THEORY AND IDEOLOGY IN MARXIST CRIMINOLOGY - COMMENTS ON TURK, QUINNEY, TOBY, AND KLOCKARS

• NCJ Number: 55567
• Journal: Criminology Volume: 16 Issue: 4 Dated: (FEBRUARY 1979) Pages: 527-544
• Author(s): R L AKERS
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 18 pages
• Corporate Author: Sage Publications, Inc
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE INVITED COMMENTATOR ON THE OTHER PAPERS IN THIS SPECIAL ISSUE OF 'CRIMINOLOGY' ANALYZES FOUR ARTICLES FROM THE PERSPECTIVE THAT MARXIST CRIMINOLOGY FAILS BOTH PRACTICALLY AND PHILOSOPHICALLY AS AN IDEOLOGY.

Abstract

THEORY AND IDEOLOGY ARE SEPARABLE CONCEPTS, IN THAT A THEORY IS JUDGED PRIMARILY BY COMPARISON WITH OTHER THEORIES AND BY EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE MEASURING ITS VALIDITY, AND AN IDEOLOGY IS JUDGED PRIMARILY BY COMPARISON WITH OTHER PHILOSOPHIES AND HOW IT HAS WORKED IN PRACTICE. QUINNEY (IN NCJ-55563) THEORIZES ABOUT THE BEHAVIOR OF THE MAJORITY OF APPLIED AND ACADEMIC CRIMINOLOGISTS IN AMERICA, VIEWED AS EXPRESSIVE OF THEIR CONCERN TO ELIMINATE OR CONTROL ALL BEHAVIOR THAT IS THREATENING TO THE CAPITALIST SYSTEM. TURK (SEE NCJ-55564) PRESENTS A FRAMEWORK FOR ANALYZING LABELING AND REACTION TO CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR, APPLIED ESPECIALLY TO 'POLITICAL CRIMINALITY.' IN BASIC AGREEMENT WITH KLOCKAR'S CRITIQUE (NCJ-55565) IT IS NOTED THAT WHILE THE PAPERS OFFER AN INTERPRETATION OF HOW LAWS ARE CONSTRUCTED AND ENFORCED, NEITHER OFFERS AN ANSWER TO THE QUESTION AS TO WHY PEOPLE, EVEN THOSE IN ELITE GROUPS WHOSE INTERESTS SUPPOSEDLY ARE SERVED BY THE LAW, COMMIT CRIMES. TOBY (NCJ-55566) OBSERVES THAT LITTLE EVIDENCE SUPPORTS THE NOTION THAT THERE IS CLASS DISCRIMINATION IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. WHILE THEORIES DIAGNOSING DEVIANCE AND THE CRIMINOLOGICAL ENTERPRISE AS CONSTRUCTIONS OF THE RULERS OF THE CAPITALIST SYSTEM TO CONTROL BEHAVIOR THAT IS THREATENING TO THAT SYSTEM MAY BE TESTED AS THEORIES, THE PROPOSED MARXIST SOLUTION--THE ELIMINATION OF THE CAPITALIST SYSTEM AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A MARXIST SOCIALIST SYSTEM--IS AN IDEOLOGY WHOSE UTOPIAN CLAIMS MUST BE EXAMINED IN THE LIGHT OF EXISTING PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF SUCH AN IDEOLOGY. A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF IDEOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS SHOWS THAT ATTEMPTS TO APPLY MARXIST SOCIALISM IN COMMUNIST STATES HAVE LED TO THE KIND OF REPRESSION THEORIZED BY THE MARXIST CRIMINOLOGISTS AS EXISTING IN A CAPITALIST SYSTEM. WHEREAS, THE DEMOCRATIC CHECKS AND BALANCES OPERATING IN AMERICA TO CURB THE EXCESSES OF PRIMITIVE CAPITALISM MORE NEARLY ACHIEVE THE ACCEPTANCE OF PLURALISM AND INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM ENVISIONED BY THE MARXIST CRITICS OF AMERICAN SOCIETY. (RCB)