AS Marxism - Crime and Deviance

Marxism is a conflict based theory which focuses on the exploitation of the working classes and how this occurs through the force and power of the capitalist system. In terms of crime, Marxists view it as an inevitable outcome of an unfair society where capitalism creates inequality and encourages values such as selfishness and greed.

In the 1970's, a study took place at the Centre for Contemporary Studies which focused on the cause and emergence of youth subulcutres, in which they found that social class inequality was one of main the causes. In particular, some of these youth subcultures engage in criminal behaviour and exert deviant values; according to the CCCS, this is an act of resistance against the capitalist system and the inequality it creates. Youths are affected by the working of the system as they are faced with unemployment and low…