Radical Criminology (Week 11)

Question 1

Who are some of the key theorists?

Answer 1

Sutherland, Engels and Marx.
Stuart Hall, Reiman, Lea.
Taylor, Walter and Young.
Gramcsi, Habermas and Marcuse.

Question 2

What does Engels do and what does he say about it?

Answer 2

• directly refers to problems of crime.
• says workers are demoralised and brutalised by long hours and poor wages
• easily descend into crime (theft, prostitution, domestic violence)
• murder is committed by society as much as individuals

Question 3

Who is young?

Answer 3

• relative deprivation
• left realism
• takes problem of victimisation seriously
• together with Lea

Question 4

What does Sutherland talk about?

Answer 4

White collar crime (includes all types of crime of powerful and high social status and respected)

Question 5

Who was responsible for the upsurge of European (British) critical Neo-Marxism theorising?

Answer 5

Gramsci, Habermas and Marcuse (In late 60’s early 70’s)

Question 6

Which Neo-Marxists wrote a book critiquing all mainstream theories of criminology?

Answer 6

Taylor, Walter and Young.

They were not content with theories, found no fully social theory of deviance

Question 7

What did Taylor, Walter and young say about other theories?

Answer 7

All theories predict too little bourgeoisie and too much proletarian criminality

Question 8

What does Marx say about the capitalist economy?

Answer 8

• it creates class conflict
• is evil
• exploitative
• doomed to failure
• ruling/powerful class (landowners, producers) exploit their workers
• conditions and oppression cause conflict resulting in crime

Question 9

What does Marx think the criminal justice system is?

Answer 9

An industry. 
Criminals produce crime AND:
The justice system
Judges 
Juries
Police force
Lawyers
Torture craftsmen 
Professors
Prison workers
Etc
(Theory of surplus value)

Question 10

Who supports labelling theory?

Answer 10

Stuart hall

Question 11

Who’s responsible for Birmingham university ideas

Answer 11

Stuart hall

Question 12

What does Stuart hall focus on?

Answer 12

The actual act of deviance
The outcome of social reactions on deviants.
Youthful deviance as being lodged in refusal to accept relations with authority and struggle against it.
Because they administer institutions based on rules for the benefits and interest of capitalist ruling class

Question 13

Who believes the american justice system creates misleading images of criminals?

Answer 13

Reiman

Question 14

What does Reiman believe about the American justice system?

Answer 14

It generates crime by criminalising drug use
Maintaining recidivism producing prisons
Neglecting inequality
Stigmatising offenders
Goals are for the value of those in power

Question 15

What are the key ideas of rad crim?

Answer 15

A critique of current or mainstream theories
A left realist approach
Media is powerful influence
Came about in 60’s
Crime is an industry
Etiology of crime (poverty, relative dep and labelling)
European more than American devpt

Question 16

What are some key examples of rad crim?

Answer 16

White collar crime (of the powerful) includes:
Corporate
State
State-corporate

Eg tax evasion, fraud, media control, victim diffusion, embezzlement, demicide etc