A Marxist Approach to Global Crime

A Marxist Approach to Global Crime Introduction Global crime is one of the most important problems facing the world and most governments have taken steps to deal with it. These form of crime results in enormous costs to the society and the economy. An understanding of the causes of global crime can be helpful in mitigating this detrimental practice.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on A Marxist Approach to Global Crime specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Criminologists have made use of many theories and approaches to explain crime and propose ways of reducing crime. One such approach, which can be used to provide a better understanding of global crime, is the Marxist approach. This approach emphasizes socio-political as well as economic factors in explaining crime. This paper will apply the Marxist view on crime to global crime and proceed to discuss what this reveals about power, deviance, and social control. Overview of Global Crime Global crimes occur acr oss multiple national borders and organized criminal groups are the main participants in this transnational crime. Crimes that fall under the global crime category include drug trafficking, people smuggling, arms dealing, prostitution rings, and money laundering to name but a few. Global crime is economically driven and most participants seek to make the greatest amount of profit from their criminal activities. Marxists Approach to Global Crime The Marxist approach is derived from the theories of Karl Marx who is best known for his critique of the capitalist system. Marx asserted that the social institutions such as law, politics, and education, in a capitalist society â€Å"legitimize existing class inequalities and maintain the superior position held by the upper classes† (Kendall 2012, p. 175). Capitalism produces haves and have-nots and encourages people to engage in crime and different forms of deviance. While crime was not a central feature of Marxs theory of society, m any academics and researchers have been able to use Marxist theories in the analyses of crime.Advertising Looking for essay on criminology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In addition to this, Marx did investigate the issues of crime, which makes his approach applicable to issues of crime. The Marxist approach to global crime is based on conflict with class power being of core importance. The relationship between the classes is one of conflict since it is based on the political domination of the labour providing class by the capital owning class. Global crime is encouraged by the capitalistic system that promotes individual achievements at the expense of other members of the society. The capitalistic economic system fosters most of the global crimes by encouraging the exploitation of one group by another and promoting the self-interest of the individuals who engage in these forms of crime. This thought is corroborate d by McGuire and McQuarie (1994) who argue, The competitive nature of capitalist society promotes social conditions that generate individualism and self-interest (p. 261). For example, Corruption of public officials is a necessary component of many global crimes. The Marxist approach suggests that these public officials are corruptible due to the capitalistic mindset that puts individual prosperity ahead of the society good (Zastrow 2009). The Marxist approach focuses on crime as the product of law-enforcement policies (McGuire McQuarie 1994). Law-enforcement policies are responsible for labelling certain global activities as crimes. While society has grown to think of crime as a well-defined phenomenon and have a stereotyped view about who the criminals are, the fact is that criminal offences and crime is not well defined and criminals are diverse. In most cases, global crime seeks to provide people with desired goods and services that cannot be obtained through legal means. Such products include; drugs, fake visas, and weapons to name but a few. In some cases, the ruling class encourages global crime since it provides goods and services which ease the hardships and deflect the energies of the underclass (Spitzer 1975, p. 508). The Marxist approach further notes that there is selective enforcement of laws with regard to global crime.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on A Marxist Approach to Global Crime specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More While the law deals with people smuggling and drug smuggling by small criminal groups harshly, the same activity by powerful crime groups goes on unabated. International arms smuggling done by powerful actors is largely ignored by the police and the courts. The Marxist approach proposes that crime is inevitable since capitalism, which is based on exploitation, causes crime. The approach suggests that crime is the only way through which the poor working class can m ake a living and therefore ensure their survival. This assertion holds true for global crimes that are mostly motivated by economic considerations. People smuggling can trace its origin to the desperation of individuals in developing nations. From this desperation, they are forced to engage the services of people smugglers who take them to countries where they can have better economic prospects. Most participants of global crime come from poor backgrounds and they are incentivised to participate in these crimes in order to afford the luxuries that the capitalistic society promises. Implications of the Marxist Approach to: Power The Marxist approach argues that criminal law protects the interests of the rich and powerful often at the expense of the poor. Those with power are able to use their resources to avoid criminal prosecution and even having their activities labelled as crimes (McGuire McQuarie 1994). In addition to this, the ruling class is in a position to prevent the impl ementation of laws that threaten their self-interest. Kendall (2012) observes how the capitalistic state avoids introducing laws that regulate business activity or impose huge penalties on large corporations. Corporate crimes are the most serious anti-social acts and they affect millions of people worldwide.Advertising Looking for essay on criminology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, little attention is given to this predatory act and the government is more interested in curbing crimes such as drug trafficking and smuggling; crimes which cost significantly less in terms of money and lives than corporate crime. The Marxist approach points out that the affluent and powerful are able to protect their own interests and shield them from prosecution even when they commit crimes. Jewkes (2004) observes that those in power manipulate the media agenda to harness support for policies that criminalize those with less power in society. The media is able to manipulate reporting to create an