Marxist theories on crime and deviance Flashcards
Key word:
What does capitalism mean
An economic system where people/companies own businesses and compete to make money
Key word:
What does false needs mean
Things that people want that aren’t necessary e.g. luxuries
They come from advertising and social pressure leading people to believe that they need new things in order to reach happiness
Key word:
What does selective law enforcement
Laws that are made to target certain groups of people e.g. based on race and class
Key word:
What does bourgeoisie mean
The M/C in society.
Key word:
What does proletariat mean
The W/C in society.
Key word:
What does agent of social control mean
Groups that help maintain social order and enforce societal norms and rules.
e.g. the police, education and religion (RSA and ISA)
Key word:
What does selective law making mean and what do Marxists argue about it
Laws created/applied to favour certain groups of people.
Marxists argue that the laws that are made benefit the ruling class and help to keep them in power.
Key word:
What does ideological control mean
Ideas that are promoted and maintained in society to shape people’s thinking.
Happens through the ISA e.g. education, media and religion in which they promote ideas that support the interests of the bourgeoisie
Key word:
What does alienation mean and what do Marxists argue
A feeling of disconnection that people experience in relation to their work, society or themselves.
Marxists argue that workers experience alienation because they become detached from the products of their labour due to the exploitation of the M/C.
They can’t feel proud of what they’ve made as they get no reward. Everything feels futile.
Key word:
What does white collar crime mean
Crimes that are financially motivated committed by businesses.
e.g. money embezzlement (money used for different intended purposes)
DONE BY THE MIDDLE CLASS
Classical Marxist views on crime and deviance:
What are classical Marxists view on crime and deviance (brief)
Classical Marxists argue that capitalism causes crime.
The system is based on the exploitation of the w/c by the ruling class e.g. create production for the m/c and in return get very little pay - if complain - get rid - abundance of workers.
This leads to the increasing wealth of the rich and the growing poverty of the poor.
Classical Marxist views on crime and deviance:
How is capitalism criminogenic e.g. pursue self interest (use sociologist)
Capitalism encourages people to look after themselves.
Gordon - capitalist societies are ‘dog eat dog societies’ in which everyone is told to look after themselves and forget about everyone else. Profit is the only thing that matters. People commit crime to achieve values of society e.g. success
Explains economic criminals e.g. thieves - what they are doing is seeking personal gain without caring for the individual victims - we are socialised to think this way as it benefits the bourgeoisie - make more money
Classical Marxist views on crime and deviance:
How is capitalism criminogenic e.g. encourages materialistic consumerism
Capitalism and the culture of consumerism encourages people to aspire to have unrealistic lifestyle goals.
e.g. McDonald’s spend billions of dollars on advertising to make products look appealing so people will buy them. This hides the reality of the exploitation of that product.
Advertising can lead to status frustration e.g. For those who lack legitimate means to achieve the materialist norm through working, feelings of anger and frustration arise as they are working-but-not–succeeding which can lead to crime.
Classical Marxist views on crime and deviance:
How is capitalism criminogenic e.g. it creates inequality and poverty (use sociologist)
Capitalism creates inequality and poverty which both lead to high crime rates
Marxists argue that the segregation of the wealthy from the poor angers - they dont have it - leading to crime such as theft and violent crime.
Chambliss - economic crime is a rational response to the inequality of life in capitalist societies e.g. drug dealers see themselves as innovative - cannot achieve success in a legitimate way - make another way.
The desire to be successful is bigger than scaredness of punishment
Classical Marxist views on crime and deviance:
How does the law benefit the elite and work in their interests e.g. property rights
Property law benefits the wealthy who are more likely to own property compared to the poor .
e.g. There are 100, 000 people recognised as homeless in the United Kingdom and 300,000 houses lying empty.
Shows how the laws benefit the ruling class. The rights of the property owners to keep their properties empty are put before the rights of the needy to shelter.
