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Answer
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Hint
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Paul Gilroy (1982)
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This Neo-Marxist sociologist's 'Anti-Racist Theory' describes a ‘myth of black criminality’ and attributes statistical differences in recorded criminality between ethnic groups as being due to police stereotyping and racist labelling.
He rejects the view that Black people resorted to crime due to poor socialisation, instead, it was the result of ethnic minorities defending themselves against an unjust society which was hostile and discriminated against them: -He saw riots in Toxeth and Southall in 1981 as political acts. -The riots did remove the 'sus' Laws brought in by the 1970s, 'muggings'. |
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David Gordon (1976)
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This Marxist sociologist suggested that in a 'dog eat dog' society, such as late modern capitalism, crime is a rational response in order to survive - it is present in all classes, even though official statistics suggest it is a largely working-class phenomenon.
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Stuart Hall (1978)
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This Neo-Marxist sociologist develops Ian Taylor's view that it is necessary to use both structural and interactionist approaches (blend of Marxist and labelling theory) to fully understand crime. He does this through his analysis of the 'Black mugger' moral panic - by labelling young Black boys as criminal, the state and the media divert attention away from structural causes and justify aggressive policing of certain communities. Other findings from his study: -The 'Black mugger' moral panic was a response by the ruling class to a "crisis of capitalism" (an economic recession). -Black people were disproportionately affected by unemployment, leading to some entering the informal economy, rather than doing "white man's shit work". -Thus, the ruling class sought to divide the working class to prevent anti-capitalist political activism: turning white workers against black workers was one approach to this. -The 'Black mugger' moral panic was one means by which revolution or radical political change was prevented. |
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Kevin Haggerty (2002)
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This Marxist criminologist coined the term 'criminogenic capitalism', arguing that the capitalist focus on profit has taken over from any other values and led to a rise in crime. Additionally, capitalism leads to competition between capitalists and this 'dog eat dog' system can lead to greed and self-interest, leading them to commit crimes such as tax evasion.
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Laureen Snider (1993)
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This Marxist sociologist argues that capitalist states are reluctant to pass laws which regulate large capitalist concerns and which might threaten profitability. Having tried so hard to attract investment, the last thing the state wants to do is alienate the large corporations - so is reluctant to pass or enforce laws against things like pollution, worker health and safety and monopolies.
She also suggests that crime is present throughout social strata - only corporate crime and white-collar crime are given lower priority - despite being more devastating than petty crimes. Thus, she concluded that laws appearing to be in the interests of the working class were more "for show" while those that protected the ruling class were rigorously enforced. |
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Answer
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Hint
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William Chambliss (1978)
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This Marxist sociologist's study in Seattle found that law enforcement was selective, not universal (the ruling-class and working-class both commit crimes but it is the working-class who are punished) and that members of the ruling class were facilitating each other's crimes. Furthermore, he argued: -Members of the ruling-class were part of a crime syndicate who used their wealth and influence to bribe officials and avoid punishment, included politicians and business owners. -Since there was selective law enforcement, the criminal justice system was not really there to catch ruling class criminals; nominally universal laws were applied selectively to control the working class while protecting the rich. |
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Willem Bonger (1916)
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This Marxist sociologist was the first to apply notions of social conflict to the subject of crime. He argues:
-Criminal law exists to protect the interests of the powerful. -The dynamics of capitalism encourages egoism and greed which in turn motivates both the working and ruling-classes to commit crime for different reasons (and they don’t care about each other). -Poverty prompts crime to the extent it creates a desperate need for food and other necessities. |
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Milton Mankoff (1976)
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This Marxist sociologist found that crime is higher in nations with weaker welfare arrangements for meeting the basic needs of people - for example, he asserts the United States has much more crime than Western Europe as Europe is more ‘Socialist’ than America (with stronger welfare arrangements).
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Frank Pearce (1976)
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This Marxist sociologist argued that the 'crimes of the powerful' are some of the biggest crimes but are rarely prosecuted: -Selective law enforcement gives the impression that most crime is committed by the working class. -This distracts attention away from the ruling class and places blame on individuals rather than the system causing inequality. He also argued that even laws that appeared to help workers, really helped the bourgeoisie, specifically health and safety laws - provided the ruling class with a healthy workforce. |
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