...Assess these strengths and weaknesses of Marxists explanations of crime Traditional Marxism is a structural theory which sees society as a structure in which the economic base determines the shape of the superstructure, which is made up of all the other social institutions, including the state, the law and the criminal justice system. Their function is to serve the ruling-class interests and maintain the capitalist society. Marxists agree that the law is enforced against powerless groups and that labelling often results in further deviance. They see crime and deviance as not coming from moral or biological defects but defects within social order and therefore crime is an inevitable part of capitalism as it stems from social inequality. For Marxists, crime is inevitable in capitalism because capitalism is criminogenic. Capitalism is based on the exploitation of the working class and therefore is particularly damaging to the working class which may give rise to crime. Alienation and the lack of control over their lives may lead to frustration and aggression, resulting in non-utilitarian crimes such as vandalism and violence. Crime may also be the only way they can obtain the consumer goods encouraged by capitalist advertising, resulting in utilitarian crimes such as theft. Therefore, it can be said a strength of the Marxist explanation of crime is that is it explains the causes of both utilitarian and non-utilitarian crime of the working class. However, one could argue that this...
Words: 700 - Pages: 3
...Marxist explanations of crime and deviance, like their work on other areas like the family and education, rest on an economic and structural analysis of society that sees a class struggle between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. This struggle comprises the attempts by the proletariat to free themselves from the domination of the bourgeoisie as they seek to take over the means of production. David Gordon argues that crime is an inevitable product of capitalism and the inequality that it generates. He argues that inequalities in wealth and income create poverty and homelessness for the working class and crime is a rational response to these problems. This idea is supported by research which shows property crime rising during recession. Gordon suggests capitalism encourages values such as greed and materialism which are conducive to all classes committing crime. Such values promote non-economic crimes such as violence, rape, child abuse, vandalism and hooliganism because inequalities in wealth and power lead to frustration, hostility, envy and alienation for some members of the working class who may commit crime in an attempt to retrieve power and status. This theory argues that it is surprising that there is not more working class crime. The idea explained is one of continual conflict and of crime being a continuation or extension of the class battle. However, critics point out that such a view is a bit sweeping, and that the whole of the working class isn’t in revolt...
Words: 1166 - Pages: 5
...Outline and assess Marxist perspectives on crime and deviance [50 marks] The term defiance covers a wide range of behaviour which deviates from the normal expectations of society and is viewed as ‘wrong’ and ‘bad’ but does not necessarily break the law however, some deviant acts may also be criminal. Crime is any activity that breaks the law of the land and is consequently subject to official punishment. Marx himself wrote very little about crime, but a Marxist theory of crime was first developed by Bonger as early as 1916 and then developed by writers such as Chambliss (1975). The overall background to the Marxist approach to crime was based on the Marxist analysis of society, which argues that society is best understood by examining the process by which the majority of the population are exploited by the owners and controllers of commerce and industry. The traditional Marxist approach to crime and deviance argues that the fundamental fact of exploitation provides the key to unlock the explanations for the workings of society. The beginning of the Marxist analysis is that all laws are essentially for the benefit of the bourgeoisie, and that criminal law reflects their interests. For example, property ownership laws largely concern those with significant amounts of property i.e. the ruling class. For those who are poor, there is little to steal. Personal violence is a dangerous act and the ruling class wants to control the right to use violence within society through their...
Words: 1875 - Pages: 8
...some ways in which Marxists explain crime” (21 marks) Crime, depending on an individual’s interpretation of it, can be described in many ways. Functionalists and Marxists both have different opinions, but traditional Marxists and neo Marxists also have some different explanations. Traditional Marxists believe the structure of a capitalist society explains crime. Their view of crime has three main elements, these are criminogenic capitalism, the state and law making and ideological functions of crime and law. Traditional Marxists believe that crime is inevitable because it is criminogenic. They suggest that capitalism is based on the exploitation of the working class, they believe the way in which they are exploited can be particularly damaging and this could potentially be a reason for crime increasing. They feel as though poverty that is experienced by the working class may be a reason for crime as it is the only way they can survive, they also suggest that alienation and lack of control over their lives may lead to frustration and aggression, resulting in non-utilitarian crimes such as violence and vandalism. Not only this, traditional marxists also believe that law making and law enforcement as only serving the interests of the capitalist class, Chambliss argues that laws to protect private property are the cornerstone of the capitalist economy. Traditional marxists also say that the law, crime and criminals perform...