Classical Marxist views on crime and deviance:
How does the law benefit the elite and work in their interests e.g. not regulate businesses (use sociologist)
Snider (1993) - capitalist states don’t want to pass laws which regulate large capitalist concerns and which might threaten profitability.
Having tried so hard to attract investment the last thing the state wants to do is alienate the large corporations. This means that the state is reluctant to pass/enforce laws against e.g. pollution, worker health and safety.
There are laws that are supposed to protect the environment and health and safety but fines for them are low and until 2007, no singular person of a corporation could be prosecuted for damaging the environment or endangering worker safety through corporate practise.
Classical Marxist views on crime and deviance:
How does the law benefit the elite and work in their interests e.g. people have unequal access to the law
Having money to hire a good lawyer can have many impacts on how a person e.g. mean that a person has be found guilty/not guilty, how long a person goes to prison for.
Marxists argue that punishment for a crime depends on a person’s social class. Poorer criminals tend to receive harsher punishments compared to rich criminals.
e.g. Mark Wahlberg received a 2 year sentence for his racially motivated crime in the 1980s however only served 45 days. Usually a hate crime that involves violence is 7 years minimum
Evaluation on classical Marxist views on crime and deviance:
How can crime happening in non-capitalist societies challenge the idea that capitalism causes crime (WEAKNESS)
Crime still happens in communist countries where there is no capitalism
e.g. The Soviet Union in the 20th century or modern-day Cuba. Because crime happens in these countries it helps to prove that capitalism isn’t the main factor for why crime happens otherwise in communist countries there would no crime.
Evaluation on classical Marxist views on crime and deviance:
How can crime happening in a capitalist society help to show that capitalism is criminogenic? (STRENGTH)
Marxists would argue that though communist countries like Cuba are communist now, at one point they were run by capitalism and still might be capitalist in origin because there is continuous poverty and inequality caused by capitalism.
Evaluation on classical Marxist views on crime and deviance:
How do laws benefitting most people in society help to show that capitalism doesn’t work in the interests of the elite? (WEAKNESS)
The majority of people in the UK own some property; therefore laws about theft or burglary are not only bourgeois laws, they make sure that everyone’s rights/property are protected including the W/C.
Functionalists argue that law-makers are elected by everyone (over 18) and include people from a range of political positions and social backgrounds.
Everyone agrees what should happen to those who break the law - there is a value consensus - not controversial
Evaluation on classical Marxist views on crime and deviance:
How does property law benefitting the elite help show that capitalism benefits the interests of the elite? (STRENGTH)
Marxists would argue that though there are laws that protect the property of everyone’s.
The criminal justice system takes property crimes against the rich more seriously compared to the poor.
This means that the property of the rich s protected more so that they can keep their status in society and continue the exploitation of the poor.
Evaluation on classical Marxist views on crime and deviance:
How does the state not serve the interests of the ruling class e.g. law making (WEAKNESS)
The state has also created lots of laws that protect workers.
Laws such as Health and safety at work act 1974 and National Minimum Wage Act 1998, help to ensure that the W/C are protected from harm.
Means that there is less exploitation from the M/C as there are now regulations in place showing that laws are also created to not just benefit the ruling class.
Evaluation on classical Marxist views on crime and deviance:
How is committing crime a choice?
Classical Marxist theories present W/C criminals as people who cannot help but commit crime because of their economic circumstances however Neo-Marxists challenge this idea, arguing that crime is a conscious choice. W/C criminals make an active choice to commit crime.
THEY DONT HAVE TO. NO ONE IS FORCING THEM. THERE ARE LEGITIMATE WAYS TO REACH THEIR GOALS.
Neo-Marxist views on crime and deviance:
What is Neo-Marxism?
A social theory that critiques capitalism but also focuses in the cultural and ideological part of society.
Neo-Marxists argue that the economic base of society influences culture, politic and ideology but also recognise the culture can shape and influence economic and social relations.