Neo-marxist evaluation

Question 1

Strengths

Answer 1

✓ Taylor, Walton & Young’s work is useful in recognising that crime cannot be adequately explained by single theories such as Marxism, labelling or subcultural theories.

✓ Stuart Hall et al have successfully applied Taylor et al’s approach to explain the moral panic over mugging in the 1970s.

✓ The book laid foundations for later radical approaches such as left realist & feminist theories which seek to establish a more equal society.

Question 2

weaknesses

Answer 2

× Feminists criticise it for being ‘gender blind’ as they focus excessively on male criminality.

× Left realists say that critical criminology romanticises working class criminals as ‘Robin Hoods’ who are trying to re-distribute wealth in an unfair capitalist society, when in reality criminals simply prey on the poor for their own selfish needs.

× Left realists also criticise them for not taking crimes such as burglary seriously & for ignoring its effects  on working class victims.  \
× The theory is too general to explain crime fully & too idealistic to be useful in tackling crime. Their  multi-causal approach is very difficult to apply in a specific research situation.