Words: 487 - Pages: 2
...is to evaluate why women are committing crime by using Marxist Feminist Theory. Marxist theory was that women commit crime due to capitalism and because of capitalism women feel oppressed and unequal in society. Marxist Feminist Theory Marxist Feminist theory is laid out by Friedrich Engels. Engels explains that a woman's subordinate role is not due to her biological disposition , but to her social relations. A big part of a woman's subordination is the role of a man in society and how a man controls the labor of woman and their sexual life in the home. Woman have to be subordinate in their families and must be submissive to their husbands. Gender oppression and class oppression and the relationship between and man and women in society is similar to Marxist feminist view on a capitalist society. In a capitalist society a woman' s subordinate role comes from class oppression because it is in the interest of the ruling class. Men and women are divided and different privileges while men get paid for their jobs women do not get paid for theirs( childrearing, cleaning, cooking, etc..). Men are taught by society to become dominant to the roles that have been handed to them. Understanding Why Women Commit Crime Woman murder rates have rose by eleven percent a year since the seventies. What started at six thousand in the seventies jumped to seventy-five thousand and this number is increasing. Some possible explanations for these crimes can be poverty and the increased job roles...
Words: 661 - Pages: 3
...The essay focuses on the social construction of crime, and the possible reasons for these social constructions. In the first section, the essay explains what crime is, and the constructionist perspective theory. In the Second section my essay focuses on the crime as socially constructed and why it is socially constructed. In the third section essay explains, three levels of explanation in the study of deviant and criminal behaviour. In the final section, it focuses on the historical theoretical periods, which plays an important role in revitalising past discoveries. Crime is a term that refers to many types of misconduct that is forbidden by law. There are a number of different reasons as to why crime can be viewed as a social construction. There cannot be 'social problems' that are not the product of social construction - naming, labelling, defining and mapping them into place - through which we can 'make sense' of them' (Clarke, 2001). In this essay I will explain what is social construction, also what crime is, and why we think, that crime is socially constructed. Furthermore, I will explain how media construct crime and the stigma of black crime. In the last paragraph I will explore the importance of Marxist and Durkheim's theories on the emergence of crime....
Words: 1816 - Pages: 8
...not something that people have or don’t have; crime is not something some people do and others don’t. Crime is a matter of who can pin the label on whom and underlying this socio-political process is the structure of social relations determined by capitalism. Using material from item A and elsewhere asses the usefulness of the Marxist approaches to an understanding of crime and deviance (21 marks) Marxists essentially see crime and deviance as defined by the ruling class and used as a means of social control – if you don’t conform then you will be punished. Institutions such as the police, the justice system, prisons and schools, the family and religion are there to encourage you to conform. They argue that white collar crimes (which tend to be committed by the more powerful in society) are ignored, while crimes committed by the less powerful in society such as burglary and street crime are focussed on and seen as more serious. Marxists would also argue that different social classes are policed differently, with the working class heavily policed in the expectation that they will be more criminal and therefore raising the chances of their crimes being detected. Classical Marxists argue that this fundamental fact of exploitation provides the key to unlock the explanations for the workings of society. They believe there are 5 main elements that make up such a theory. In this essay I will be looking at the usefulness of the Marxist...
Words: 1599 - Pages: 7
...Outline and assess the view that the law operates to serve the ruling class As crime is subjective concept we must look at the explanations of crime and how it occurs, this assumption clearly suggests that social class plays a large role in explanations of crime. We must consider how social class affects us as a society and thus how it is reflected in the laws set for our society to conform to. The idea of the law serving the ruling class is clearly a Marxist perspective however other sociologists do appreciate this assumption particularly Integrationists and Left Realists. In order to assess the view accurately other factors must be considered for example how the law operates to serve different genders, ages and ethnicities as well as social classes. Firstly Marxists would argue that the ruling class are protected by the law and therefore are less likely to be punished for a crime. Snider found that the state is hesitant to pass laws that regulate large capitalist concerns for example: laws on health and safety or monoplies, as it can scare off investors and damge profitability for the state’s economy. This suggests that the law serves the ruling class as it protects them from being punished as laws aren’t in place to prevent corporate crimes ( such as tax evasion)and prosecute the criminals. Futhermore we can suggest that this happens due to those who make the laws being part of the ruling class; politicians are predominantly wealthy middle class individuals and therefore...
