Question
Police Serve the Interests of Capitalism
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Subject | Law and governance | Pages | 2 | Style | APA |
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Answer
Police Serve the Interests of Capitalism
Marxism describes an economic, political, and social philosophy posted by Karl Marx. This perspective evaluates the effects of capitalism on economic development, labor, productivity and social order. The Marxist perspective argues that capitalism is characterized by unequal and exploitative relationships between the ruling minority (bourgeoisies/ capitalist class) and the powerless majority also the proletariat or the working class (Bittle et al. 2018). The capitalists use their power to influence policies thus the legal system including the courts, judges, lawyers, and the police tend to serve their interests at the expense of the proletariats. Guided by this understanding, this essay supports the Marxists perspective that the police in capitalist societies serve the interests of the capitalists.
Karl Marx insists that capitalism is criminogenic. This statement implies that crime is an unavoidable element of capitalism since its very nature creates opportunities for crime. Thompson (2016) illustrates four instances of crime instigated by capitalism. First, crime could be motivated by the inherent class inequalities arising from distribution of capital, income and wealth. On the other hand, the inequality causes poverty among the majority which enriching the capitalists. These inequalities encourage diverse forms of crime ranging from working-class or corporate crimes and other petty crimes. Mostly, the rich involved in economic crimes can easily buy their way by compromising the police while the poor are subject the harsh jail terms. Second, capitalism ideologies encourage competition which ultimately leads to criminal behavior as other people seek unfair means to outdo their rivals. The ultimate outcome of this system is individuals who are self-seeking, greedy, and materialistic. The capitalism system creates an environment of greed where people prioritize selfish interests. The police could therefore be vulnerable to corrupt dealings in favor of the rich.
Third, Bittle et al. (2018) explain that capitalism encourages hierarchies and inequalities where the people with money and capital are favored over the poor. For this reason, the police are likely to respect and serve the wealthy at the expense of the poor. Fourth, it is certain that capitalism would encourage crime since its very nature encourages power struggles in all spheres. The rich therefore express their power by having influence over every sphere of the economy, social, and justice/ judicial systems. For this reason, the legal system as well as the police are made to willingly or forcefully work for the rich. Another interesting insight is that apart from capitalism being criminogenic, it encourages all the social classes to commit crime. This statement explains why the police are likely to engage in selective law enforcement in exchange for financial returns.
Another significant reason why the police serve the capitalists is that the latter make the laws in their favor. Bittle et al. (2018) argue that the capitalists either make or influence the legislative processes in a process known as social control of law and crime. The interest of the capitalists is to maintain their legitimacy and class inequality. As a result, they design laws that protect their priorities such as profits, private property, and wealth. In such a case, they pass laws that ensure the police protect their wealth and interests. In addition to this explanation on social control, laws are designed in a manner that when the rich commit crimes, they are treated as civil offences rather than criminal offences. The primary goal is to protect the capitalists. An example is when the proletariats engage in social security fraud, they are labelled as criminals, prosecuted, and imprisoned while the capitalist tax fraudsters are rarely arrested by the police or taken to court. It is certain that the rich have an influence on legal and police systems so they capitalize on legal loopholes to gain favors from the police.
Thompson (2016) singles out this point and notes that the legal system practices selective law enforcement and this is the reason why the police are afraid of arresting or prosecuting the rich as it could put them into trouble. In response to the concerns raised by Karl Marx, countries have come up with laws to enforce social inequality and ensure that the capitalists are subjected to the law. However, the enforcement of these laws are often questionable since they are largely violated by the capitalists.
References
Bittle, S., Snider, L., Tombs, S., & Whyte, D. (2018). Revisiting crimes of the powerful: Marxism, crime and deviance. Routledge. Thompson, K. (2016). The Marxist Perspective on Crime. Retrieved from: https://revisesociology.com/2016/06/04/marxist-theory-crime/ |