sociological theories - marxism Flashcards
1
Q
marxism and crime
A
- CAPITALISM causes crime because of the division between the BOURGEOISIE and the PROLETARIAT
- crime is the result of unfavourable conditions in the community e.g. unemployment, low wages
- capitalism promotes wealth and goods which drives people to theft
- capitalism causes people to feel alienated and frustrated and therefore engage in crime to express their anger
2
Q
law making and law enforcement
A
- laws are biased to work in the interests of the bourgeoisie
- laws to protect property and wealth
- contrast with laws against squatting and trespass
- law enforcement - working class criminals are more likely to be prosecuted
- police focus their attention on certain types of individuals - these individuals are heavily policed which acts as a form of social control
- SELECTIVE LAW ENFORCEMENT - high crime rates in working class communities because they are over policed - shifts attention away from more serious ruling-class crimes
3
Q
selective law enforcement
A
- people who enforce laws are upper class/bourgeoisie and put the laws in place to protect themselves
- when sentences are given, laws are enforced differently to protect the bourgeoisie and give them the impression that crime is a working class problem
- white collar crime is largely ignored in terms of punishment
- compared to violent crimes - looks like more working-class people are criminals = leads to moral panics and media misrepresentation
4
Q
marxism and policing
A
- marxists argued that different social classes are policed differently - working class are much more heavily policed on the expectation that they will commit more crimes
- marxists believe governments fabricate statistics to suit their own purposes and get public support
- 42% of statistics presented by the government are false and misleading
5
Q
STRENGTHS of marxism
A
- the theory provides an explanation for crime that covers all social classes and a variety of offences
- highlights the impact of selective law enforcement and how-white collar crime is under policed
- the theory demonstrates how the law reflects differently in power between the social classes
- suggests how inequality in society can lead to criminal behaviour
6
Q
WEAKNESSES of marxism
A
- the theory ignores other non-class inequalities e.g. gender, ethnicity
- overstates the amount of crime in working-class communities
- not all working-class people commit crime and not all capitalist societies have high crime rates
- many prosecutions for white-collar crimes/corporate crimes
