Marxist Perspective

• How do Marxists say crime is distributed among the class hierarchy?

  Crime + deviance are spread evenly
• What do Marxists mean when they refer to capitalism as 'criminogenic'?

  Capitalism breeds crime
• What 2 capitalistic factors can drive ppl to criminality?


  1. Alienation
  2. Competitive conditions
• How did Bonger prove that capitalism is criminogenic?

  Said there was a casual link between crime + economic conditions
• Who said this: Capitalism creates a climate of competition + ≠ due to UNEQUAL distribution of resources? (HINT: weed)


  Bonger & Gordon
• Marxists see crime as a natural response to ~ caused by the unequal distribution of resources among society. 


  Inequality
• Who said that crime is a RATIONAL response to the situations that ppl experience?

  Gordon
• How did Gordon say capitalist values could lead to crime?

  Cap. values e.g. materialism + consumerism ➡️ greed ➡️ CRIME!

  • WC - 'Culture of envy'
  • RC - YT collar crime
• Who said that crime was socially constructed by the powerful?

  Box
• According to Box, why are official crime statistics manipulated? (2)

  1. Criminalise the powerless - part of cap. ideology
  2. Justifies more control + surveillance
• What do OCS help divert our attention from?

  Serious crimes
• What do OCS help disguise?

  How powerful ppl create conditions that force powerless into crime
• Who supported Box's idea that crime is socially constructed by the powerful, by saying that the RC get to define laws + what crime means?


  William Chambliss
• Supporting William Chambliss' theory, what is 1 law that benefits the wealthy more?

  Property law - 100K homeless in UK but 300K empty homes
• Marxists claim that C&D are spread evenly throughout the class hierarchy but what does Chambliss note about this?

  Enforcement of the law makes crime seem like its conc.ed in the lower classes
• What are the 2 ways that Chambliss says crime is useful?

  1. Removes proletariat off streets via incarceration
  2. Reduces surplus labour by employing ppl to control criminality
• Who stated that the state is unwilling to pass laws that regulate large corps. + threaten profitability?

  Laureen Snider
• Althusser argued that laws are enforced by the ___ & ___.


  ISA & RSA
• What is Althusser's RSA?

  Repressive State Apparatus - Physical control through police + CJS via fines, sentences, curfews etc.
• What is Althusser's ISA?

  Ideological state apparatus - Structures that control the way the WC think to prevent deviant behaviour e.g. family, religion + media
• Describe how Pearce argued that Health & Safety laws serve an ideological function?


  H&S laws keep workforce fit to work + make them think capitalists care about them > f. class consciousness made
• What is white collar crime also referred to as?

  Occupational crime
• What is occupational crime also referred to as?

  White collar crime
• What did Edwin Sutherland define White collar crime as?

  Crime committed by a person of respectability + high social status
• What are some examples of ppl who could commit white collar crime?

  Doctors, accountants, solicitors etc.
• Define 'occupational crime':

  Crime committed in the course of legitimate employment; an abuse of an occupational role
• What did Laureen Snider say about white collar crime in relation to street crime?

  Corporate crime costs more in terms of £ + lives than street crime
• What are the chances of someone involved in white-collar crime being persecuted for it?

  Small
• Hazel Croall identifies 4 types of white-collar crime; what are they?

  1. Crimes against consumers
  2. Crimes against employees
  3. Environmental crimes
  4. Financial fraud
• What is an example of a white-collar crime against employees?

  Health & Safety vios
• What is an example of white-collar crime against the environment?

  Pollution, fly-tipping
• What is an example of white-collar financial fraud?

  Bribery, embezzlement
• According to Hazel Croall, why is white-collar crime much less likely to be reported?

  • Invisible
  • Less feared
  • Complex (hard to prove in court)
  • Morally ambiguous
• What did Tombs discover after analysing deaths at work due to the employer?

  Unlawful workplace deaths significantly outweigh recorded homicides in the UK
• Who said this?

  • Yt-collar crime is appealing due to low chances of being caught + punished & it involves calculated gambles
  • Corporate decisions weigh the risks of cutting corners against profit which can be seen as functionally immoral BUT is central to every business 


  Friedrichs
• What did Goldstraw-White discover when she spoke to those convicted of yt-collar crimes?

  • Didn't see themselves as 'real criminals'
  • They felt morally justified + said they didn't hurt anyone > resisted criminal label
  • Offences range from £18M - £100M
• Nestle

  • Aggressively marketed baby milk formula in developing countries from 70's-90's
  • Killed 1000s of babies bc the water it was mixed w/ was contaminated
  • Mothers lost ability to produce milk by over-relying on powder
  • Babies starved bc mothers would use less powder to make it last longer
• Bhopal gas disaster

  • Gas leak at Indian chem. company
  • Killled 3.7K+ ppl, disabled many more
  • Allegations that leak was caused by company cutting corners in H&S regs
  • 7 ex-employees convicted of causing death by negligence > sentenced to 2 years in prison + £2,000 fine
  • Site contaminated to this day
• 2010 BP disaster

  • Largest marine oil spill in history
  • Killed 11 platform workers, injured 17 more
  • Damaged wildlife habitats + local industries
  • Caused by seniors ignoring warnings + misinterpreting data
• Thalidomide

  • Developed in 1950s by Chemie Gru¨nenthal GmBH
  • Deemed safe bc it was impossible to give animals a lethal dose, licensed for OTC
  • Scientists didn't know it could affect babies bc they didn't do tests w/ preg. W
  • 10K babies were affected
  • 1968 - Chemie was brought to trial but none were convicted - all was settled out of court