impression that the interests of the ruling class are the same as those of the whole nation and violating the ruling class interests poses a threat to the whole nations well being. With regard to global crime, the media mostly ignores crimes done by the rich and powerful with corporate wrongs seldom being reported. The media either ignores the crimes of the powerful or misreprese nts them and consequently, news reporting remains attached to state definitions of crime and criminal law (Jewkes 2004). On the other hand, crimes perpetrated by less powerful actors are given a lot of media attention. This reflects a pervasive bias in the labelling of criminals. The ruling class decides on which activities should be criminalized and the sanctions that to be imposed on the offenders. This criminalization is not uniform and it is done for the convenience of the ruling class. The selective criminalization is best elaborated by the 18th century trade between China and European states. The main product offered by the West to China was opium and when China banned the sale of opium in her territory, Britain retaliated by attacking China and forcing her to open up her ports for trade (Bickers 2011). The European ruling class was able to impose its will due to its economic and political might. Today, the international trade in opium is criminalized by all Western powers sin ce such trade is not in their best interest. The political and economical powers of the country set the agenda for public debate on crime and the implementation of criminal justice. These agendas shape public perceptions of crime and justice. Kendall (2012) suggests that the picture of crime painted by the ruling class is manipulated so that the crimes of the working class and unemployed are over-concentrated on. On the other hand, crimes of the well-educated upper and middle classes are all but ignored. Deviance The Marxist approach views deviance as a function of the capitalist economic system. Deviance according to the Marxist approach is created by social control agencies such as the police and the criminal justice system, which label people as outside the typical law-abiding community. Becker (1963) illustrates that specific behaviour is not in itself deviant or normal and it only becomes so when people start applying labels to it. The individuals who label behaviour as norma l or criminal are therefore responsible for creating the deviance class. Hester (1992) elaborates that the ruling class has economic dominion and from this base, the class erects the legal and political superstructure. Through these institutions, the ruling class imposes its values, ideas, and beliefs that comprise the social consciousness. Deviants are therefore created by the upper class since its economic and political power enables it to make its views heard and enforced. Attributing the label of deviant to an individual or a group makes them outsiders. This increases the level of crime since the label of criminal might last for a lifetime. Once a person is identified as a member of an international smuggling group, his/her chances of engaging in this activity are increased (Zastrow 2009). This phenomenon is explained by the labelling theory, which illustrates that the deviance label makes it likely that a person will join the deviant group or subculture that society assumes he belongs to and consequently engage in further deviant acts. Social Control The ruling class is able to promote a stable society by encouraging conformity and adherence to societal values (Merton 1938). The Marxist approach emphasizes that the alleged societal values are not a reflection of a shared value system but rather the imposition of the ruling class on the rest of the society. While laws purport to be a reflection of value consensus, they are in actual sense an expression of ruling-class ideology imposed on the working class. These laws primarily protect the interests of the ruling class therefore enabling it to keep its power and influence over the lower classes. The Marxist approach declares that criminal sanctions are put in place to protect the property owners and ensure that their ability to generate wealth in future is guaranteed. McGuire and McQuarie (1994) note that the law and the administration of justice views global crime as a serious offence since it threatens those that possess the property. International drug trafficking increases the levels of crime in the cities as drug addicts engage in robbery to finance their addiction or fail to engage in meaningful economic activity since due to the effects of the drugs. Smuggling of counterfeit goods across borders denies rich corporate of their market dominance and therefore decreases their profits. The media is the most potent tool used by the upper class and the socially privileged to exert social control. The media constructs global crime and violence in such a way that it encourages populations to accept increasingly repressive forms of social control all in the name of dealing with global crime (Jewkes 2004). While all classes of the society engage in crime, the types of crime differ and the media predisposes society to focus on the crimes of the lower classes since the higher classes are the ones who control the media apparatus. Conclusion This paper set out to apply the Marxist approach to global crime. It began by documenting that the Marxist approach blames economic factors and social structures for criminal activity. The paper has discussed systematic class bias in the criminal justice system and how power and inequality affect criminal labelling processes. This approach has explained the relationship between crime and the socioeconomic realities of individuals and given insights into labelling. By using the approach, it is clear that capitalism is the root of crime. As such, global crime can only be eradicated by replacing capitalism with an egalitarian society, which does not divide people into classes. Until this is done, the world will continue to be plagued by global crime and the harmful effects it causes in society. References Becker, H 1963, Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of Deviance, Free Press, New York. Bickers, R 2011, ‘Chinas Age of Fragility’, History Today, vol. 61 no. 3, pp. 29-36. Hester, S 1992, A Sociology of Crime, Routledge , Sydney. Jewkes, Y 2004, Media and Crime, Sage, New Jersey. Kendall, D 2012, Sociology in Our Times, Cengage Learning, NY. McGuire, P McQuarie, D 1994, From the Left Bank to the Mainstream: Historical Debates and Contemporary Research in Marxist Sociology, Rowman Littlefield, London. Merton, RK 1938, ‘Social Structure and Anomie’, American Sociological Review, vol. 3 no. 1, pp. 672-682. Spitzer, S 1975, ‘Towards a Marxian Theory of Deviance’, Social Problems, vol. 22 no. 5, pp. 495-512. Zastrow, C 2009, Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare: Empowering People, Cengage Learning, NY.

