Traditional Marxist Explanantions

Question 1

What is capitalism?

Answer 1

An economic and political system in which a country’s trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit.
Bourgeoisie owns the means of production and exploits the labour of the property-less proletariat.

Question 2

What is criminogenic?

Answer 2

By its very nature it causes crime

Question 3

What is a superstructure?

Answer 3

The ideologies that dominate a particular era, including such things as politics, laws, morality, religion, metaphysics, etc.

Question 4

What did Gordon suggest?

Answer 4

Crime is a rational response to the capitalist system and hence it is found in all social classes, despite the official statistics making it appear to be a largely working class phenomenon

Question 5

What did Chambliss argue?

Answer 5

Laws to protect private property are the cornerstone of the capitalist economy
They serve to keep working class people away from the property and land of the rich

Question 6

What did Snider argue?

Answer 6

Capitalist state is reluctant to pass laws that regulate the activities of businesses or threaten their profitability.