Summary Of The Conflict Theory

SUMMARY OF
THE CONFLICT
THEORY
KARL MARX’S
VIEW ON CRIME

WHAT IS CRIME ?
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An action or omission that constitutes an offense that may be prosecuted by the state and is punishable by law.

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A crime is an act that breaks a law that relates to how to behave in society. The harm caused by the act is seen to be against society as a whole, not just a specific person.

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Marxist views on deviance adopt a conflict-structuralist stance.
The economic base or infrastructure determines the precise nature of superstructure, i.e. the way the economy is organized will determine the norms, values and what is defined deviant. 

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According to Marxists capitalism is based on oppression and economic exploitation of the majority.
It creates a dog eat dog world in which greed, violence and corruption flourish
Marxists states that crime happen as a result of inequality and poverty

MARXIST VIEW ON
CRIME
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Marxist sees crime and deviance as not coming from moral or hereditary defects but defects within society. They see crime as an inevitable part of capitalism which stems from social inequalities within a society. Working-class crime is caused by labor exploitation and material misery.

MARXIST’S VIEW ON
CRIME (CONT’D)
Marxist’s criminology blames mainly the competitive nature of the capitalist system for crime.
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This view basically says that the poor commit crime due to anger, frustration and need while the wealthy engage in illegal activity to maintain their position in society, and that the wealthy are used to this competition as it is a must in order to maintain their social stance. MARXIST’S VIEW ON
CRIME (CONT’D)
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Therefore theft is an expression of exploitation and is a political act of the proletariat against the bourgeoisie.

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Marxists say that the ruling class will violate laws and go unpunished while members of the subject class will be punished 

Crime diverts the working-class's attention from the exploitation they experience; it contains their resistance

MARXIST’S VIEW ON
CRIME (CONT’D)
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They say crime is a reaction to the life condition’s of a person’s social class.
It changes from society to society depending on the political and economic make up of that society.
Crime will continue in capitalist societies because they condone and encourage inequality and class conflict and penal law will expand in relation to that inequality and exploitation

CONFLICT THEORY
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The conflict theory claims that crime is a result of class conflict because the laws are created by those in power to protect their rights and interests only.
It states that all crime in a society has a political undertone. This concept was coined by Richard
Quinney; ‘the social reality of crime.’ The theory was built on the foundation of the idea that the justice system is biased on its design to protect the wealthy SUMMARY
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Crime is cause by the external force of capitalism. The social inequalities caused by the economic base (capitalism) determines activity within the superstructure(crimes agents of social control)
Social- class exploitation by the bourgeoisie over the proletariat causes crime

Prepared by:
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Aneal King

Jade Chow

Kayla Richards c