Chapter 6

Question 1

What was the social context that marxist criminology arised in?

Answer 1

1960’s, social rebellion and disjuncture, protesting, resistance to mainstream.

Question 2

What are marxist conceptions rooted in?

Answer 2

Analysis of power and wealth as it becomes concentrated into fewer and fewer hands.

Question 3

How is marxist different than liberal models?

Answer 3

Marxism does not think you can modify the existing system to be better unlike liberal models. Marxism says that the capitalistic system requires oppression and inequality to function so the whole system must be overhauled. Liberal conflict theories see the state as a neutral arbiter and says that conflict occurs between groups in society.

Question 4

What is a key question in marxist criminology? (in relation to criminalization process)

Answer 4

What kinds of people are subject to state sanctions and why?

Question 5

How is crime defined?

Answer 5

An activity that interferes with basic human rights and causes social injury.

Question 6

Why do marxist criminologists ignore the state derived definitions of crime?

Answer 6

Because of the uneven distribution of power in society, the owning class has the ability to determine what is formally criminal and what deserves punishment. The decisions what is criminal are unfairly biased towards the owning class and against the proletariat.

Question 7

How does marxism view victimless crimes?

Answer 7

Since they don’t harm anyone else’s rights, they are not criminal.

Question 8

What is the focus of analysis?

Answer 8

Encompassing working class crime but especially owning class crime.

Question 9

What are crimes of the powerful? Examples?

Answer 9

They are linked to attempts to accumulate wealth and protect it. Environmental crime, corporate crime, state crimes etc..

Question 10

What are crimes of the less powerful? Examples?

Answer 10

Crimes to maintain subsistence or anti-social crimes.
ex: drug possession, stealing food

Question 11

What is the cause of crime?

Answer 11

Structure of unequal class relations in society.

Question 12

Criminal law is a tool to ___…

Answer 12

continue the oppression of capitalistic system. Assures that the proletariat never become a threat to the bourgeoisie.

Question 13

Criminal code is reflective of ____…

Answer 13

the broader inequalities in society.

Question 14

What is the nature of offender?

Answer 14

Crime is determined by one’s class position in society. People make choices within their economic position.

Question 15

What is the response to crime?

Answer 15

Crimes with the greatest social harm should be the most punished (crimes of the powerful). Analyze the person’s economic situation before deciding punishment (ex. were they just trying to survive?)

Question 16

How does marxist criminology say to prevent crime?

Answer 16

The capitalistic system should ideally be burnt to the ground and completely rebuilt with collective ownership over means of production. People should never be so poor that they have to steal to stay alive.

Question 17

What is the ideal operation of the criminal justice system?

Answer 17

Institutions should undergo radical democratization, human rights should be upheld, workers should be protected and the state should be held accountable for harms.

Question 18

What is the central dynamic of class based systems?

Answer 18

Expropriation of surplus from producers to those that own the means of production.

Question 19

What did William Bonger argue about criminal thought?

Answer 19

It is generated by the conditions of want and misery put onto the working class or the greed that underpins the capitalist competitive process.

Question 20

Why did marxist criminology wane in the 1980s?

Answer 20

Rise of postmodernism, demise of stalinism, demise of marxist politics, development of critical criminology, development of liberal strands.

Question 21

What did White and Van der Velden argue?

Answer 21

Wealth and power determine the kind of crime people engage in, powerful crimes have significant structural effects, crimes of the less powerful are highly visible.

Question 22

What does Steven Bittle argue about Bill C-45?

Answer 22

Although the bill is aimed at holding corporation accountable, it is not supported by enough funding or staffing so it is largely unused.

Question 23

What do Schwendinger and Schwendinger argue?

Answer 23

Definition of crime needs to be broadened to encompass economic exploitation.

Question 24

What are some critiques of marxism?

Answer 24

How to determine what sorts of harm are criminal or not, has conspiratorial overtones, nature of state is unclear, can’t reduce crime to simply financial causes (some poor people don’t commit crime), some crimes are not class based at all, encouraging use of criminal law even for powerful people ignores what we know about labelling effects.

Question 25

Criminalization of street crime targets people seen as ____ to the _____.

Answer 25

Surplus to the labour market.

Question 26

What is deviancy amplification?

Answer 26

Public labelling of groups of young people generated further deviant behaviour.

Question 27

What is miliband?

Answer 27

State as an instrument of class rule by virtue of the close social relationship between the top members of the state apparatus and members of the capitalist class.

Question 28

What is Poulantzas?

Answer 28

State exists to promote interests of capital in general, not individuals.