Marxist and Neo-Marxist Theories of Crime

1. criminal capitalism

  1. selective enforcement

  2. white collar crime

  3. occupational crime

differential association


1. Criminal Capitalism
Refers to the perspective that the inherent structure and imperatives of capitalismsuch as competition, profit maximizstion, and capital accumulation—, may drive individuals or corporations to engage in illegal activities to maintain a competitive edge. It suggests that the system itself can foster environments where crime becomes a tool for economic success.


2. Selective Enforcement
- A phenomenon in the legal system where law enforcement officials and prosecutors use their discretion to apply the law to certain individuals or groups while choosing not to enforce it against others. This practice often correlates with social class, race, and power dynamics, leading to inequalities in judicial outcomes.


3. White Collar Crime
- Non-violent crimes committed by business and government professionals for financial gain. These crimes are characterised by deceit, concealment, or a violation of trust, rather than the use of physical force. Common examples include fraud, insider trading, and money laundering.


4. Occupational Crime
- Crimes committed by individuals through the opportunities provided by their legal occupation. Unlike corporate crime, which is intended to benefit a business, occupational crime is typically committed for personal gain (e.g., an employee embezzling funds or stealing office equipment).


5. Differential Association
- A theory developed by Edwin Sutherland stating that criminal behavior is learned through social interaction with others. Individuals adopt the values, attitudes, and techniques of crime if they are exposed to an excess of definitions favorable to law-breaking over definitions favorable to law-abiding behavior.

  1. What are the four foci of capitalism that make it criminalogenic, according to Gordon?Gordon identifies the following four foci:

1) The pursuit of profit resulting in exploitation;

2) The commodification of social relations leading to alienation

3) The inequality of wealth and power fosters crime as a means of survival

4) The inability of the law to address the needs of the marginalised, further perpetuating a cycle of criminal behaviour.

Identify three ideological state apparatuses according to althusser

define the term corporate crime

give me a list off all the marxists sociologists in crime and deviance with there theorys

Marxists sociologists and there theorys:

marxists say that the working class are exploited for profit within the media due to the ruling class presenting them.

crimongenic captalism - gordon- argues that all crime happens due to captalsim and the w/c having enough of being exploited by the ruling class.

the law as social control: says that the criminal justice sytem and whole law system is just made to benefit the ruling class. Althusser calls the law an ideological state appartus because it hides the true extent of class inequality, laws claims to protect all sections of society however this is untrue due to

  • Chambliss- argues laws mainly protect captalist intrests and patricularly wealth and property.

selective law inforcement: marxists say law enforcement is baised and selective

reinman- argues that the more likely a crime is to be committed by higherclass people the less likely it is to be treated as a crimminal offence.

so marxists sociologists are

  • Gordon- all crime happens due to captalism

  • althusser- “ideological state appratus” hides class inequality

  • chambliss- law protects captalist intrests

  • rienman- highclass people can comitt crimes and get away with it

evualtion they fail to see more violent crime

and green crime

Neo marxists- More modern view

hall et al- moral panics- when captalism was under protest the media exaggerated “black moggers” in the press and used it to justfy an increase in police powers and deflect attention away from the mismanagement of captalism by the powerful.

they say crime is a form of political protest

taylor et all - says the crime isnt just a protest against captalism but is also personal and individual meanings.

Functionalist sociologists:

functionalists say that the functions of crime are

  • boundary maintence - boundary between acceptable and deviant behaviour is clear, discouraging offending

  • functional rebellion- some deviance may enable much - needed social change

  • social cohension- crimes such as terroism may cause public outrage bring communitys together

  • early warning system- deviance may act as a warning that social instituation is not working properly

  • safety valve- relative minor crimes act as a safety valve because they prevent more serious crimes. - Polsky says that pornography may prevent more sexual offences from happening.

evualtion durkhiem - neglects the effects of crimes

strain theory- Merton - when american dream isnt achieved people rebelle and comitt crime against captalism

crime as a consquence of strain

merton says usa socialise individuals into believing the american dream

evualtion- he fails to explain crimes that are economically motivated.

cohens - subcultrual theory

fustration of

outline three outcomes of the traditional marxist theory of crime.

  • criminal capitalism- crime is inevitable due to capatilist structure

  • selective law enforcement- CJ sytem focuses on crimes of the poor while ignoring most costly crimes.

  • ideological control - maintain ruling class and mask exploitation

neo and marx

both see that w/c are expolited