Marxism and Crime

Question 1

Chambliss (1975): State and Law Making

Answer 1

• Law is created to benefit the rich
• Laws which protect private property are the cornerstone of the capitalist economy
• Crime is universal:
-> Ruling Class: unlimited means; corporate crime, fraud, tax evasion
-> Working class: limited means; violent crime, theft

Question 2

Gordon: Criminogenic Capitalism

Answer 2

Capitalism by nature is what causes crime, for example through the exploitation of the working class

Question 3

Selective Enforcement

Answer 3

• Working class and ethnic minorities are criminalised and reported more by police officers (e.g through stop and search and media coverage) but many of the white collar crimes/ crimes of the powerful are overlooked

Question 4

Pearce: Ideological functions of crime

Answer 4

• Criminals portrayed as disturbed individuals
  -> rather than people who reject the exploitation of the working class
  -> criminals are the scapegoats/moral panic from the ruling class to control the w/c
• Keeps false class consciousness

Question 5

Marxism: Eval

Answer 5

:( Deterministic: not everyone who is w/c will become a criminal
:( Ignores other inequalities such as the gender gap in offending
:( Not all capitalist places have high crime rates e.g Iceland & New Zealand