Marxist Theories of Crime Flashcards
Neo-Marxists from 16 onwards
1
Q
What is Chambliss’ view?
AO1
A
Capitalism is criminogenic:
- it’s based on competition, selfishness, and greed
- everyone of all clases will use anything to look out for their own interest
- Gordon: this has led to a dog eat dog society
2
Q
What are the types of bourgeoisie crime?
A02 for Chambliss
A
- White collar: crimes by individually rich/powerful people to further their own interests often against corporations they are working within e.g. tax evasion, offshore accounts, money laundering
- Coporate crime: committed by large companies (or indivduals on their behalf) which directly profit the company rather than individuals e.g. insider trading, exploitation
-
State crime: committed by the government e.g. terrorism, war crimes, genocide, corruption
These crimes are committed by the already rich and powerful as capitalist society has conditioned us to always want more even if it harms others
3
Q
How can we analyse Chambliss?
AO3
A
- The 2013 Rana Plaza Disaster is an example of corporate crime having devestating consequences
- Sir Peter Vigours (MP) spent £30,000 of tax-payer money on building a duck house
4
Q
How can we evaluate Chambliss?
AO3
A
- Ignores non-utlitarian crimes e.g. vandalism
- Crime existed before capitalism and exists in communist states
- Merton and Nightingale: for some people the desire to achieve success goals of society outweights the pressure to obey the law. This strain results in crime as capitalism equates material achievements (even if gained illegitmately with success)
5
Q
What does Snider say?
AO1
A
- White collar cimes are more serious and costs society far more than blue collar crime - estimates the loss from corporate crimes is 20x more than street crime. But the rich make laws so they get away with it
- Laws that threaten the profits of capitalists rarely get passed
- The state spends large sums of money trying to get inward investments from corporations
- The gov are forced to regulate pollution and workers right not because they want to but due to societal pressure
6
Q
What does Box say?
AO3
A
- What is defined as a serious crime is ideologically constructed
- The agencies of social control protect the ruling class’ interests and power and criminalise those who oppose them
- They are also used to control the workforce
7
Q
How can we analyse Snider and Box?
AO3
A
- Reuman: the law is only there to benefit capitalist society: “the rich get richer and the poor get prisons”
- Until 2007 no individual member of a corporation could be prosecuted for damaging the environment or risking worker safety through corporate practice (reduced charges for these crimes as unlikely to take whole company to court for one person’s actions)
- Grenfell Tower Fire resulted in only an average of 4.5years per person charged despite 72 deaths and many others injured
- Rana Plaza Disaster 2013
8
Q
How can we evaluate Snider?
AO3
A
- Takes victims of the crime into account while other theories just focus on causes of crime/ intentions of criminals
- Street crime does more emotional harm
- Sayer: The rich shape law and will therefore unlikely ever end up in prisons
9
Q
What does Sayer say?
AO1
A
- The rich shape law and will therefore unlikely ever end up in prisons
- They make sure the gov doesn’t close down their loopholes that allow them to avoid tax and commit other crimes
- This includes tax havens where money can be hidden in small islands/states where tax rates are low or non-existent
10
Q
How can we analyse Sayer?
AO3
A
- In 2012 Starbucks reported no profit and paid no income tax despite making £1.2b in sales in the UK that year
- In Ireland tax laws allow foreign tax rates of 0-2.5% so many companies have their headquarters in Ireland e.g. Tiktok, Apple, Google
11
Q
How can we evaluate Sayer?
AO3
A
- Snider: states are reluctant to pass laws that threaten the profitability of large businesses e.g. lack of smoking/vaping ban
- Pearce: laws that appear to protect and benefit the WC actually benefit the ruling class e.g. health and safety laws have the real aim of keeping workers fit, loyal, and productive rather than protected
12
Q
What does Gordon say?
AO1
A
- WC committing crimes is the most rational response to capitalism and their poverty
- Also we should consider why most WC are law abiding
- The police and CJS mainly focus on WC and underclass criminals
- By large the system ignores the crimes of the elite and middle classes eventhough they commit just as much crime
13
Q
How does law enforcement support capitalism according to Gordon?
AO2
A
- Those who commit crimes are labelled as social failures e.g. druggies, bums
- The imprisonment of selected individuals neutralises opposition to the system e.g. people arrested at BLM protests
- Defining criminals as ‘animals’ and ‘misfits’ provides justification for their imprisonment e.g. scapegoating of lone parent families during 2011 London Riots
14
Q
How can we analyse Gordon?
AO3
A
- 2022 Alabama Amazon worker’s strike: police were called to squash unionisation efforts
- 2023 Starbucks strikes: some workers who demonstrated for better wages and hours were arrested as police were called to manage pickett lines and ‘protect’ Starbucks property
15
Q
How can we evaluate Gordon?
AO3
A
Functionalists:
- If we didn’t prosecute and label criminals there would be anomie as it would not be clear that what they did was wrong thus preventing value consensus
- The CJS is still very successful
