Marxist explanations of crime and deviance

Question 1

What do Marxists say about crime and hegemony?

Answer 1

• Gramsci- hegemony= dominant, shared system of beliefs= normal/natural
• Bourgeoise have hegemony- proletariat have been brainwashed into accepting and participating in capitalist ideology

Question 2

What did Althusser say about crime and deviance?

Answer 2

Proletariat is controlled by:
- Repressive state apparatus (violent, formal social control- police, government)
- Ideological state apparatus (subtle, informal social control- family, media, education)

Question 3

What did Box say about crime and deviance?

Answer 3

• Crime is socialy constructed
• Murder is avoidable killing BUT not all killings are murder (murder vs corporate manslaughter)
• Murder= an act involving particualr actors, situations, instruments and motives

Question 4

What did Bonger say about crime and deviance?

Answer 4

• Capitalist values (e.g: individuality, greed, competitiveness) cause crime
• The poor have no option but to commit crime (brainwashed by bourgeoise)

Question 5

What did Gordan say about crime and deviance?

Answer 5

• Capitalism is criminogenic
• Crime is a rational response to capitalism
• Both the rich (white collar crime) and the poor (desperation) commit crime

Question 6

What did Croall say about crime and deviance?

Answer 6

• White collar crime is rarely reported

Question 7

What did Snider say about crime and deviance?

Answer 7

• Capitalist state is reluctant to pass laws that regulate businesses

Question 8

What did Thio say about crime and deviance?

Answer 8

• Financial cost to society of white collar crime is 24x larger than the cost of w/c street crime

Question 9

What did Marx say about crime and deviance?

Answer 9

• ‘Alienation’ refering to a sense of powerlessness, lack of control and disconnectedness felt by proletariet due to exploitation
• Drives people into criminality

Question 10

What did Chambliss say about crime and deviance?

Answer 10

• Structure of capitalism creates the desire to consume, and the inability to earn enough money to meet these consumption desires= lead to crime
• Crimina; acts committed throughout the class system, but law enforcement presents crime as associated with lower classes
• Form of criminality depends on position and opportunities available

Question 11

Evaluation of Marxism

Answer 11

• Too heavily focused on class
• Some laws protect the powerless
• Too extreme (unlikely that the ruling class are involved in a deliberate conspiracy to criminalise the w/c)
• Rich and powerful are prosecuted too
• Most people do obey the law- value consensus
• Debate about capitalism as criminogenic- most citizens in capitalist countries are not criminal