Social construction of crime & deviance
The nature of deviance is socially constructed
Like interactionists classical Marxists such as Pearce (1976) suggest that what counts as crime and deviance is based on subjective decision making by the powerful.
However unlike interactionists, classical Marxists seek to explain law creation, and in doing so have a stronger view on the links between deviance and power. They maintain that most (although not all) laws are largely created by the state to protect the interests of the powerful ruling class.
This can be illustrated with recent employment and trade union laws that control the activities of the powerless. Laws implemented by Mrs Thatcher in the 1980s undermined trade union power by limiting numbers on picket lines and requiring secret ballots before strikes.
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