12 Best Gift Ideas for College Students. EssaySupply.com

12 Best Gift Ideas for College Students 12 Best Gift Ideas for College Students We all want to make sure that everyone has a great Christmas. However, it's hard to choose what to get them. Some people we want to get them presents that we know that they'll use or have a practical purpose. Others, we think that they could use or want something on the fun side. Either way finding a present for everyone can be difficult, especially for a college student. They're young, so they'll want the same things they've always wanted, toys, video games, or whatever else they like. However this is their first time living on their own, so you may be tempted to buy them things such as glass and cookware sets. Well here are the 12 best gifts for college students. 1. Kindle Nothing will ever replace fresh ink on paper. However, the Kindle is great for travel. They can carry virtually every single book in the world right in the palm of their hands! After all, who has the energy to carry around every single book they have just for a week long trip? 2. Chrome cast Your child probably has a television, Netflix, and the internet. But they might not have cable or a way to really enjoy that flat screen. Well with the Chrome cast they can simply plug the device in, enter in their connection info and voila! Now they can host their next movie night. 3. Coffee maker with auto start College is hard and tiring; coffee is a must for students as it helps them get through the day. However, sometimes your students won't have time to brew a full pot in the morning. Getting them a programmable coffee maker will help them through their morning routine. 4. Breakfast Sandwich Maker Another way to make your child's mornings easier. After all the foundation of a good day starts with a healthy breakfast. 5. Soda Stream Soda can get expensive, and sometimes the syrup to carbonation can be too low or too high, depending on their taste preference. With a soda stream, they can simply make their soda however they like, and for the fraction of the cost. 6. Gift Cards About as practical as real money, you can use gift cards for virtually anything. Pay for a night out with their friends, or their next grocery tab. Whatever kind of gift cards you buy they will be appreciative. 7. Roadside emergency kit It all happens to us, don't lie. We have all gone through the horrible state of having a flat or breakdown at the edge of the road. Sometimes we have no phone, or no knowledge on what to do. Help your kids through that predicament before it happens with a roadside emergency kit 8. High Speed Blender Another great practical gifts, smoothies are a craze as they help people receive fiber and nutrient all in a glass. A high-speed blender is perfect for pureeing harder fruits such as apples and pears 9. Cards against humanity This popular party game is great for college students due to its crude humor. Your child will have lots of fun making friends through this card game. 10. Plane Tickets They will get homesick and that's just something that can't be avoided. Try buying them a trip home for a week and let them just be thankful for the opportunity to return. 11. Noise Canceling Headphones Dorm rooms are distracting, television is distracting, everything that makes noise is distracting. Keep your kid focused and on task with a pair of noise canceling headphones 12. Go Pro Camera Is the college student in your life athletic, or film savvy? Do they like the idea of filming everywhere they go? Get them a GoPro! Hopefully this helps. Or at least you will be able to get some ideas for better options.

