Marxist Criminology Flashcards
What is Marxist Criminology about?
He focuses on how crime is focused on class interests. Positions in class structure determine how issues are constructed, how crime is defined and responded to.
What are crimes of the powerless responding to?
Poverty and sociocultural alienation.
What are the three types of crimes by the powerful?
Crimes of economic domination (pollution, price-fixing, industrial homicide, consumer negligence), control (police brutality, civil liberty violations) and government (warfare, political assassination, renditions).
What is an example of a control-based powerful crime?
The bombing of the MOVE organisation, which advocated for black rights and did not recognise police legitimacy.
What is an example of government-based powerful crime?
The collusion of the USA with 54 other countries who engaged in extraordinary renditions. They transferred detainees outside of US soil to torture them without legal processes.
What is an example of economic dominated-based powerful crime?
The Wall Street dudes during the Global Financial Crisis. Altered credit ratings in order to promote loans that eventually caused property bubbles to burst, wreaking economic havoc.
How did Nestle engage in consumer negligence?
They promoted a baby formula known to cause medical harm in 3rd world countries.
What are some critiques of Marxist criminology?
It tends to romanticise offenders, justifying their behaviour and ignoring the harm done.
Not everyone in poverty commits crime.
Fails to account for other differences like sex, race, age, etc.
