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Marxism is a conflict structuralist perspective that views society as fundamentally divided by social class. From this starting point, Marxist sociologists argue that crime must be understood in the context of capitalist society — a system based on the exploitation of the working class by the ruling class. For Marxists, crime is not the result of individual pathology or inadequate socialisation but is an inevitable product of the way capitalism is organised.
Key Definition: Capitalism is an economic system based on private ownership of the means of production, in which goods and services are produced for profit. Marxists argue that capitalism generates inequality, exploitation, and crime.
Traditional Marxists argue that capitalism is criminogenic — that is, it is the nature of capitalism itself that causes crime. This argument has three key elements:
The exploitation inherent in capitalism means that the working class are denied a fair share of the wealth they produce. Low wages, poverty, unemployment, and insecurity create the conditions in which crime flourishes. Workers may turn to crime out of economic necessity (theft to feed their families) or out of frustration and alienation (vandalism, violence).
Gordon (1976) argued that crime is a rational response to the conditions of capitalism. In a system where competition and self-interest are the dominant values, it is unsurprising that some individuals pursue their interests through illegal means. Crime, far from being abnormal, is the logical consequence of capitalist values.
Capitalism does not only cause crime among the poor. The competitive, profit-driven nature of the system encourages crime at all levels. The ruling class engages in corporate crime — fraud, tax evasion, health and safety violations, environmental pollution — driven by the pressure to maximise profit.
Snider (1993) argued that corporate crime causes far more harm than street crime. She estimated that corporate crime costs more in financial terms and causes more deaths (through unsafe working conditions, dangerous products, and environmental damage) than all street crime combined. Yet corporate crime receives far less attention from the criminal justice system.
Marxists argue that the law is not applied equally. The criminal justice system serves the interests of the ruling class by selectively enforcing the law against the working class while turning a blind eye to the crimes of the powerful.
| Aspect | Working-Class Crime | Ruling-Class Crime |
|---|---|---|
| Policing | Over-policed: stop and search, surveillance of poor neighbourhoods | Under-policed: corporate fraud, tax evasion rarely investigated |
| Prosecution | More likely to be charged and prosecuted | More likely to receive warnings, out-of-court settlements |
| Sentencing | Harsher sentences, especially for property crime | Lighter sentences, regulatory fines rather than imprisonment |
| Media attention | Crime featured prominently, creating moral panics | Corporate crime receives less coverage, treated as "technical" rather than criminal |
Chambliss (1976) illustrated this with his study of organised crime in Seattle, showing that those at the top of the city's criminal networks — politicians, business leaders, and law enforcement officials — were protected by their power and connections, while street-level criminals were regularly prosecuted.
Traditional Marxists argue that the criminal justice system serves an ideological function — it legitimises the capitalist system and diverts attention from its fundamental injustices.
Key Definition: Selective law enforcement refers to the unequal application of the law, in which the crimes of the powerful are largely ignored while the crimes of the working class are vigorously policed and punished.
Taylor, Walton and Young (1973) developed a neo-Marxist approach in their influential book The New Criminology. They agreed with traditional Marxists that capitalism is the root cause of crime, but they criticised traditional Marxism for being too deterministic — for presenting working-class criminals as passive victims of the system rather than as active agents making choices.
Taylor, Walton and Young argued that a complete theory of crime must account for six elements:
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