Marxist theories

Crime reflects inequalities in society and is inevitable, only to be overthrown by revolution. Capitalism creates greed and competition = stealing offences. 

Criminogenic Capitalism - The nature of capitalist society causes crime, exploitation is damaging to w/c, alienation = frustration and agression but is not confined to w/c. Gordon = Crime is a rational response to anti-capitalism. Official statistics make it appear largely w/c phenomenon. 

The State and Law Making - Laws made and enforced by w/c for their interests. Chambliss = Private property is cornerstone of CS. Snider = r/c reluctant to pass laws that regulate business activity and profitability. Selective Enforcement - Reiman = crimes commited by high class are less likely to be treated as a criminal offence, society is more forgiving. 

Ideological Functions of Law and Crime - Laws are ocassionally passed to appear to be in the best interest of w/c, e.g. Health and Saftey. Pearce = laws that r/c, keeps workers fit to work. 

:)  - Shows a useful relationship explanation between crime and capitalist society

:( - Ignores the relationship between crime, ethnicity and gender

Combined influences of marxism and interactionism. 

Agree with Marxists - CS is based on exploitation and extreme inequalities, the state enforces laws of interest and criminalises the w/c, it should be replaced by a classless society to reduce crime. 

Neo-Marxists are Voluntaristic = crime is a meaningful action and conscious choice and is a political motive, Marxism is deterministic and see's its workers (w/c) to commit crime out of economic necessity, no free will. 

Taylor et al = creating a fully social theory of deviance to change society for the better. Two main sources: Marxism ideas about inequalities and who has the power to enforce laws and Labelling ideas, the meaning of the deviant act for the actor. Unites 6 aspects; The wider / immediate origins of the deviant act, The wider/ immediate origins of social reaction, The act itself and The effects of labelling. 

:) - Hall applied Taylors approach to explain the moral panic of mugging in 1970's. 

:( - Feminists say that it is gender blind, excessive focus on male crime than female.

Croall = Commited in the course of legitimate employment, abusingof the occupational role. 

Sutherland = Crime commited by someone of high social status. Fails to distinguish between Occupational crime: commited at the expense of the organisation and Corporate crime: commited on behalf of the organisation. 

Types of corporate crime: Crimes against consumers, crimes against employees, environmental offences, financial fraud, state corporate crime. 

Compared to street crimes, crimes of the powerful are relativiely invisble/ not seen as real. 

Delabelling - corporate crimes often filtered out from criminalisation process. defined as civil. 

Crimes often too complex - law enforcements often understaffed, lacking resources and technical expertise to investigate effectively. 

Lack of Political Will - to tackle corporate crime, harder to pin the offender, everyone has a motive, politicians focus on street crimes, they are powerful enough to commit these corporate crimes.