Traditional Marxist (3 Elements) Flashcards
What are the 3 elements ?
- crimogenic capitalism
- the state and law making
- ideological function of crime and law
Explain crimogenic capitalism
- capitalism is crimogenic
- poor people often driven to crime in desperate conditions eg poverty
- alienation and lack of control lead to frustration and aggression, resulting in non-utilitarian crime such as violence and vandalism
- society based upon competition, selfishness and greed. crime is normal outcome (white collar crime)
- crime might be to obtain/consumer goods which is encouraged by capitalist advertising, resulting in utilitarian crime
Theorist for crimogenic capitalism
Gorban - crime is a rational response to the capitalist system, and found in all social classes
Explain The State and Law-making
- laws protect middle class//targets the w/c
- SELECTIVE ENFORCEMENT
- ruling class have power to prevent the introduction of laws that would threaten their interests
- few laws challenge unequal redistribution of wealth —> Snider
Explain The State and Law making - Snider
Snider argues capitalist state is reluction to pass laws that regulate activities of businesses or threaten their profitability.
Explain Selective enforcement- The State and Law making
- marxist agreed with labelling theorists although all classes commit crime, therefore selective enforcement of the law
- w/c and ethnic minorities criminalised more. police and court ignore the crimes of the powerful.
Explain ideological functions of crime and law
- performs function to keep capitalism state
- law occasionally passed that appeal to benefit the w/c rather than work place health and safety law
- ## people do not question capitalism as they are under the illusion that the law cares for them - PACIFIER CONCEPT
Explain ideological functions of crime and law Theorist
Pearce - law often benefits the ruling class eg keeping workers fit for work. creates class class consciousness
What does criminogenic mean
Gordon argues the set up of capitalist society creates crime
Evaluation of Trad Marx
- largely ignores the relationship between crime and non-class inequalities such as ethnicity and gender
- too deterministic. over predicted the amount of crime in the w/c. not all poor people commit crime
- not all capitalist societies have high crime rates; eg in Japan the homicide rate is only about a fifth of that in the US
Left realists evaluation of Trad Marx
argue that marxism ignored intra-class crime eg burglary and mugging
What is intra-class crime
where both criminal and victims are working class. eg robbery