Class and Crime

Question 1

What % of people in prison come from the working class? How much does the working class make up of the population?

Answer 1

41% of the prison population are working class, yet the working class make up 19% of the population.

Question 2

Who makes crime statistics?

Answer 2

Police (police recorded crime), CJS (criminal justice system). Directed by the Gov and ruling classes.

Question 3

Why might crime statistics by disproportionate?

Answer 3

Police typifications.
Marxists - selective law enforcement.
Media moral panics - eg. football fans.

Question 4

What type of crimes do the W/C commit?

Answer 4

Utilitarian crimes - for survival such as shoplifting, violence, vandalism.
All linked to low pay and lack of employment.
Subcultural theory - status frustration.

Question 5

What types of crime do the H/C commit?

Answer 5

White collar crime (against employment) and corporate crime. Both linked to employment.

Question 6

Name four reasons why these crimes happen?

Answer 6

Criminogenic capitalism - Marxist David Gordon
Strain Theory - Merton
Status Frustration - Subculture theory Cohen
Relative Deprivation - Left Realists Lea and Young

Question 7

What does talks about Strain Theory?

Answer 7

Merton

Question 8

Why’s is strain theory a reason why the LC commit crime?

Answer 8

The LC are socialised into the American dream - financial successes, but can’t achieve it.
Have the goals but no means to achieve it.
Adaptations include:
Innovation - new way
Retreatism - drug/alcohol abuse
Rebellion - terrorism, new goals and means.

Question 9

Why is strain theory a reason why the HC so/don’t commit crime?

Answer 9

Not relatively deprived, well educated and have the means to achieve the goals = no strain.
However, Messner and Rosenfeld extend strain theory to all social classes - anyone can feel relatively deprived. (explains corporate crime - not paying minimum wage)

Question 10

What’s an evaluative point of strain theory?

Answer 10

Deterministic - not all relatively deprived people commit crime. Assumes consensus on goals and means.

Question 11

Who talks about criminogenic capitalism?

Answer 11

David Gordon

Question 12

Why is criminogenic capitalism a reason why the LC commit crime?

Answer 12

TNC’s move operations abroad which means unemployment in the UK.
Crisis of masculinity in the UK, plus utilitarian crime to survive.
AO2 - Winlows bouncers in Sunderland.
They turned to jobs that included drugs, violence and vandalism.
(Status frustration Cohen)

Question 13

Why is criminogenic capitalism a reason why the HC do/don’t commit crime?

Answer 13

Exploitation of people in developing world (Global South)
Fewer employment laws, environmental laws.

Question 14

What’s an evaluative point of criminogenic capitalism?

Answer 14

Better to use a harm definition than a legal one.
Zemiological approach.

Question 15

Who talks about labelling/interactionist theory?

Answer 15

Cicourel, Piliavin and Briar, Becker.

Question 16

Why is labelling/interactionist theory a reason why the LC are labelled as criminal and the HC aren’t?

Answer 16

Police typifications
- formal control agents enforce more laws on the LC than the HC.
- HC commit crime in more enclosed spaces, WC are more visible.
- police more focused in WC areas.

Question 17

What’s an evaluative point for labelling theory?

Answer 17

Labelling treats criminals as victims of labelling, romanticising them.
Ignores that they might me criminal, ignores reasons for crimes, ignores where power to label comes from.
Better explained by Marxists - ruling class/state empowers the police.

Question 18

Who talks about selective law enforcement, ideological function of the law, criminogenic capitalism?

Answer 18

Marxists - Reiman and Chambliss

Question 19

Why are Marxists theories a reason why the LC are labelled as criminal and the HC aren’t?

Answer 19

Govt / Ruling class
- make laws which criminalise the LC but few criminalise the HC.
- eg. trespass affects the LC.
Corporate crime
- “corporate manslaughter” law passed in 2008
- only one successful prosecution since.
Denies victims victim status, no law in the USA (Titanic)
Even if taken to court the HC can de-label themselves and pay themselves out.

Question 20

What’s an evaluative point for Marxist theories?

Answer 20

Laws exist to criminalise the HC.
- Corporate manslaughter
Not all the time HC are greedy and exploit workers.
- Dan Price, credit card company, equal pay.

Question 21

How does the media contribute to the invisibility of HC crimes?

Answer 21

The media give very limited coverage to corporate crime, thus reinforcing the stereotypes that crime is a working class phenomenon.
They describe corporate crime in sanitised language, as technical infringement rather than crime.

Question 22

How does lack of political will contribute to the invisibility of HC crimes?

Answer 22

Politicians rhetoric of being ‘tough on crime’ is focused on street crime. For example, the home office uses the crime survey to focus on ‘ordinary crime’ not corporate crime.

Question 23

How does complexity contribute to the invisibility of HC crimes?

Answer 23

Complex and law enforcement are often understaffed, under resourced and lacking technical expertise to investigate effectively.

Question 24

How does de-labelling contribute to the invisibility of HC crimes?

Answer 24

At the level of laws and legal regulation, corporate crime is consistently filtered out from the process of criminalisation. Offences are often defined as civil, not criminal.

Question 25

How does under-reporting contribute to the invisibility of HC crimes?

Answer 25

Individuals may be unaware that they have been victimised.
Even when they are aware, they may not regard it as a ‘real crime’ and feel powerless against the authorities.