Neo-Marxism: Critical Criminology
- Created by: chocolateflavouredmilk
- Created on: 01-03-20 14:12
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- Neo-Marxism: Critical Criminology
- Taylor et al agree with Marxists that
- Capitalist society is based on exploitation and class conflict and characterised by extreme inequalities of wealth and power.
- The state makes and enforces laws in the interests of the capitalist society and criminalises members of the working-class
- Marxism should be replaced by a classless society, which would decrease the ratesof crime.
- The describe their approach as critical criminology.
- Anti-determinism
- Taylor et al argues that Marxism is deterministic
- Taylor et al takes a more voluntaristic view (voluntarism is the odea that we have free will)
- They see crime as meaningful action and a conscious choice by the actor, and that crime often has a political motive.
- Criminals are not passive puppets whose behaviour is shaped by capitalism, they are deliberately striving to change society
- A Full Social Theory of Deviance
- Taylor et al aims to create a 'fully social theory of deviance' - a comprehensive understanding of crime and deviance that would help change society for the better.
- This theory would have two main soures
- Marxist ideas about the unequal distribution of wealth and who has the power to make and enforce the law.
- Ideas form interactionism and labelling theory about the meaning of the deviant act for the actor, societal reactions and effects of labelling on the individual.
- A complete theory of deviance needs to unite six aspects
- The wider origins of the deviant act
- The immediate origins of the deviant act.
- The act itself
- The immediate origins of social reaction
- The wider origins of social reaction.
- The effects of labelling
- Evaluation of Critical Criminology
- Feminists criticise Taylor et sl for being gender blind, focusing on male criminality.
- Left realists make two related criticisms.
- Makes working-class criminals seem as though they are hero's who are fighting capitalism by re-distributing wealth, in reality these criminals mostly prey on the poor.
- Taylor et al do not take crime seriously and they ignore the effects on working-class individuals.
- Burke argues that critical criminology is too idealistic to be useful in tackling crime.
- Taylor et al agree with Marxists that
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