Marxist/NeoMarxist Theories Of Crime

Question 1

Marxists believe that capitalism is c_________

Answer 1

Criminogenic: it builds criminality into itself.
Capitalism is the pursuit of profit above all, therefore its inevitable that this acts as a motive for people mistreating one another.

Question 2

Crime perpetrated by the working class according to Marxists are done because…

Answer 2

They’re alienated, they break down from desperation and the monotony of their existence chasing subsistence or money.

Question 3

Crime of the working class are _______________ by the media which means people take less note of the ____________ crime.

Answer 3

. Exaggerated/catastrophized/hyperfocused
. Corporate

Question 4

In 2016 how many workers suffered an accident over the last 30 years and how many of them were because of negligence?

Answer 4

. 25, 000
. 70%

Question 5

Mankoff focused on what

Answer 5

Examining how the gradual attrition of the welfare system in the U.S posy the New deal under FDR has left Americans in particular more exposed to poverty and thus crime.

Question 6

Capitalism according to Pearce is built upon giving…

Answer 6

Concessions

Question 7

Examples of concessions granted under capitalism my include….

Answer 7

. The NHS
. FDR’s ‘new deal’
. the focus of companies on the climate crisis in marketing.
. The furrow scheme

Question 8

Pearce says capitalism is given a _____ ____

Answer 8

Caring face by giving concessions and or regulating the economy

Question 9

Snider concluded from their research some quite staggering statistics. What were they (in relation to petty vs corporate crime)

Answer 9

Corporate crime costs approximately 325 billion average, whereas street crime costs only 4 billion.
This is in terms of bailouts in particular for banks

Question 10

What’s are some criticisms of Marxist theory, in relation to its basic perspective on crime.

Answer 10

• Could be seen to glorify some common crime by the poor which is often against poor people.
• ignores that capitalist countries like Japan and Switzerland have only 1/5 of the violent crimes the U.S does.
• State crimes are not always linked to corporations (eg: Tienaman square). The theory is therefore an incomplete one.

Question 11

What are some positives of Marxist theory of crime?

Answer 11

• it works nicely in conjunction with other theories such as labelling theory, with examples like Cohen’s moral panic theory and the tabloid press amplifying common petty crime instead of focusing on the dar more damaging corporate ones.
• Marxist theory takes into account the imbalance of power and influence those who are rich have compared to those who are not. Although aspects like race and gender are important they may be trumped by the influence status in society shields people, although this is still up for debate.
• Marxists also take a philosophical angle of attack as well, considering how a change of psychology in society informs why people may wrong one another as well, and feel more excused.

Question 12

Which researcher looked at the attrition of the welfare state and FDR’s new deal?
What did they conclude.

Answer 12

Mankoff,

They concluded that the U.S’s most impoverished were particularly susceptible to turning to crime because of a lack of basic good infrastructure to safety net.
This attrition of things like FDR’s new deal coincide with a gradual rise in crime rates.