Sociological

• Marxism (Sociological)


  Marxism explains that society is unequal and is divided between the rich and poor. The poor are over-policed, the rich make up the rules and use punishment as a way of social control of the poor-working class. The rich get away with more crimes as they are not focused on. The poor don’t have an opportunity for education and good jobs - the rich keep the working class poor, this results in an unfair society. The poor need to commit crime to have money for themselves and their family as they don’t have legitimate means to make money.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of Marxism (sociological)


  This theory demonstrates how the law reflects the differences in power between the social classes, and how inequality in society can lead to criminal behaviour. It provides an explanation for crime that covers for all social classes and a variety of offences. This theory argues that the law protects the ruling class and fails to consider that many laws surrounding employment protect the working class. It doesn’t take into account other inequalities such as race, gender or sexuality.
• Labelling theory (sociological)All people commit criminal acts, but only some are caught. This results in some people gaining a label as a criminal. This label becomes part of their identity, so they commit more crime. Interactionists argue that official statistics on crime are simply socially constructed and they believe that crime is also a social construction. Becker believes that crime is a subjective concept; police and judges label certain acts as deviant or criminal. This behaviour will then be punished accordingly.
• Durkhiem (sociological)


  A limited amount of crime is inevitable and even necessary. Crime has positive functions - a certain amount of crime contributes to the well-being of society. On the other hand, too much crime is bad for society and can help bring about its collapse. He theorised crime was inevitable because not every member of society can be equally committed to the collective sentiments. Since individuals care exposed to different influences and circumstances, it was ‘impossible for them to be all alike’ and hense some people would inevitably break the law.