Neo-Marxist Theories of Crime (New Criminology)

Question 1

What do Neo-Marxists believe?

Answer 1

• Crime is a choice, not driven by economic necessity. They combine interactionists understanding of ‘becoming criminal’ with Marxist critiques of capitalism.

Question 2

What does Taylor et al. theorise?

Answer 2

Crime is a voluntary act that are politically motivated by capitalism. E.g: redistribution of wealth.
- Criminals are actively challenging capitalism. E.g: black crime in ’70s seen as resistance against police brutality.

Question 3

What was Stuart Hall’s study?

Answer 3

Social agents of control, like the media, create a moral panic about street theft, creating the threatening label of “Black Mugger” even though mugging rates had not significantly increased.

Focusing on mugging rather than the economic crisis of the ’70s (unemployment, TU strikes, etc) helped reinforce the ruling class hegemony by dividing the working-classes, distracting from societal problems.

Question 4

Evaluation of Neo-Marxism:

Answer 4

• Feminists = ignores female criminality, focuses too much on male crime.
• Romanticises WC criminals as “robin hoods” when they often prey on other WC victims.
• Cannot explain crimes such as DV/rape, not politically motivated.