored

Answer 36

• campaigns against organisations has increased
• whistle blowers (person who informs on a person or organization regarded as engaging in an unlawful or immoral activity)
• jounalists more willing to cover coporate crime in their news value

Question 37

how does box explain corporate crime?

Answer 37

if a company cannot achieve its goals of maximising profit by legal means, it may use illegal means instead

Question 38

how does clinard and yeager explain corporate crimes?

Answer 38

law violations by large organisations increase their financial performance deteriate in aiming to achieve profit

Question 39

what is differential association?

Answer 39

sutherland - sees crime as a behaviour learned from others in a social context

companies culture justifies committing crimes to achieve corporate goals, employees will also be socialised into this cirminality

Question 40

how does Geis explain corporate crime?

Answer 40

people join companies where illegal price fixing was practiced became involved in it as a part of their socialisation

Question 41

what is the techniques of neutralisation?

Answer 41

skyes & matza - blaming the customer for not reading a small print