Class, power and crime Flashcards
(28 cards)
Give comparisons between marxism and labelling theory
Marxists are similar to labelling theorists as they both argue that the law is enforced disproportionately against the working class and therefore official crime statistics cannot be taken at face-value. However, they differ as Marxists criticise labelling theory for failing to examine the wider structure of capitalism within which law making, law enforcement and offending take place.
What three main elements does marxists’ view of crime involve?
Criminogenic capitalism, the state and law making, ideological functions of crime and law.
How is capitalism criminogenic?
By its very nature it causes crime.
How does capitalism’s effect on the working class give rise to crime?
Poverty may mean that crime is the only way that the working class can survive, crime may be the only way that they can obtain consumer goods encouraged by capitalist advertising, alienation and lack of control over their lives may lead to frustration and aggression, resulting in non-utilitarian crimes such as violence and vandalism. Alienation and lack of control over their lives may lead to frustration and aggression, resulting in non-utilitarian crimes such as violence and vandalism.
What does Gordan say about crime within capitalist societies?
Crime is a rational response to the capitalist system and hence it is found in all social classes.
What does Chambliss say about the state and law making?
Laws to protect private property are the cornerstone of the capitalist economy.
How does Chambliss support his view about the state and law making?
The case of the introduction of english law into britain’s east African colonies
Britan’s economic interests lay in the colonies’ tea, coffee and other plantations, which needed a plentiful supply of local labour. The british introduced a tax payable in cash, non-payment of which is punishable criminal offence. The ruling class also have the power to prevent the introduction of laws that would threaten interests.
how does Snider support Chambliss’ view of the state and law making
the capitalist state is reluctant to pass laws that regulate the activities of businesses or threaten their profitability
What does Pierce argue about the ideological functions of crime and law
when laws are passed that appear to benefit the working class rather than capitalism, such laws benefit the ruling class too. For example, keeping workers fit for work by giving capitalism a caring face - such laws create a false consciousness among the workers.
give five criticisms of marxism
largely ignores relationship between crime and non-class inequalities such as ethnicity and gender
too deterministic and over-predicts the amount of crime in the working class - not all poor people commit crime despite the pressures of poverty
not all capitalist societies have high crime rates - the homicide rate in japan and switzerland is about 1/5 of that in the united states.
The criminal justice system sometimes acts against the interests of the capitalist class for example, prosecution of corporate crimes
left realists argue that the marxism ignores intra-class crimes such as burglary and mugging which cause great harm to victicms.
How does taylor et al agree with marxists? (Taylor, walton and young)
capitalist society is based on exploitation and class conflict and characterised by extreme inequalities of wealth and power.
the state makes and enforces laws in the interests of the capitalist class and criminalises members of the working class
Capitalism should be replaced by a classless society. This would greatly reduce the extent of crime or even rid society of crime entirely.
Anti-determinism
taylor et al argue that marxism is deterministic
they take a more voluntaristic view - the idea that we have free will - the opposite of determinism
they see crime as meaningful action and a conscious choice by the actor.
They argue that crime often has a political motive.
criminals are not passive puppets whose behaviour is shaped by capitalism. - they are deliberately striving to change society
explain the fully social theory of deviance
taylor et al
a comprehensive understanding of crime and deviance that would help to change society for the better.
This would have two main sources:
- marxist ideas about the unequal distribution of wealth and who has the power to make and reinforce the law
- ideas from interactionism and labelling theory about the meaning of the deviant act for the actor, societal reactions to it and the effects of the deviant label on the individual.
A complete theory needs to unite six aspects:
- the wider origins of the deviant act
- the immediate origins of the deviant act
- the act itself
- the immediate origins of social reaction
- the wider origins of social reaction
- the effects of labelling
left realist - critical criminology romanticises working class criminals as robin hoods who are fighting capitalism by redistributing wealth from the rich to the poor. However, in reality these criminals mostly prey on the poor
Left realist - taylor et al do not take crime seriously and they ignore its effects on working class victims
roger hopkins burke - critical criminology is both too general to explain crime and too idealistic to be useful in tackling crime. However, stuart et al have applied taylor et al’s approach to explain the moral panic over mugging
how does sutherland define white collar crime
a crime committed by a person of respectability and high status in the course of their occupation
differentiate between occupational crime and corporate crime
occupational - committed by employees for personal gain
corporate - committed by employees in pursuit of the goals of the occupation
how do pierce and tombs widen the definition of corporate crime
an illegal act of omission that is the result of deliberate decisions or culpable negligence by legitimate business organisations and that is intended to benefit the business.
give the five types of corporate crime
financial crime - tax evasion, bribery, money laundering
Crimes against consumers - false labelling, selling unfit goods
crimes against employees - sexual and racial discrimination, violations of wage laws, rights to join a union or take industrial actions.
crimes against the environment - illegal pollution of air, water, land
State corporate crime - harms committed when government institutions and businesses cooperate to pursue goals
what three harms does Tombs argue is brought about through corporate crime
physical harm
environmental harm
economic harm
what does Carrabine et al argue about corporate crime?
we entrust high status individuals with our finances, health, security, and iyr personal info but they can abuse this trust.
explain how the media may make corporate crime invisible
limited coverage to corporate crime reinforces the stereotype that crime is a working class phenomenon and they describe corporate crime using sanitized language.
explain how a lack of political will may make corporate crime invisible
politician’s rhetoric of being tough on crime is focused only on street crime. Crimes are often complex and law enforcers are often under-staffed, under resourced and lacking technical expertise
explain how de-labelling may make crime invisible including the HSBC case study
offences are often defined as civil rather than criminal. Penalties are often fines rather than jail.
in 2010, French authorities provided British counterparts with a list of 3600 UK citizens holding secret bank accounts. Accounts were believed to be a means of evading tax but UK tax authorities secured one prosecution and no action was taken against the HSBC.
explain how corporate crime has become more visible
since the financial crisis 2008, activities of a range of people may have made corporate crime more visible. For example, campaigns against tax avoidance such as occupy
