Marxist perspectives on crime Flashcards
Marxists suggest that society is
Criminogenic
meaning crime is an in-built and ‘natural’ response to capitalism
… suggests that it is not surprising that the WC commit crime, but it’s surprising that they don’t commit more
Gordon
… suggests the law is an instrument of the ruling class and reflects their interests and ideology
Chambliss
… argues that serious crime is ideologically constructed (since environmental crime by big companies isn’t viewed as serious)
Box
… argues that governments will only pass laws that regulated private corporations (eg health and safety laws, environmental laws) when forced to by public outcry or union agitation
Snider
… suggests that there’s one law for the rich and one for the poor - selective law enforcement means upper classes less likely to be caught/prosecuted
Chambliss
… argue that traditional marxist views on crime are too deterministic and choosing crime is a voluntary act (not all WC commit crime)
Neo-marxists
… suggested that to truly understand crime and deviance you had to combine structural and interactionist approaches, seeking a ‘fully social theory of deviance’ blending labelling theory and marxism
Taylor et al (neomarxist)
The New Criminology
… suggests crime is used to reassert ruling class hegemony eg by distracting people from societal problems
… studied the moral panic about black muggers in the 1970s and suggested it was to distract from the wider issues causing mugging
Hall et al
Neomarxist - The New Criminology
The New Criminology (neomarxist) dimensions of crime and deviance to be explored
- wider social origins of deviant act (context of crime eg capitalism, political crises)
- immediate origins of deviant act (specific personal situation eg unemployment)
- actual act and what it means to be deviant
- immediate origins of societal reaction (how others react)
- wider origins of societal reaction (how the system reacts eg mass media)
- outcome of the societal reaction (eg do they reoffend)
Criticisms of marxist and neomarxist approaches
- overemphasise property crime (don’t explain rape, DV etc)
- overemphasise class inequality (no mention of gender, ethnicity etc)
- feminists view marxist theories as malestream
- traditional marxist views too deterministic (ignore that people choose to commit crime and not everyone does)
- difficult to interpret all crimes as reflecting ruling class ideology eg consumer protection laws
6.pay very little attention to victims of crime