Social Class Flashcards
(14 cards)
Marxists believe crime is inevitable in a capitalist society because it encourages poverty, competition and greed.
working class are largely criminalised for their actions because the ruling class control the state and can make and enforce laws in their own interests. In this instance, white collar and corporate crimes are often ignored.
CRIMINOGENIC CAPITALISM
Marxists believe that capitalism is criminogenic - by its very nature, it causes crime. Poverty (caused be capitalism) may mean that crime is the only way the working class can survive
Alienation and lack of control may lead to frustration and aggression, resulting in non-utilitarian crimes such as violence and vandalism.
THE STATE AND LAW MAKING
Chambliss state that laws to protect private property are a cornerstone of the capitalist economy.
Snider argues that capitalist state is reluctant to pass laws that regulate the activities of businesses or threaten their profitability.
SELECTIVE ENFORCEMENT
Marxists believe that although all classes commit crime, when it comes to application of the law by the criminal justice system, there is selective enforcement. While powerless groups such as the working class and ethnic minorities are criminalised, the police and court tend to ignore the crimes of the powerful.
IDEOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS
Pearce theorises that laws give capitalism a ‘caring’ face, and create a false consciousness among workers. This is because the state enforces the law selectively, crime appears to be largely a working-class phenomenon. This divides working class due
Invisibility of CORPORATE CRIME - the media
give very limited coverage to corporate, thus reinforcing the stereotype that crime is a working-class phenomenon
Invisibility of CORPORATE CRIME - Lack of political will to tackle corporate crime
politicians rhetoric of being ‘tough on crime’ only applies to street crime.
Invisibility of CORPORATE CRIME - Crimes are complex
law enforcers are often understaffed, under-resourced and lack technical expertise.
Invisibility of CORPORATE CRIME - Delabelling
at the level of laws and legal regulations, corporate crime is consistently filtered out from the process of criminalisation.
Invisibility of CORPORATE CRIME - Under-reported
individuals may be unaware they have been victimised.
Explanations of CORPORATE CRIME
Box argues that if a company cannot achieve its goal of maximising profit by legal means, it may employ illegal ones instead.
Explanations of CORPORATE CRIME - DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION
Sutherland Sees crime as behaviour learned from others in a social context. The less we associate with people who hold attitudes favourable to the law and the more we associate with people with criminal attitudes, the more likely we are to become deviant ourselves.
Explanations of CORPORATE CRIME - LABELLING THEORY
Cicourel argues that typically, the working class are more likely to have their actions labelled as criminal. The middle class are more able to negotiate non-criminal labels for their misbehaviour.
