Marxism - Crime - created from Mind Map

Seite 1

Nature and organization of capitalism creates potential for criminal behaivour

David Gordon

The law as ideology or social control

White collar and corporate crime

Evaluation

Capitalism characterized by class inequalities

Crime rational response to capitalism therefore found in all classes

Ideology of capitalism encourages criminal behaviour in all social classes

Capitalism encourages 'culture of envy' among poorer section of society that may also encourage a criminal reaction.

Considering nature of capitalism we should ask why DON'T the working class commit more crime

Desire for self enrichment encourage capitalists to commit white-collar and corporate crime such as tax-evasion

Louis Althusser

Laureen Snider

Law enforcement selective and tends to favour the rich

Jefferey Reiman

Some laws benefit workers eg- health and safety

Because state enforces law selectively, crime appears to be largely WC

Selective enforcements distorts crime statistics

Law Ideological state apparatus

Functions in the interests of the capitalist class to maintain and legitimate class inequality

Concerned mainly with protecting the major priorities of capitalism - wealth, private property and profit

Capitalist state reluctant to pass laws that reglate the activities of businesses or threaten their profitability

Steven Box

Powerful kill, injure ordinary members of society everyday that are not often covered by law

For example: Workers death due to employer infringements of health and safety law is a civil rather than criminal offence.

Eg- Social security fraud (Largely committed by poor) usually get prosecuted but Tax Evasion usually committed by rich not taken to court.

Example: Nestle aggressively marketed baby milk formula -in developing countries in the 70's, 80's, 90's. Killed thousands of babies because of contaminated water it was mixed with. Never faced charges or made account for their actions

More likely a crime to be committed by higher class people less likely it is to be treated as a criminal offence.

In particular white collar and corporate crimes are under policed and under-punished

Pearce (1976)

Also benefits capitalism by giving it a caring face - this creates false conciousness

Divides WC encouraging workers to blame WC criminals for their problems rather than capitalism

By making crime appear WC, shifts attention from more serious ruling class crime

Hazel Croall

Defines white collar crime as crime committed in the course of legitimate employment

Despite fact that the costs of corporate crime outstrip working class crime they are not regarded as serious problem.

People who own the means of production or who manage them have greater opportunities than most to make large sums of money from crime.

Offences are invisible

Responsibility is delegated so its difficult to see where blame lies

Many regulatory bodies warn offenders rather than punish them

Ignores relationship with crime and important non-class variables such as ethnicity and gender

Not all poor people commit crime despite the pressures of living in poverty in a money-obsessed society.

Criminal justice systems sometimes acts against the capitalist class