CRM 100 Lecture Notes - Homicide, False Advertising, Radical Democracy
5 Jun 2018
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Department
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Marxist Criminology
Social Context:
● Until the 1960s, criminological perspectives assumed consensus and adopted a
functionalist approach (where everything was seen operating to sustain society as a
whole).
● The period of the 1960s saw sustained critique of many of the dominant social
institutions.
● General rebellion against the mainstream (such as resistance to Vietnam War, student
protests, women’s liberation, civil rights).
● Marxist criminology became academically popular as a critique of functionalism,
although Marx himself wrote very little about crime.
Power in Society:
● Some theories suggested that competing groups are more or less equal in power, and
that power is more or less evenly distributed throughout the social structure
● Other theories suggested that conflict exists between different elite groups in society
○ These theories are based on the assumption that there will always be powerful
minority groups and less-powerful majority
● Balance of power is in a constant state of flux
Marxist vs. Liberal-Conflict Model:
● Marxist conceptions are rooted in the analysis of social power as it increasingly becomes
concentrated into fewer and fewer hands.
○ Power is a possession that you have, or you do not.
● According to Marxists, there is not a plurality of power: the ruling/capitalist class wields
ultimate power.
○ Such as those who own the means of production: factory owners, landowners,
and media owners
● Capitalist class dictates the nature and shape of society.
● Marxist criminology sees the state operating in the interests of capitalism and capitalists.
● The state is not a neutral arbiter. It is vested in class interests.
● The state apparatuses (such as courts, judiciary, police, prisons, community programs)
operate in the service of capitalism.
● Key questions emerge in relation to the criminalization process: Who is subject to state
sanctions? To what kinds of sanctions are they subject? Why?
Myths about Marxism:
● It is inherently undemocratic.
● The former Soviet Union was the “pinnacle” of Marxist development.
● The project of Marxism has “lost to capitalism.”
Realities about Marxism (Reiman):
● Marx’s theory of capitalism is separate from his advocacy of socialism and communism.
● Marx is probably right about how capitalism works or about its unjust nature, even if
socialism or communism would in fact be worse or even if they are utopian dreams.
● The collapse of eastern European and Soviet Communism does not refute Marxist
theory.
○ Their collapse refutes, if anything, the theories of Lenin and Stalin about how to
establish communism.
● Marx said very little about such things and what he does say generally favors a more
democratic kind of socialism than what Lenin and Stalin brought about.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Marxist Criminology
Class, Inequality, and Crime:
● Where you’re located in the class structure will influence the kinds of criminal activity you
engage in, the propensity for you to engage in such activity, and the intensity of that
involvement
● Crimes perpetrated by the working class are largely the result of a need to ensure
economic subsistence, that is, a need to live
● To respond to a crime is to expose the extent and nature of the social harm perpetrated
by the powerful in society
● In idea terms the operation of the criminal justice system should be based on full public
accountability of each apparatus of the state, a genuine upholding of human rights, law
reform that’s designed to protect the interests of the working class, and a
democratization of institutions
● The best form of crime prevention is one that addresses the basic problem of a
concentration of wealth and power into a small number of hands in society
● Crime is seen to flourish in a context of inequality and structural pressures toward
capitalist accumulation and profit
Emergence of the Working Class:
● Birth of a new class, the working class or proletariat
● As the twentieth century unfolded, rebellion and revolution were to be features of many
peasant and working class revolts around the world
● Class conflict was manifest in the form of periodic economic recessions that
disproportionately affected the working class and in the form of struggles over industrial
issues and political activism
Marxist Theory and the Concept of Exploitation:
● Marx’s analysis of capitalism is complex, and a complete analysis is well beyond the
scope of this lecture.
● Still, a brief explanation of some of the central concepts within Marx’s writings is in order.
● If the large body of Marx’s writings can be boiled down to a few components, one must
include his theory of exploitation and his theory of capitalist development and crisis.
Two Primary Classes in Capitalist Society:
● The proletariat (working class) and the bourgeoisie (capitalist ruling class).
● Bourgeoisie own the means of production (such as factories).
● The proletariat own very little and must sell their labour to the bourgeois to make ends
meet.
● The bourgeoisie exploit the proletariat because they pay them far less than the value of
what they produce.
● Marx claimed that the interests of the bourgeoisie and proletariat are fundamentally
different.
● The bourgeoisie want to keep labour prices down to maximize profit, and the proletariat
seek higher wages to sustain themselves.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Until the 1960s, criminological perspectives assumed consensus and adopted a functionalist approach (where everything was seen operating to sustain society as a whole). The period of the 1960s saw sustained critique of many of the dominant social institutions. General rebellion against the mainstream (such as resistance to vietnam war, student protests, women"s liberation, civil rights). Marxist criminology became academically popular as a critique of functionalism, although marx himself wrote very little about crime. Some theories suggested that competing groups are more or less equal in power, and that power is more or less evenly distributed throughout the social structure. Other theories suggested that conflict exists between different elite groups in society. These theories are based on the assumption that there will always be powerful minority groups and less-powerful majority. Balance of power is in a constant state of flux. Marxist conceptions are rooted in the analysis of social power as it increasingly becomes concentrated into fewer and fewer hands.
