Capitalist Society and Crime

This section delves deeper into the Marxist theory of crime, explaining how capitalist societies create conditions conducive to criminal behavior.

Key points include:

• Crime as a rational response to inequality in capitalist societies
• Relative poverty leading to survival crimes and exclusion from consumer society
• The prevalence of white-collar and corporate crimes among the capitalist class

Quote: "Capitalist society is criminogenic; crime is a natural outgrowth of a capitalist society which emphasises economic self-interest, greed and personal gain."

Vocabulary: Relative poverty refers to the condition where individuals lack the minimum amount of income needed to maintain the average standard of living in their society.

The text introduces David Gordon's argument that crime is a rational response to capitalist values such as greed, profit, competition, and materialism. Gordon contends that the system ignores crimes committed by elite and middle classes, despite their likelihood of engaging in criminal activities.

Highlight: Capitalist societies are described as "dog eat dog societies" where individual and corporate interests are prioritized over community and environmental concerns.

The document also touches on the concept of alienation, suggesting that lack of control over one's life in a capitalist system may lead to frustration and aggression.

Definition: Alienation, in this context, refers to the sense of disconnection or estrangement from one's work, society, or self, often attributed to the conditions of capitalist labor.

Finally, the Marxist perspective on law is presented:

• Laws reflect ruling class interests and ideology rather than a value consensus
• Laws are seen as tools of the ruling class to protect private property

Example: William Chambliss's work is cited, arguing that laws are designed by the ruling class to protect private property.

Page 2: Criminogenic Capitalism

This section explores how capitalist society inherently generates criminal behavior.

Definition: Criminogenic capitalism refers to an economic system that naturally produces conditions conducive to crime.

Highlight: David Gordon's analysis shows crime as a rational response to capitalist values of greed, profit, and competition.

Quote: "Capitalist societies are 'dog eat dog societies' in which each individual company and each individual is encouraged to look out for their own interests."