Words: 1078 - Pages: 5
...Past Crime and Deviance Questions Sept 2008 Read Item A below and answer the question that follows. ------------------------------------------------- Item A ------------------------------------------------- Situational crime prevention (SCP) involves intervening in the immediate situations in which crime takes place to reduce its likelihood or seriousness. It often involves ‘designing crime out’ of products, services and environments, for example by use of anti-climb paint, CCTV and security guards in shops, better street lighting, metal detectors at airports, neighbourhood watch schemes and the re-designing of housing estates. ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- SCP does not rely on intervening in children’s socialisation to prevent them becoming criminals later, or on the threat of punishments to deter current criminals. Instead, it makes specific changes aimed at influencing the decision or ability of offenders to commit particular crimes in particular situations. Like rational choice theory, SCP sees criminals as acting rationally. By making certain crimes less rewarding, more risky or needing greater effort, SCP makes criminals less likely to choose to commit them. 02 Using material from Item A and elsewhere, assess the usefulness of conflict theories for an understanding of crime and deviance in contemporary society. (21 marks) Jan 2010 Read Item A below and answer the question that follows...
Words: 1897 - Pages: 8
...Asses the Marxist View of Society Marxists believe that the ideas that people hold are formed by their position in society, and ideology is therefore seen very clearly as the ideas of particular social groups reflecting their interests. The Marxist view is most associated with the view that there is a dominant ideology in society. This is a set of ideas and beliefs held by the most powerful groups and, in particular, of the ruling class in society. Mannheim (1985 1936) generally associated the dominant ideology with the deliberate obscuring of facts in order to conceal the inequalities of capitalist society and to prevent existing patterns of inequality and the privileged position of the dominant class, and to prevent any social change that might threaten their interests. Althusser (1971) suggested the dominant ideology was spread through a series of ideological state apparatuses – social institutions like the family, the education system, the mass media, the and religion, which justified the power of the dominant social class. Gramsci (1971) further developed the Marxist view of ideology with his development of the concept of hegemony. Hegemony refers to process whereby the ruling class, through the dominant ideology, maintains its power by persuading other social classes, and particularly the working class, to adopt ruling-class ideology as part of their own beliefs and values, and therefore to consent to the rule of the dominant class rather than being forced to obey. An...
Words: 517 - Pages: 3
...Assess different Marxist views of the relationship between crime and social class. Marxist theorists suggest that the workings of society can be explained by the concept of exploitation – the ruling class exploit the working class. This is the fundamental point by which Chambliss pointed to explore the relationship between class and crime. Traditional Marxists imply that the judiciary system is beneficial to the ruling class only. This dominant ideology disseminates through agencies such as, education, media, and religion which is forced onto individuals, this process is known as hegemony. The capitalistic society is based upon consumers and competition therefore crime can be seen as an inevitable outcome of these values which stress looking after one self at the expense of others. In other words, those maintaining the capitalistic society maximize the benefit of the criminal judiciary system. If we look at the traits of the concept of capitalism, it is likely that the upper classes are able to commit such white collar crimes such as fraud and theft without any comeuppance. Marxists theorists provide explanations how crime is dealt within society, in order to maintain the status quo. Capitalism inevitably plays a large role in this, as they divert attention of the masses away from the causes of crime and the capitalist controlled judiciary system aids capitalist society play on this, as society views young working class white/black males as criminal/deviant groups....
