New Criminology

New Criminology

Taylor, Walton and Young

The key to understanding crime lies in the ‘material basis of society. The economy is the most important part of any society
Capitalist societies are characterised by inequalities in wealth and power between individuals; these inequalities lie at the root of crime
Sociological theories of crime are of little use unless they contribute in a practical way to the liberation of individuals from living under capitalism. Radical transformation of society is supported

Crime, freedom and political action

Marx too economically deterministic
Criminals choose to break the law; human behaviour isn’t directed by external forces
Individuals turn to crime ‘as a meaningful attempt by the actor to construct and develop his own self-conception’
Crime is not caused by biology, anomie, being a member of a subculture, labelling or poverty
Crimes are often deliberate and conscious acts with political motives e.g Women’s Liberation Movement; Black Power Movement; Gay Liberation Front. Shows people fighting back against capitalism
Many crimes against poverty involve redistribution of wealth: if a poor resident of an inner city area steals from a rich person, the former is helping to change society
Deviants are not just passive victims of capitalism, they are actively struggling to alter it
Wish to see socialist rather than communist society
Greater emphasis than other Marxists on freedom in any future society
Hippies, homosexuals, ethnic minorities and drug users should be accepted and not turned into animals by persecution. They need support and sympathy

A ‘fully social theory of deviance’

Seven aspects to consider to create a complete theory. Criminologists must understand/consider:

The way wealth and power is distributed in society
The particular circumstances surrounding the decision of an individual to commit an act of deviance
The deviant act itself, in order to discover its meaning for the person concerned. Was the individual showing contempt for capitalism by taking drugs?
Why, and in what ways, other members of society react to deviance
Who has power in society to make the rules and why some deviant ...

A ‘fully social theory of deviance’

Seven aspects to consider to create a complete theory. Criminologists must understand/consider:

The way wealth and power is distributed in society
The particular circumstances surrounding the decision of an individual to commit an act of deviance
The deviant act itself, in order to discover its meaning for the person concerned. Was the individual showing contempt for capitalism by taking drugs?
Why, and in what ways, other members of society react to deviance
Who has power in society to make the rules and why some deviant acts are treated more severely than others (the reaction needs to be explained in terms of the social structure)
Labelling theory, to study the effects of deviant labels
The relationship between different aspects of deviance so they can be fused together into a complete theory

Critical Criminology

Emerged in Britain during early 1970s, partly as a reaction to the inadequacies of labelling theory and more traditional Marxist approaches
Seeks to explore ways in which the variables of class, ethnicity and gender are played out in relation to crime and criminal justice
Deviance is political, and as such is subject to both structural and subjective forces

Gordon

Crime is rational in capitalist society for two reasons:

It is the natural product of competition which is an aspect of capitalism. As a result, all classes are motivated to commit crime. Some have more means at their disposal
It is the product of alienation generated by the social relations of capitalist society. Capitalist relations result in a lack of power at work and a lack of job satisfaction, especially for the working classes

Althusser argues that the legal system is an ideological state apparatus while the police are part of the state’s repressive apparatus

Evaluation

Critical criminology extends the definition of crime to issues concerned with human rights such as sexism and racism
Reasserts the importance of the political economy of crime, looking at factors such as the economic arrangements in society
Unites action and structural approaches to deviance in both rule making and rule breaking aspects

Offers incomplete critique of earlier theories, dismissing them rather than showing they are necessarily in error
By rejecting both biological and psychological factors as partial causes of crime, the opportunity to explore many interesting aspects of criminology is denied
Deviant behaviour is romanticised as revolutionary, ignoring the harm that is done by many deviant acts, particularly in working class communities
Tendency for crime to be explained away as a social construction, and in doing so the reality of crime can be missed