Marxist Theories - Traditional Marxism
- Created by: Victoria Prior
- Created on: 06-11-13 08:57
View mindmap
- Marxist Theories - Traditional Marxism
- Structure of the capitalist society explains crime.
- CRIMINOGENIC CAPITALISM
- Crime is inevitable in capitalism.
- Based on the exploittation of the WC - whatever it takes to get a profit.
- Poverty may mean that crime is the only way the WC can survive - LONDON RIOTS
- Crime may be the only way they can gain access to the material goods advertised by the capitalist society - utilitarian crimes such as theft.
- Lack of control over there lives may lead to frustration / aggression resulting in non-utilitarian crime.
- David Gordon - crfime is a national response to the capitalist system and so is found in all social classes - official statistics work it out to be a WC phenomenom.
- White Collar Crimes - a crime committed by someone of a high status committed i his occupation.
- JIMMY CARR - tax avoidance but got off lightly.
- Wall Street Crash - Fraud
- SELECTIVE ENFORCEMENT
- Ruiling class get away with it much easier.
- Crime takes place in both WC and ruling class but the law is harsher with WC offenders.
- Ideological functions of crime and law.
- Some laws benefit workers - health and safety laws.
- Frank Pearce - argues that such laws benefit the ruling class too - keeping workers fit for work. by giving capitalism a 'caring face' creating a false consciousness among the workers.
- Beacuse the state enforces laws selectively, crime appears to be largely WC - divides the WC encouraging workers to blame WC criminals for their problems not capitalism.
- Media and criminologists portray criminals as disturbed individuals, concealing the fact that it is the nature of capitalism that makes people criminals.
- EVALUATION
- + Labelling theory put into a wider structural context regarding selective enforcement of the law.
- + Shows link between law making and enforcement and the capitalist ideas.
- - Ignores non-class inequalities such as ethnicity and gender.
- - Too deterministic
- - Not all capitalist societies have high crime rates - Japan + Switzerland have much less crime than USA.
Comments
No comments have yet been made