Criminology - U2 - Marxism Evaluation

Strength: Poverty causes proletariat crime

Marxism argues that social and economic disadvantages in capitalism (poverty and inequality) lead to higher crime rates among the proletariat (working class).

Strength: Capitalism fosters greed among the bourgeoisie

Marxism argues that capitalism encourages greed, leading to criminal behaviour and exploitation by the bourgeoisie (upper class).

Strength: Lawmaking favours the bourgeoisie

Marxism highlights how laws and their enforcement tend to be biased against the proletariat and criminalise behaviours of the working class.

Weakness: Ignores crime's links to other social inequalities

Marxism focuses primarily on class and largely overlooks how crime is influenced by other social inequalities, such as gender, race, and more.

Weakness: Over-predicts proletariat crime

Marxism tends to overestimate crime rates among the proletariat, failing to account for crime variations across different contexts.

Weakness: Ignores low crime in some capitalist nations

Marxism doesn't explain why some capitalist countries experience low crime rates, contradicting its broad claims about capitalism and crime.