class, power, and crime

Question 1

(m) criminogenic capitalism

Answer 1

capitalism causes crime by exploiting the wc

• poverty means crime is key to survival
• ut. crime may be the only way to get goods from capitalist ads
• non-ut. crime may be the only way to deal with alienation

Question 2

ao3 of criminogenic capitalism

Answer 2

the mc need to win no matter what, so it’s not just the wc who commit crime (white collar crime)

Question 3

(m) the state and law making

Answer 3

law-makers serve the interests of capitalism

Question 4

(m) chambliss

Answer 4

laws to protect private property are the cornerstone of their capitalist economy

Question 5

(m) snider

Answer 5

the state is reluctant to pass laws that regulate or threaten the profitability of businesses

Question 6

(m) selective enforcement

Answer 6

marxists believe that the application of law is unequal, even though all classes commit crime

Question 7

(m) ideological functions of crime and law

Answer 7

• laws that look like they benefit the wc actually benefit capitalism (i.e., health and safety laws keep the wc fit to work)
• laws that protect the wc aren’t enforced well, such as the corporate homicide law that had 1 prosecution in the first 8 years, despite negligent employers being responsible for many more deaths

Question 8

ao3 of marxism

Answer 8

• ignores the relationship between crime and other inequalities like gender/ethnicity
• deterministic = over-predicts wc crime
• lr say that it ignores inter-class crime
• the cjs has punished corporate crime

Question 9

what do neo-marxists believe in

Answer 9

critical criminology

Question 10

(n-m) taylor et al

Answer 10

agrees with marxists on three things

1. capitalist society is based on exploitation and class conflict
2. the state makes/enforces laws in the interests of the rc
3. we should replace capitalism with communism

Question 11

(n-m) the 6 aspects of the fully social theory of deviance

Answer 11

1. wider origins of the deviant act = within the unequal distribution of wealth/power of a capitalist society
2. the context around the act
3. the reason behind the act itself
4. the reactions of those around the deviant
5. the wider origins of social reaction = in capitalist society, the issues of who has the power to define acts as deviant and label others, and why some acts are treated more harshly
6. the effects of labelling

Question 12

(n-m) critiques of marxism

Answer 12

‘the voluntaristic view’ - the crime is a meaningful action and a conscious choice because criminals aren’t passive puppets

Question 13

ao3 of neo-marxism/critical criminology

Answer 13

• feminists call it gender-blind as it places a focus on male crime
• lr claim that n-m don’t take the effects on the wc seriously
• it is too general to fully explain crime

Question 14

sutherland

Answer 14

defines white collar crime as one committed by a person of respectability and high status in the course of their occupation

Question 15

occupational crime

Answer 15

committed by employees for personal gain against the workplace

Question 16

corporate crime

Answer 16

committed by employees to achieve company goals

Question 17

tombs

Answer 17

1. financial crimes = tax evasion
2. consumer crimes = selling unfit goods
3. crimes against employees = sexual discrimination
4. crimes against the environment = illegal pollution
5. state-corporate crime = where the government gets involved in crime

Question 18

the abuse of trust

Answer 18

we entrust our valuables with professionals and they have the power to abuse this trust

Question 19

explanations of corporate crime

Answer 19

1. box - strain theory
2. nelken - crime within companies is de-labelled
3. sutherland - crime is behaviour learned from others
4. marxists - a part of capitalism

Question 20

ao3 explanations of corporate crime

Answer 20

• over-predicts amount of crime
• if capitalism is the cause, how is the crime of non-profit organisation explained

Question 21

how is corporate crime invisible

Answer 21

1. the media doesn’t cover it
2. lack of political will to fight it
3. too complex to solve easily
4. not seen as criminal
5. under-reported