Crime and Deviance - Class, Power and Crime

Question 1

What are the three main elements of crime, according to Marxists?

Answer 1

• Criminogenic capitalism, the state and law making, and ideological functions of crime and law.

Question 2

What is meant by “criminogenic capitalism”?

Answer 2

• Capitalism causes crime.

Question 3

Why might the working-class commit crimes, according to Marxists?

Answer 3

• 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 the consumer goods encouraged by capitalist advertising. Leads to more utilitarian crimes such as theft.
• Alienation and a lack of control over their lives may lead to frustration and aggression. Leads to more non-utilitarian crimes such as violence and vandalism.

Question 4

What is meant by a “dog eat dog” system?

Answer 4

• Capitalism is a system of ruthless competition among capitalists.
• The motive of profit can encourage a mentality of greed and self-interest. Leads to more white-collar crimes such as tax evasion.

Question 5

What does Gordon say about the frequency of crime?

Answer 5

• Crime is a rational response to the capitalist system, found in all social classes (even if official statistics make them appear to be a largely working-class phenomenon).

Question 6

What do Marxists say about law making and law enforcement?

Answer 6

• Only serves the interests of the capitalist class.

Question 7

What did Chambliss discover from his study of Britain’s East African Colonies?

Answer 7

• The law only served the economic interests of the capitalist plantation owners.
• This is because they introduced a payable tax to force the African population to work for them.

Question 8

What does Snider say about the passing of laws?

Answer 8

• The capitalist state is reluctant to pass laws that regulate the activities of businesses or threaten their profitability.

Question 9

What is meant by “selective enforcement”?

Answer 9

• Where financial / corporate crimes committed by the wealthy are more leniently dealt with, compared to financial crimes committed by the poor, which are almost always pursued by law enforcement.

Question 10

What are the ideological functions of crime and law? (Pearce)

Answer 10

• Laws such as workplace health and safety laws not only benefit the working-class, but also create a false consciousness which benefits the ruling-class.

Question 11

Evaluation of Marxism.

Answer 11

• Allows a wider insight of the labelling theory alongside selective enforcement.
• The criminal justice system can still act against the interests of the capitalist class. E.g. Prosecutions for corporate crime do still occur.
• Left Realists argue that Marxists ignore intra-class crimes (where both the criminals and the victims are working-class).
• Ignores the relationship between crime and non-class inequalities such as thnicity and gender.