Social class crime

Working class crime

Street crimes such as theft, assault and shoplifting

Middle class crime

More white collar crime, corporate crime and cyber crime.

white collar crime

when a person uses their job or company to commit crime for personal gain. For example embezzlement, fraud and insider trading.

corporate crime

crimes committed by a company in order to increase profits and company standing. These include crimes such as healthy and safety violations and paying below minimum wage.

Street crime

includes crimes such as theft, assault vandalism and shoplifting

Selective law enforcement

Selective Law Enforcement

The police force and criminal justice system treat the working class and the middle class differently. Middle class are to get a slap on the wrist as they are seen as having made a mistake where are the working class are more likely to be arrested for the same crime. Also many corporate crimes are not investigated or prosecuted by the criminal justice system.

Selective law creation

Those who create the law are often of the middle and upper classes, this means that hey are able to manipulate the law into benefiting their own needs and will know ways to manipulate the law for their benefit.

labelling and stereotyping

The working class are often labelled as being more criminogenic and therefore the criminal justice system sees them as making conscious choices to commit crime whereas middle class are seen as making a mistake or unintentionally committing a crime.

Strain theory

Reiner – Explains working class crime by using Merton Strain theory, but also explains middle class crime and white collar crime by suggesting that there is no limit to success financial or material so even those who appear successful can feel strain.

control theory

Murray – the underclass is responsible for the majority of street crime. Hirschi suggests that the underclass are more likely to lack impulse control and bonds to the community which prevent them from committing crime.

criminogenic capitalism

Gordon – capitalism not only encourages the working class to be criminal by creating a culture of envy and hostility. They commit utilitarian crime to survive in a capitalists system and commit non-utilitarian crime to vent frustration at being oppressed. Middle class crime can be explained as capitalism encourages those who are rich to enrich themselves further.

labelling theory

Becker – the working class are unfairly tattered by the CJS, they are less likely to be able to negotiate the system to their advantage. The police tend to patrol working class areas more which results in the working class crime statistics being higher than middle class.

Rational choice theory

The middle class have more opportunities to commit white collar crime and corporate crime. They hold the positions within the company which gives them the access required to commit this type of crime.

Edgework

Messerschmitt – middle class men who engage in white collar crime may do so to show off their masculinity.

Katz also suggests that engaging in white collar crime can also link to the idea of edgework and the feeling of excitement and adrenaline the acts may give.