Shell Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Shell - Essay Example There is no laid out rule that clearly states what and how the reserves of oil is to be estimated, though there are guidelines given by SEC for the purpose. SEC guidelines were also not met by the reserves estimation that was declared by the executives of the company and they knew it all along. Continuing pressure on non-declaration of the actual reserve estimation in line with the law, made them to come out and accept a revision in their reserves. This made the share prices tumble and the company started losing its standing in the market place. Whereas compared to its competitors the company should have been rated low even in 1997, but the executives of the company for holding up their company's performance, raised the reserves ratio and other key performance indicators of the company. This could be looked at as the pressure on the company to really escalate figures. Though this cannot be construed to be a valid reason for artificial escalation of the figures, it is the predominant reason why the reserves were shown bloated. The corporate governance at the company has been lacking the guts face up to the situation. The major cause of the problem is that the executives could not stand up for a loss of face in the initial run and still thought even after knowing that wrong representation has happened, the second note from Vijver to Watts on 22 Jul 2002 indicates that the company executives were planning really to cover up this even in the last minute. They expected to cover up the entire additional reserves indicated using either of the project maturation, license extensions and new exploration successes. It is important therefore, to note that the corporate governance in the company at its top level had sinister views. The overall company performance itself was in a quandary and to hide the same these fictitious reserves have been brought up. The lack of appropriate planning to counter the fall of reserves, the lack of judgment on the part of the executives to bring about changes in the company so that such performance degrading would not have happened are the major causes for the failure of the company. This is essentially a failure of the corporate governance. Secondly, a well governed organization will have its own corporate correcting and auditing mechanism that will bring even the top management under its purview. If someone should direct the company in a wrong direction, then the company should have a mechanism to throw it up early on or immediately after its occurrence. This will be the ideal control mechanism. In a well governed company that will be the case. A failure of corporate governance is obvious here since such a mechanism has failed to exist in the company or has failed to be active. b) After 2000-01, Shell management decided to come out because of the constant nagging fear that they might really be caught making this mistake and lying to people consistently. Vijver, the CEO of the Shell EP, was also of the view that the RRR of the company has to be maintained since it would a major performance index that share holders will look at when deciding on the price in the market. The disclosure of the reserves had to happen since because of the disclosure that was done in a memorandum prepared by the staff of the EP. There was also an observation in the memorandum by the law firm, Cravaith, Swaine & Moore that the

W4As Premier Kayak Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

W4As Premier Kayak - Essay Example As such, the inefficiencies in previous booking and reservations system required designing a new model which would address the disclosed gaps. The model was noted to provide access to an accurate schedule of booked customers who already paid and the information is provided to crucial personnel at Premier Kayak to enable staff members, especially tour guides, to provide the needed service. The model thereby prevents overbooking and ensures accuracy in making reservations for scheduled tours only in defined number of kayaks at a particular available date and time. The key innovations that Premier Kayak’s reservation system which avoided making the reservation system a painful process to customers included defining the available slots for the kayaks in any particular day, time, and location to prevent overbooking. Likewise, only customers who confirmed reservations through payments made online would be confirmed for the kayak tours. In addition, these schedules have defined tour guides who could access the information and abide by the reservations made. As such, the reservation system, which is available and accessible to customers and employees, would avoid overbooking or the need for rescheduling. This prevented having to refund customers due to unavailable tour guides or lack of kayaks at preferred booking dates. The new method also prevented having to contend with irate customers or the need to make refunds. Overall, the system improved Premier Kayak’s image as a reliable and dependable organization in their field of endeavor. The evaluation method that is recommended to make certain that the innovations perform as expected is through customer feedback surveys (Foot, 2013). The survey would gather information pertinent to the customers’ satisfaction on services rendered by Premier Kayak. Likewise, the 360 degree assessment is another evaluation tool that solicits information from various

