Neo-Marxism

• Marxists expanded criminology by moving away from discussing what crime and deviance was to exploring the power of some social groups to criminalise
• Gilroy

  • Rejected view that blacks resorted to crime due to poor socialisation > result of ethnic minorities defending themselves against unjust society
  • Saw riots in Southall, 1981, as political acts
  • Riots removed aspects of SUS laws in 70s and were successful of resistance
• Criticisms of Neo-Marixsm

  • Realists = approach romanticies w/c crime as being committed by 'robin hood' like heros
  • W/c commot crimes against themselves and not just ruling class
  • Over emphasised class inequality
  • Feminists = 'gender blind', only focuses on crimes committed by men
• Positives of Neo-Marxism

  • Attempts to be less deterministic by giving criminals choice
  • Considers interactionist ideas and looks into meanings of criminal acts
• Hall, 'Policing the crisis'

  • Study of moral panic over 'mugging' in the 70s referring to being robbed by black men
  • White w/c men used black youths as a scapegoat of social ills of the 70s
  • Many strike actions brought civil unrest and challeng to social order
  • Made black mugger someone to fear, solidifying a fractured soceity around the state