Social class and crime Flashcards
right realists view on working-class crime
Murray- the working class fail to socalise their children properly a welfare deprendancy broken window theory of deprived areas leading to crime
evaluation of right realist view
ignores the financial aspect of crime and that’s based on an unfair stigma that single parents fail to adequately discipline and socialize children and raise them in delinquent areas.
similarly, it ignored the issues of corporate crimes. middle-class citizens according to their theory would be adequately socialized so why do they commit crimes?
left realist view of WC crime
take crime stats seriously
lea and young- relative deprivation want more especially influence of media to feel they are entitled to material goods so turn to crime. similar to strain theory
HOWEVER, it is a lethal mix of individualism and rel dep which leads to crime as people act more selfishly feel less connected the society they are in to commit crimes to it
evaluations of the left realist view of crime
not everyone conforms to the same value consensus that leads to this deprivation. not everyone who feels deprived will commit a crime. It’s not as deterministic as left realists make out
Marxist view of working-class crime
Davis- selective law enforcement as crime is criminogenic it forces the wc to commit crimes due to the inequality of capitalism. in turn, the WC are imprisoned to neutralise the threat. to the capitalist system whereas the ruling class doesn't threaten the system.
chambliss saints and roughnecks
evaluation of Marxist view of wc crime
Bernie Madoff- ran the largest. Ponzi scheme in history worth around $64.8 was found guilty and imprisoned
neo Marxists- the crime of WC is voluntary and its for apolitical purpose
labeling theory view on working-class crime
cicourel- tipifications
police hold pre-conceived notions and bias’ of what they think ‘ a typical criminal’ with a lot of class-based stereotypes based on how people dress and usually police more deprived areas more heavily. therefore they target more WC people in the middle class. There is a high proportion of black families in poverty with 50% single parents and 90% headed by mothers
black men 6 times more likely to be stopped and searches
leads to secondary devienace and a master status of WC
criticism of labeling
right realists would argue that these sterotypes are based off of truth rather than the leabelcoming first the high rates of crime from the WC came first leading to factually backed up stereotypes of criminals
functionalism view on WC crime
mertons strain theory. WC cant achieve society’s goals by legitimate means so have to find illegal means to get them
ex Camden new jersey’s poorest city in the US. due to loss of means (manufacturing industry and shipyard) therefore they have the highest crime rate per capita mostly drug dealing to achieve goals (innovation)
cohen builds on: this status frustration to explain why the WC commit non utilitarian crime. join subultures and challenge mainstream values to gain status.
Examples of rulling class crime being ignored
C. Bard case
fitted faulty heart catheters killing 2 injuring 7
3 men were found guilty but not one spent 1 night in jail
how many people prior to imprisonment were unemployed (reiner)
74%
what % of children in youth detention centers were from middle class back grounds (haggell and newburn )
8%
what is hirschi’s control theory? (form of right realism)
argued that most people are rational in actions. most people don’t commit crime because they have 4 controls on their lives
- attarchemnet
- commitment
- involvement
- belief
ex having a good career would mak it less likely someone would commit a crime. therfoer wc are more likely to commit crime
example of union carbide
bhopal disater skilled nearly 250,000 people after a toxic explosion of pesticides
company moved to india due to more relaxed health adn saftey laws s well as cheaper labour
compensated 47 million and took until 2010 to imprison 7 who were only incarerated for 2 years
example of kpmg
admitted to criminal wrongdoing paid 465 fine forits role in tax fraud schemes and avioded criminal prosecution
types of corporate crimes:
- financial like tax evasion
- crimes against consumers
- crimes against employees
- crimes against envrioments
- state corpoerate crimes
why are corporate crimes invidisble
the media doenst cover it reinforcing that crime is a working class phenomenia if coroprate crimes is reported on it has sanitised language
delabelling criminal cases given fines not jail
under-reporting due to unidentificable indivuals at fault
strain theory explanation of corporate crime
box used mertions strain theory to apply to corporate crime
arguing if a company cannot achieve its goal of maximisng rpmfot by legal means they many employ illegal ones to get profits back up
differential associastion explaniation og corpoate crimes
sutherland sees crime as being a reaction to someoens social surroundings
therefore if a business’s culture legitimises commiiting crimes. to achieve its goals its employees are more likely to join in
this may to donw to the fact that employees can get away with breaking the law by balming the command on top officials
labelling view on white collar crime
as cicourel aruges the middle classes can get away with crimes due to being able to negotaite thier way out of the crime
nelken argues that white collar crime can be delabbled by being able to afford expensive lawyers who can win them a case and then de-label them as criminasl which other poorer business cannot do
marxist view on white collar crime
criminogenic capitalism: capitalism creates comeptition between businesses leading htem to commit crimes to beat competetors
box also argues that capitalism mystifies crime ie. makes white collar crimes to be less widespead and harmfull than woring class crime
criticsm of stains’ explaination
nelken argues that this overpreprest how muc business crime happens. and it alludes to the idea that all businesses would commit crime if there were no cosneqeunces, however this is worn gmany companiesdont commit criems due to wanting to keep their reputation of their business
criticsm of the marxist view of white collar crime
doesnt explain white collar crime that doesnt give peopel money such as criems of the police or the civil service
