Marxist Theories of Crime and Deviance

Capitalism as Criminogenic

• Capitalism inherently leads to crime due to the exploitation of the working class.

  • It causes a growing divide between the rich and the poor, potentially driving the poor to commit crimes to afford necessities.

  • The frustration from exploitation can result in violent behaviour. (Gordon, 1976)

• Crime is a rational response to capitalism.

  • Greed, profit-seeking, capitalism, and materialism contribute to crime across all social classes, contrary to official statistics.

Selective Law Enforcement

• The criminal justice system applies laws differently to various social groups.

  • The working class and ethnic minorities are often criminalised, while the powerful and wealthy are more likely to be excused or ignored. (Reiman, 2001)

• The ruling class is more likely to commit crimes but less likely to face criminal charges.

  • Social security fraud committed by the poor usually leads to prosecution, but tax evasion often goes unpunished.

Selective Law Making

• Laws are socially constructed to favour the rich and powerful.

• Box argues that the rich often engage in activities resulting in death, injury, fraud, and theft, but these activities are protected by law, for example, through weak health and safety regulations.

• Chambliss argues that the law is shaped to protect the property and profits of the rich and powerful and that the rich and powerful are part of a crime syndicate.

• Snider points out that governments are reluctant to pass laws regulating business activities or threatening profitability, as this could affect donations.

Ideological Functions of Crime

• Crime provides a justification for social control by the ruling class to prevent revolution.

  • The media often portrays criminals as 'disturbed' rather than highlighting capitalism's role in causing crime.

• Pearce notes that laws are sometimes passed that appear to benefit the working class but ultimately benefit the ruling class through loopholes and a lack of enforcement.

  • For example, the 2007 corporate homicide law resulted in only one successful prosecution in its first eight years.

Evaluation of Marxist Views

• Ignores other causes of crime:

  • Marxism primarily focuses on class inequalities and neglects other inequalities, such as those based on gender and ethnicity, that can also lead to crime.

  • It overlooks the causes of crime unrelated to inequality.

• Passive working class/romanticises criminals:

  • It suggests that the working class is compelled to commit a crime due to economic circumstances.

  • It implies that criminals are not responsible for their actions but are victims of their environment.

• Crime in communist states:

  • If crime were solely a symptom of capitalism, communist states should be crime-free, but this was not the case in places like Soviet Russia and Cuba.

• Ignores the victims of crime:

  • The poor and working class are often the victims of crime, contradicting the Marxist view that the ruling class would be the primary victims.

• Lawmakers in modern democracies are elected:

  • In modern democracies, lawmakers are elected and represent a range of interests.

  • Most criminal laws are not controversial and reflect a consensus regarding the greater good.