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Bourgeoisie
The capitalist class who own the means of production (e.g., factories and businesses) and profit from the exploitation of the proletariat.
Proletariat
The working class who sell their labor to make money but are exploited by the bourgeoisie to generate profit.
Capitalism and Crime
Marxists argue that capitalism causes crime by exploiting the proletariat, pushing them into poverty, leading them to commit crimes to survive. Capitalism also promotes consumerism, causing utilitarian crimes, and creates inequality, leading to alienation and frustration, which result in non-utilitarian crimes.
Utilitarian Crimes
Crimes committed for financial gain or material benefit, often driven by capitalism's consumerism and economic inequality (e.g., theft, burglary). People commit these crimes to obtain what they cannot afford.
Non-Utilitarian Crimes
Crimes not motivated by financial gain, but by frustration, alienation, or anger, often resulting from the inequality and exploitation in capitalist societies (e.g., vandalism, violent crime).
Capitalism and Crime Among Capitalists
Capitalism leads to crime even among the bourgeoisie, as it is a "dog-eat-dog" system where profit motives can promote greed and unethical behavior, leading to corporate crime and exploitation of the proletariat.
Making and Enforcing the Law
Marxists believe that laws are made and enforced to serve the interests of capitalism. For example, laws protect private property (e.g., laws against squatting by the homeless), but don't address the wealth inequality that allows the bourgeoisie to own multiple houses.
Ideological Functions of Crime and the Law
Marxists argue the law is enforced selectively, protecting the bourgeoisie. Corporate crimes, like safety violations, are punished less severely than street crime, and white-collar criminals often face fines rather than jail. For example, Carson found that only 3 out of 200 companies were prosecuted for breaching health and safety laws, even when employee deaths occurred.
Criminal Values of Capitalism
Capitalism encourages the pursuit of wealth at any cost, which can lead to criminal behavior by both the bourgeoisie (e.g., fraud) and the proletariat (e.g., theft, due to consumerism and inequality).
Transgressive Criminology
Transgressive criminology goes beyond just looking at illegal acts. It questions whether the law is fair, focusing on legal acts that cause harm (like corporate exploitation). Marxists support it because it challenges laws that protect the interests of the bourgeoisie, highlighting that harmful actions by the bourgeoisie should also be seen as criminal, even if they aren't technically illegal.
Chambliss and Property Law
Chambliss argued that most laws protect the bourgeoisie and let them avoid punishment for crimes, such as bribing officials or abusing power.
Graham's Study of Drug Policy
Graham found that during the "war on drugs," the government focused on drugs that didn't benefit big companies, leaving pharmaceutical companies largely untouched.
Pearce's Health and Safety Laws
Pearce argued that laws meant to protect the proletariat, like health and safety regulations, mainly benefit the bourgeoisie by ensuring a healthy workforce for exploitation.
Snider's Criticism of Worker-Friendly Laws
Snider argued that laws meant to help the proletariat were rarely enforced, while laws benefiting the bourgeoisie were strictly followed.
White-Collar and Corporate Crime
Marxists focus on crimes by the bourgeoisie and the state, which are punished less severely than petty crimes, even though they often cause more harm.
