1. Describe a range of sociological theories in explaining causes of criminality. [8]
One sociological theory of crime is Marxism. This theory believes that crime is caused by a
disadvantaged social class and Marx saw the punishments for crime as a means for the
ruling class (the bourgeoisie) to control the working class (the proletariat), and so is a form
of social control. People are encouraged to conform by major institutions (agencies of social
control) in society such as the family, schools, police, the justice system, and religion. If
people do not conform and rebel, they will be punished. Marxists argue that social classes
are policed differently, with the proletariat being more heavily policed in the anticipation
that they will be more criminal, making their crimes more likely to be caught than those
committed by the bourgeoisie. This means that more crimes such as street crime are seen to
be more serious as these are caught more often, whereas white-collar crime is more likely
to be ignored as it tends to be committed by the ruling class. Another belief Marxists have is
that official crime statistics are ‘socially constructed’ by the government, and that more than
40% of these statistics are false or misleading.
(Rest on next page)
One sociological theory of crime is Marxism. This theory believes that crime is caused by a
disadvantaged social class and Marx saw the punishments for crime as a means for the
ruling class (the bourgeoisie) to control the working class (the proletariat), and so is a form
of social control. People are encouraged to conform by major institutions (agencies of social
control) in society such as the family, schools, police, the justice system, and religion. If
people do not conform and rebel, they will be punished. Marxists argue that social classes
are policed differently, with the proletariat being more heavily policed in the anticipation
that they will be more criminal, making their crimes more likely to be caught than those
committed by the bourgeoisie. This means that more crimes such as street crime are seen to
be more serious as these are caught more often, whereas white-collar crime is more likely
to be ignored as it tends to be committed by the ruling class. Another belief Marxists have is
that official crime statistics are ‘socially constructed’ by the government, and that more than
40% of these statistics are false or misleading.
(Rest on next page)
