marxist sociological

• marixst


  marxism is a subcultural theory, it views society as a structure in which the economic base (the capitalist economy) determines the shape of the superstructure, which is made up of all other social institutions, including the state, the law and the criminal justice system. traditional marxists see capitalist society as divided into two classes; the ruling capitalist class (bourgeoisies) who own the means of production, and the working class (proletariat) whose alienated labour the bourgeoisies exploit and produce profit.
• marxism 


  unlike functionalists, who hold the other main structural view of society, marxists do not view the law as a reflection of a value consensus among structure of capitalism. in their view, the inequality of wealth and power that underpins capitalist society and the conflicts to which this inequality gives rise, are the key to understanding the law, crime and deviance.
• poverty suggests that crime is the only way working class can survive, as it is the only way that they can obtain the consumer good encouraged by capitalist advertising, resulting in utilitarian crimes such as theft. alienation and lack of control over their lives may lead to frustration and aggression, resulting in non-utilitarian crimes such as violence and vandalism.
• however, crime is not confined to the working class. capitalism is a system of competition among capitalists as the profit motion encourages a mentality of greed and self interest. the desire for self enrichment, encourages capitalists too commit white collar and cooperate crimes such as tax evasion and breaches of health and safety laws. david gordon argues that crime is a rational response to the capitalist system and so is found in all social classes - even through official statistics make it appear to be a lergely working class phenomenon.
• functionalists

  see law as reflecting the value consensus and representing the interests of society as a whole.
• marxists

  See law making and law enforcement as only serving the interests of the capitalist class.
• how the British introduced law in east african colonies

  • local economy was not a money economy
  • introduced a tax payable in cash, non-payment of which was a punishable offence
  • cash to pay tax could only be earned by working on the plantations
  • the law served the economic interests of the capitalist plantation owners. chambliss illustrates this with the case of the introduction of English law into Britain's East African colonies
• the ruling class have the power to prevent the introduction of laws that would threaten their interests.
• there are few laws that seriously challenge the unequal distribution of wealth.
• selective enforcement

  The criminal justice system disproportionately prosecutes crimes committed by powerless groups such as the working class and ethnic minorities, while turning a blind eye to crimes committed by the powerful.
• marxists argue that although all classes commit crime, when it comes to the application of the law by the criminal justice system, there is selective enforcement.
• powerless groups such as the working class and ethnic minorities are criminalised by the criminal justice system.
• the police and courts tend to turn a blind eye to crimes perpetrated by the powerful.
• there is a disproportionally high rate of prosecutions for the kinds of street crimes that poor individuals typically commit such as burglary and assault.
• with the crimes committed by the higher classes such as health and safety violations and serious tax evasion, the criminal justice system takes a more forgiving view.
• the ideological functions of crime and the law

  the law, crime and criminals also perform an ideological function of capitalism. laws are occasionally passed that appear to be for the benefit of the working class rather than capitalism such as workplace health and safety laws. furthermore, because the state enforces the law selectively, crime appears to be a largely working class phenomenon. this divides the working class by encouraging workers to blame the criminals in the midst for their problems, rather than capitalism.
• 2 strengths

  • marxist theories of crimes help to highlight the inequality in criminal prosecutions e.g., high numbers of white collar crimes go undetected and unprosecuted, whilst working-class crimes dominate official statistics.
  • these theories claim that people are influenced or driven by capitalism and greed, which explains why even wealthy people or upper class people commit crime.
• 2 weaknesses

  • many people criticise these theories for only focusing on the influence of social class in criminality, other traits are considered crucial in understanding why people commit crime. intersectional theories claim that crime is not likely to be influenced by just on trait.
  • there is an assumption that wc individuals are more likely to commit crime than other social classes, due to the frustrations of capitalism, however many wc individuals do not commit crime and criminal behaviour is not just found in working class communities, these theories struggle to explain these anomalies.
• 1 strength


  marxist theories of crimes help to highlight the inequality in criminal prosecutions e.g., high numbers of white collar crimes go undetected and unprosecuted, whilst working-class crimes dominate official statistics.
• 1 strength


  these theories claim that people are influenced or driven by capitalism and greed, which explains why even wealthy people or upper class people commit crime.
• 1 weakness


  many people criticise these theories for only focusing on the influence of social class in criminality, other traits are considered crucial in understanding why people commit crime. intersectional theories claim that crime is not likely to be influenced by just on trait.
• 1 weakness


  there is an assumption that wc individuals are more likely to commit crime than other social classes, due to the frustrations of capitalism, however many wc individuals do not commit crime and criminal behaviour is not just found in working class communities, these theories struggle to explain these anomalies