Words: 317 - Pages: 2
...H/W Tania Begum 6.13 23rd March 2016 Assess the hypodermic syringe model of the relationship between the mass media and the audience. (18 marks) There are a variety of sociological theories and evidence that suggests that the hypodermic syringe model has a relationship between the mass media and the audience however there also some flaws to these ideas. The hypodermic syringe model assumes ideas/ideologies transmitted in mass media products are automatically ‘injected’ into the minds of the audience for example a newspaper telling its readers who to vote for. The audience is seen as passive recipients. The hypodermic syringe model shows that we are a passive homogenous audience. The hypodermic Syringe Model (HSM) is an early theory model, which believes that there is a direct correlation between the violence and anti-social behavior portrayed in different media types (e.g. Television, computer games and films). Sociologists found that the most venerable audience to the HSM is children and teenagers. This is because they are still in the early stages of socialization so are therefore very impressionable. A prime example to support this theory is the case of Jamie Bugler. Jamie was a 2 year old boy that was abducted and murdered by two 10 year old boys. The boys had apparently watched 'Childs Play 3' before they murdered the toddler, and as the murder was very similar...
Words: 2001 - Pages: 9
...Assess the usefulness of Marxist theories in explaining crime and deviance Marxists sociologists believe that we live in a capitalist society which is divided into classes. They argue that society is based on conflict over the inequality of wealth and power between the bourgeoisie; the ruling capitalist class who own the means of production and the proletariat; the working class who are exploited by the bourgeoisie in order for them to gain profit. This is known as capitalism. The Marxist view on crime is based on three main elements. The first element is criminogenic capitalism, this suggests that crime is inevitable due to the fact that capitalism breeds crime in society. This is the idea that the exploitation of the working class can cause a rise in crime rates. For example, people in poverty may resort to crime in order to survive as crime may be the only way they can obtain consumer goods by committing utilitarian crimes which are crimes concerning money such as theft, embezzlement etc. In addition to this, alienation may also be another way to cause working class people to commit crime as the lack of control they have over their lives may lead to frustration and aggression which can result in non-utilitarian crimes which are crimes that do not concern money such as murder, violence, vandalism. Gordon, a sociologist believes that crime is a rational response to the capitalist system and it is found in all social classes. The second element is the state and law making; this...
Words: 849 - Pages: 4
...realist approaches to crime and deviance Right realism sees crime, especially street crime as a real and growing problem that destroys communities, undermines social cohesion and threatens society’s work ethic. Right realist views correspond with conservative governments as they see it as a workable solution to curb rising crime. It’s led to a shift in thinking, away from researching the causes of crime and towards a search for practical crime control measures. They view the best way to reduce crime was through control and punishment rather than rehabilitating offenders or tackling causes of crime such as poverty. Right realism reflects this political climate. They criticise other theories for failing to offer any practical solutions to the problem of rising crime. They regard theories such as labelling and critical criminology as too sympathetic to the criminal and hostile to law and order. Right realists are less concerned to understand causes of crime and more concerned to offer realistic solutions. Although their main emphasis is on practical crime reduction, they do offer explanation for causes of crime.Right realists reject the idea put forward by Marxists and others that structural or economic factor such as poverty and inequality are the causes of crime. For example against Marxists they argue the old tend to be poor but have a low crime rate. Wilson and Herrnstein (1985) put forward a biosocial theory of criminal behaviour. They argue crime is caused by a number of...
Words: 3047 - Pages: 13
...Green crime is a form of crime caused by globalization. As item A suggests, there is a central debate running throughout green crime as to whether crimes against the environment should be treated as illegal despite legislation not being in place. As White (2008) suggests, green crime create more damage than much other crime, for example the Bhopal disaster in India, 1984 caused thousands of deaths due to chemical gas poisoning, yet the companies involved have never taken corporate responsibility due to the pinning down of transnational and environmental laws. As Beck states (1992) most threats to human well-being are no longer natural but are in fact human made. The types of green crime support this view. Primary green crime is that where action directly causes the destruction of the earth’s resources – for example air and water pollution. Primary green crime is more explicitly criminal than secondary green crime, meaning that it is easier to pin liability on those responsible, for example the dropping of toxic waste by BP in the Gulf of Mexico. Secondary green crime is more difficult to pin down as it is defined as a failure of governments to act as opposed to directly acting irresponsibly. As South notes, the sinking of the Greenpeace ship in 1985 still has no accountable or prosecuted party, similarly to the Bhopal incident already cited. These two types of green crime carry with them a sociological debate amongst criminologists – Traditional vs green. Traditional criminology...
Words: 651 - Pages: 3
