Marxism essay Flashcards
Intro
Structuralist conflict left-wing theory suggests that crime can only be explained through capitalism and class struggle. Capitalism is criminogenic. 2 forms - classic and neo. Classical sees the working class as passive victims with criminality being driven by factors outside of their control. Neo sees individuals as having free will and on experiencing capitalism they are divided on how to respond to it.
Para 1 - bourgeoise criminals
D- B are real criminals
E - Lauren Snider SLE - laws are enforced much more strictly on the poor and marginalised, whilst corporate crimes and crimes commit by the ruling class are treated much more leniently. Lavinia Woodward vs london riots
S - Chambliss - ruling class makes conscious decisions to avoid passing laws that affect their wealth and power. Ruling class decide what is or is not socially acceptable
E- Too deterministic, wc are responsible for their own actions. Miller would criticize Snider as he argues that working class boys were socialised into a number of distinct values that together meant that they were more likely than others to engage in delinquent or deviant behaviour. Miller described these values as ‘‘focal conerns’’, which emphasise toughness and include a desire for excitement and thrills.
Para 2 - crimes of streets not suites
D -
E - Timer and Eitzen
S - best fit of criminal - ‘typical delinquent’
E - Durkheim - disagree as although they argue that the ruling class is ignored by authorities, Durkheim would insist that society is meritocratic and that those at the top of society are more hardworking and able, therefore the working class receive more police attention as they have not worked as hard and have not contributed to society, and so are more likely to be criminal.
Para 3 - corporate crime
D - ignore corporate crime
E - Croall refers to corporate crime as offences committed by large companies which benefit the company rather than the individual, often these crimes are far more damaging and cost society more than crimes carried out by the poor such as burglary.
S - Thalidomide incident - drug advertised to help with morning sickness had not been properly tested and stunted the growth and development of many children which caused major birth defects and weren’t compensated
E - no real solutions - Lea and Young - would suggest solutions for tackling crime such as reducing the poverty gap through taxation and improving the quality of lives among the poor and marginalized in society. They suggest that we need to focus on the root causes of crime byu reducing existing social problems, which Croall fails to do
Para 4 - political crime
D - Neo marxists believe that crime can be a political act
E - Taylor, Walton and Young discuss this view as they suggest that crime can be a deliberate and political act, it is a conscious response to a feeling of powerlessness, injustice and alienation. Criminals are actively struggling to alter capitalism and change society for the better
S - Hall ‘policing the crisis’ - found that the government and the media were promoting racism, stereotyping and demonising black men to distract from the political problems and poorly performing economy. This meant that black young men were protesting against racism and capitalism and also being labelled as criminals in the process
E - Greer - too focused on class and ethnicity. Ignores crimes directed towards women such as DV. T, W and Y ignore the fact that violence against women is not a political act or a conscious response to a feeling of powerlessness, it is due to the patriarchal society that we live in
Para 5 - ethnicity and crime
D - Ethnic minorities are essentially politically driven to commit crime
E - Gilroy suggests that many of the widely held beliefs about Black Criminality are myths. Instead, he sees the group as defending themselves and hitting back at a society which treats them unjustly. Therefore the Brixton Riots were examples of young blacks hitting back against police harassment, racially motivated attacks and discrimination
S - Scarman Report - produced in the aftermath of the Brixton riots. It highlighted the resentment felt by the Afro-Caribbean communities towards the police whom they felt harassed by
E - Durkheim - can serve as a positive function - crime heps the law reflect the changing norms and values of society which can lead to positive social change e.g suffragettes
