1. Planning the ‘Marxist’ deviance essay

2. What to think about… How do Marxist view society (theory background)? How does the Marxist approach ‘contrast’ with other approaches (similarities/differences)? What does the Marxist approach offer that is new? What different issues do the Marxists focus on regarding deviance? What studies are essential? How can the Marxists be criticised?

3. 1. Basic concepts Class conflict Exploitation Ruling class ideology Conditioning False consciousness Social control

4. 2. What key things do Marxists explore in terms of deviance? Manipulation of values How what we define as deviant (and who we see as deviant) is moulded by ruling class ideology. Laws as an instrument of the ruling class Who benefits? How do laws help protect the interests of the powerful? How do laws help to control the working class? Invisibility of white collar crime How the powerful commit crimes for personal gain and how they harm ordinary people but escape conviction. Why are these invisible? How does this question the usefulness of crime statistics? How does this challenge earlier theories?

5. Capitalism causes crime How the values at the heart of capitalist society drive people to criminal behaviour (normal). How inequality causes frustration. Selective policing How the police focus on working class crime. Think about links to white collar crime and how it is ‘un-policed’ Neo-Marxists to follow

6. 3.Contrasting with other theories

7. 4. Key studies/thinkers Manipulation of values – Chambliss Law as an instrument of the ruling class – Chambliss/Snider/ Althusser/Mannheim/Box White Collar Crime – Croall/Sutherland/Wells/Mars/Levi/ Doyal/Mannheim Capitalism causes crime – Gordon/Chambliss Selective Policing - Gordon

8. 5. Evaluation

9. NEO-MARXIST THEORIES Show how these were a development from earlier Marxism. What did they retain? What did they Change? New Criminology (1973) New Left Realism (1984)

10. New Criminology

11. New Left Realism

12. 6. Structure Introduction Different approaches to crime…blame individual (values, frustration), blame society (causing poverty, labelling etc). Marxists are a conflict theory that is less trusting of our laws/police…and focused on how crime is natural to capitalism/the powerful use laws to benefit themselves etc Basic Marxist background just show awareness – short paragraph..indicate basic theoretical contrast (very brief) Manipulation of values Explore this and contrast with functionalist view of origins of laws/ shared values etc(quite short)

13. Laws serve ruling class Present this argument with examples. Contrast with functionalist view. (medium) White collar crime Begin with Funct view that crime is working class. Crime statistics as proof. Caused by values, frustration etc. then explore what white collar crime is, levels of damage, types and why hard to detect. DEAL WITH CRIME STATISTICS ISSUE HERE (like labelling, Marxists lack faith in stats because of selectivity/invisibility – this may need a separate paragraph for methodology) (detailed/long) Capitalism causing crime Present and show how similar to Merton etc but critical of capitalist economy and inequality (brief) Selective Policing Present (show how similar to labelling) but how funct disagree (brief)

14. Critique of trad Marxism .outline main weaknesses/ignores (medium) New Criminology Present theory and how overcomes some of trad Marxist criticisms. Pick up on labelling links – media/self-concept etc Attend to subcultural theory (and brief contrast to functsubcult) (medium) New Left Realism Present – show how it developed from NC and show similarities to funct…but in a Marxist framework (brief) Neo-Marxist critique Outline main weaknesses/ignores (brief) Overall evaluation Summarise key contributions…how it helps us…but contrast to others and say what it doesn’t help so much with…is it still relevant? PoMo? (brief/medium)