History Discussion Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

History Discussion - Research Paper Example The great awakening was started by the Wesley brothers, Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield in England and moved to American colonies during the 1770s (Kidd 23-24). The great awakening ushered in new era in that it allowed people to express their emotions in order to experience and feel great intimacy with God during prayers. The great awakening started at a time when people in America and Europe colonies were questioning the purpose or role of the individual in religion and society. It started at similar time with the enlightenment movement which emphasized on rationality or logic and emphasized the power of individual to realize and understand the world based on scientific laws (Wallis 55). Therefore, people grew to rely more on personal approach to spirituality and salvation rather church doctrine and dogma. In addition, the fighting between political and religious groups in England came to a halt with the onset of the glorious revolution of 1688, an occurrence which led to establishment of the Church of England as the only church of the country in turn; other religions such as Catholicism and Judaism were oppressed and suppressed. Politically, it led to stability because of everybody practiced the same religion. However, on religious front, it created complacency and spiritual hunger or dryness among believers. After some decades of religious complacency in America and England colonies, the spiritual revival or renewal of the great awakening was established (Kidd 61). The great awakening led to significance change in the American society in that it prepared them for war of independence. Many years before the war, revivalism enlightened people that they should be courageous when confronting religious authority and that when churches were still oppressing the believers and not heeding to their expectations, the people would break off and create new churches (Wallis 45). Throughout the period of great awakening, Colonist understood that

Dances With Wolves Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dances With Wolves - Essay Example shows a deep understanding and appreciation for the cultures he comes into contact with and goes so far as to adopt their way of life as superior to that of his own previous way of life. When the film opens, Lieutenant Dunbar is faced with the unpleasant choice of either having his wounded leg amputated or choosing to die with it still attached; as did so many other soldiers of his time. However, rather than choosing the amputation, Dunbar decides he will commit suicide by charging the lines of the enemy and dying in a hail of bullets. However, his plan does not go according to planned as his action has the effect of rallying the troops behind him and winning the battle. As a reward for his actions, Dunbar is offered a transfer to any unit or regiment he can choose. Dunbar chooses to move West away from the horrors of the Civil War and into the mystery of the frontier (Costner 1990). His frontier life is far from what he expected as he soon finds himself all alone at an abandoned base; completely cut off from the outside world. It is at this point that the film develops into the story of how Dunbar begins to come into contact with the Native Americans in the surrounding regions to that of the base in which he alone guards. Rather than being hostile to these natives, Dunbar seeks to strike up a relationship with them and engage them in a form of conversation (although his language skills are non-existent). Rather than viewing the Native Americans around the fort as natural born enemies, Dunbar is intrigued by their lifestyle, their curiosity, and the means by which they have sought to survive even in the face of continuous attacks from white frontiersmen. Dunbar becomes so taken by the culture and lifestyle of these Native Americans that he abandons his post and seeks to live a life among them. The story further develops as Dunbar returns to the fort to retrieve a notebook of valuable information he encounters his former colleagues who capture and beat

Shipping markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Shipping markets - Essay Example pparently, data indicates growing trade, which is indicative of increasing demand for all types of products in markets other than their places of production. Using regression analysis, I obtained the following output. From the results, time is a significant predictor of seaborne trade across the globe (ÃŽ ² = 152.75, p Crude oil is one of the major energy resources and a key raw material in numerous industrial sectors. In view of this, forces of demand have a great impact on the crude oil industry (Abouarghoub, Mariscal and Howells, 2012). Demand and supply of crude oil have in the past been characterized by low price elasticity which has impacted global price fluctuations. According to Alizadeh and Nomikos (2006), such fluctuations occur because the oil market is highly unpredictable and the fact that changes in demand and supply are not easily predictable despite such changes having a huge economic impact. The oil tanker shipping market has a perfect competitive structure characterized by a huge number of producers who compete to satisfy the huge global demand for internationally produced commodities (Fox, 1992). In such a case, neither the suppliers nor the buyers have the ability to set the prices, since prices of crude oil are determined at the world market. The economic implication of global oil market pricing patterns is that cost as a market determiner plays a major role in the establishment of sale prices (Austria, 2003; Sato, 2002).