Crime & Deviance: The Marxist View.
By: Naomi Marie
Tags: Sociology, Crime, Economy, Marxism, Capitalism

Crime & deviance is a topic that is widely discussed, especially when it comes to the causes & solutions. The Criminal Justice System plays a role in coming up with the best suitable judgement/solution for the offender, and to prevent them from reoffending in the future, along with acknowledging the safety of the general public. This can be made in various ways, from crime prevention programmes, rehabilitation etc. Whether these methods are successful, there has been cases where it has worked, but it hasn’t been successful for everyone.

Sociologist Karl Marx had an interesting view when it comes to the causes or factors of the rise of crime & why it’s such an issue in our society. He spoke consistently about capitalism and the large role that it plays. Traditional Marxists believe that crime is caused by the nature of a capitalist society. There are 2 elements to identify this, but one of them is called ‘Criminogenic Capitalism’. If we break this down, an American philosopher David Gordon argued that capitalism is identified through class inequalities e.g. wealth & income, unemployment, poverty etc. These along with many other factors can contribute into a person committing a crime. Gordon explained that this can also be seen as means for survival.

Marxists also believe that capitalism is dominant in all social classes, and it can almost encourage criminal behaviour. One of the main problems that’s brought up with capitalism is consumerism, competition, materialism & individualism. But let’s begin with Consumerism first. This is a relationship formed between the business & the buyer/consumer. If we look at the meaning of this, sociologist Zygmunt Bauman explained that consumerism is “a type of social arrangement that results from recycling mundane, permanent and so to speak “regime-neutral” human wants, desires and longings into the principal propelling force of society..”(Bauman, 2001). This means that the role of the consumer is based entirely on the product itself. Brands have a specific type of way to lure their consumers to buy their products by using various tactics such as advertisements, and getting celebrities to promote their products on their social media platforms etc. Consumerism affects our social norms, individuality & values. Ladies, has there been a time where you’re scrolling on Instagram & you see multiple influencers that you follow wearing a specific type of bag or item & you immediately wanted to buy it? You see that discount code on the caption, that 10% off and you instantly added that to your cart? Let’s be real. This is one of the factors that Bauman speaks about, we are in a society of competition. We are competing with ourselves without us realising. This links directly into social-economics because what if the person can’t afford or isn’t able to get that. What would happen next? Consumerism is the basis of our identity & self, which in some cases unfortunately leads to a dangerous situation.

Moreover, consumerism, competition, materialism & individualism is all intertwined into one. Marxism shows that capitalism encourages people to pursue self interest first, people are becoming materialistic & not wanting something because it may necessarily be useful, but rather what it shows or says about them. A fashion statement. Studies show that capitalism generates inequality, poverty which is linked to higher crime rates. Historically, we can look at the British Empire. Britain was one of the richest countries with many colonies such as Bermuda, India, Cayman Islands etc. Although Britain was getting richer by using goods/tradings from their colonies e.g. India’s import of sugar in the Victorian era, their own colonies were left in deep poverty & economic strain. There’s a huge pressure on individuals to make money, be successful & make profit. Due to social media, there is now pressure for young people to instantly become successful & make money because of the people that they follow online. We have influencers, content creators many people who are gaining revenue online based on those who are watching them. We’re being shown only the destination, but not the journey to get to that destination.

To conclude, even though there are many contributing factors to the rise of crime rates, sociologically it shows that society also plays a role into this problem. This now brings the question of how much control society has over us, and if we are even aware of this control.

Teen Vogue, 2020

David Gordon - Crime & Delinquency, 1973