Traditional Marxism: Theories of Crime and Deviance

capitalism is c___________ (Bonger)

capitalism is criminogenic

criminogenic

produces the conditions in which crime is likely to occur (generates crime)

Why do Marxists argue that capitalism is criminogenic? (Bonger)

• egoism

• poverty, inequality & alienation

• bourgeoise crime

• anomie

What is egoism and how does it generate crime?

• excessive self-interest

• society is organised around competition, matter success, and individual gain

• discourages altruism

• ‘dog eat dog’ society (Gordon)

• characterised by individualism and greed

• individuals are encouraged to act in ways that prioritise their own advantage, even if it harms others or breaks the law

altruism

the concern for others’ welfare

What are poverty, inequality & alienation and how do they generate crime?

• the working class is often alienated and impoverished, forced to sell their labour for survival 

• creates structural inequality and relative deprivation, conditions that can push individuals to commit utilitarian crime

• utilitarian crimes are often committed as a response to frustration 

• workers feel disconnected from the work they do as they have little control of it

• workers are disconnected from what they produce

What is bourgeoise crime?

• e.g., white-collar crimes, corporate crimes

• motivated by greed, profit, and competition

• capitalism produces both power crime among the rich and survival crime among the poor

What is anomie and how does it generate crime?

• ‘normlessness’

• capitalism erodes collective morality

• weakened bonds of social cohesion

• promotes a culture where success is measured by material gain

• ethical or communal values are secondary

• e.g., individuals frequently live apart from each other in small, privatised families and no longer feel as if they have obligations to others outside of this

the v___ m_______ of p_____ in the UK o__ some p_______

the vast majority of people in the UK own some property

the existence of c____ in n__-c_________ s_________, especially c________ s________, has been used to challenge the concept of c_________ being c____________

the existence of crime in non-capitalist societies, especially communist societies, has been used to challenge the concept of capitalism being criminogenic

there are c_________ c________ which have l__ c____ r____ (e.g., J____)

there are capitalist countries which have low crime rates (e.g., Japan)

Marxist theories seem to present w______ c____ c________ as p______

Marxist theories seem to present working class criminals as passive

N__-M_______ argue that c____ is a c________ c_____

Neo-Marxists argue that crime is a conscious choice

ideology

a set of ideas and beliefs that are dominant in society and are used to justify the power and privilege of the ruling class

According to Box, why is the law ideological?

• reflects and reinforces the dominant ideas of the ruling class

• does not serve society as a whole

• gives the illusion of fairness

• mainly protects capitalist interests (e.g., property & business) instead of protecting everyone equally

According to Box, how does the definition of the law protect capitalists?

• allows the actions of capitalists to avoid being labelled ‘criminal’

• e.g., avoidable deaths in the workplace due to the employer failing to ensure safe working conditions are often labelled ‘accidents’

• e.g., an avoidable death on the street due to a fight is often labelled ‘murder’

• produces mystification

• spreads the belief that white-collar crime is less harmful to society

mystification

making the working class seen more ‘criminal’ than the capitalist class

According to Pearce, how is the law ideological?

• laws that appear to be in the interests of the working class actually exist to benefit capitalists

• laws keep workers fit for work

• e.g., health and safety laws at work give capitalism a ‘caring face’ and produce false class consciousness 

• laws make workers think that capitalists care about their welfare

What is transgressive criminology?

• is the employer who is paying the poverty wages or the worker who is trying to feed their family the real criminal?

• someone who is interested in both illegal acts and legal acts that cause harm

• seeing laws as something that are created by the ruling class to serve the needs of capitalism

• legal acts may be harmful, but sections of sections of society may consider some technically illegal activies harmless or even admirable (e.g., revolutionary activism)

What does Reiman argue about how likely a crime is to be treated as a criminal offence?

• the more likely a crime is to be committed by higher class individuals, the less likely it is to be treated as a criminal offence

• crimes more likely to be committed by the working class are more likely to be prosecuted

• the criminal justice system takes a more forgiving view of crimes committed by the higher classes (e.g., tax evasion, health and safety breaches)

• white-collar crime, corporate crime, and state crime are controlled much less than petty crime and anti-social behaviour

According to Chambliss, what does the law in the UK (and the US) primarily do?

protects people who own property

What does Chambliss (1978) argue about the criminal justice system and the law?

• members of the ruling class, including politicians and business owners, use their wealth and influence to bribe officials and avoid punishment 

• the criminal justice system is not there to catch politicians and businesses owners (or any members of the ruling class)

• universal laws are applied to selectively control the working class while protecting the rich

According to Chambliss, what is the purpose of the law?

• protect private property

• protect wealth

What are 2 examples of how capitalists have used the law to protect their private property and wealth?

• vagrancy laws (1349)

• East Africa 

How are vagrancy laws (1349) an example of how capitalists have used the law to protect their private property and wealth?

• there was a shortage of labour after the Black Death

• it was illegal to give money to any individual of sound mind or body who was unemployed

• the poor were forced to work for landowners to survive

• individuals were threatened with imprisoned if they refused to work offers from landowners

How is East Africa an example of how capitalists have used the law to protect their private property and wealth?

1. when the British colonised East Africa, the economy of the natives was not based on money, but on trading goods with one another

2. the British, wanting to use the population as cheap labour working on tea and coffee plantations, introduced a tax 

3. the population had to work on the plantations to pay the tax

4. wages were kept low to ensure that workers could not earn enough to consider quitting before the harvest season was over