Marxist Theory Of Punishment

After reading the material this week I have learned that there are numerous propositions contained within Marx’s social theory. First, I would like to start out by saying that Marxist theory is an approach to explain social life explicitly. This theory states that there is most certainly a defined structure, as well as a target dynamic that connects various aspects of social life together. For example, the interconnectedness of politics and economics. Marx’s theory mentions that there is a social structure that is derived from a particular mode of production. This mode of production is stated to be economic activity, and how this activity transpires will result in shaping social life (Garland, 1990). Another important proposition is that …show more content…
However, as we see throughout history these punishments become less heinous due to if there was an issue with a labor demand or a labor shortage. There is still a need from the dominate class to make punishment worse than what the underprivileged would have outside of an institution. As the rise of capitalism occurs there are new forms of punishment that emerge. These punishments were less severe in nature due to the realization of potential labor usage. The whole goal was to make unwilling people engage in labor to make them useful to society. As we moved into the more industrial revolution era Rusche and Kircheimer mention that there were reformers in place, and these individuals would not allow these historically heinous punishments to resurface. The reason behind this sudden change was the high level of unemployment, poor individuals which lead to more crime and high prison populations. However, the system did not return to the formerly used brutal punishments. These new punishments had particular economic considerations in mind to benefit the dominant class (Garland, …show more content…
Although numerous researchers have described this potential relationship as indescribable, Chiricos and DeLone show there is a direct link between labor surplus in regards to prison populations. When dealing with this theory, there are a few factors that are in place. First, the actual value of labor, then the need for capitalism, as well as judicial action is all involved. There seemed to be an empirical bond between unemployment and incarceration. When someone committed a crime and they were unemployed, they were more likely to commit crime if released back into the community, therefore a judge did not want to grant other options, they went with incarceration (Chiricos & DeLone,