Marxist & Feminist views on crime and deviance

What is the Marxist view of crime?

• Crime caused by capitalism and explained through class inequalities.

• The bourgeoisie control the CJS and use it to punish the poor.

• Most laws protect property - protecting those with the property.

What marxist sociologist talked about crime?

Chambliss.

What did Chambliss say?

• Bourgeoisie use their positions to commit white-collar and corporate crimes and use their power and status to avoid detection and avoid punishment.

• Police instead focus their attention on more visible proletariat crime. He calls this the ‘differential enforcement of the law’ against the working class.

What is the feminist view of crime?

• Most crime committed by men - men are the underlying cause of crime.

• The CJS is patriarchal and run in the interests of men, ignoring crimes that disproportionally affect women e.g. sexual crimes.

• Where women commit crime, it is more likely due to poverty than their gender.

Explanation of the feminist view - gender socialisation

• Gender socialisation: McRobbie Bedroom culture. Girls do not go out as much so have less opportunity to commit crime.

• Canalisation Ann Oakley. Given toys according to their gender. Boys given weapons and more violent, destructive toys.

Explanation of the feminist view - social control

Female conformity (Heidensohn) and fewer opportunities e.g. less women in high paid jobs = no white collar crime.

What poverty links are there to the feminist view?

Women more likely to live in poverty than men - gender pay gap, more female lone parents = more than one mouth to feed.

Carlen argues women in poverty commit ‘crimes of the powerless’ e.g. shoplifting rates higher amongst women than men.