TOWARD A POLITICAL ECONOMY OF CRIME.

In attempting to develop a Marxist theory of crime and criminal law we are handicapped by the fact that Karl Marx did not devote himself very systematically to such a task. There are nonetheless, several places in his analysis of capitalism where Marx did direct his attention to criminality and law. Furthermore, the logic of the Marxian theory makes it possible to extrapolate from the theory to an analysis of crime and criminal law in ways that are extremely useful. Thus, in what follows the author will be focusing on the implications of the Marxist paradigm as well as relying heavily on those Marxist writings that directly addressed these issues. As with the general Marxist theory, the starting point for the understanding of society is the realization that the most fundamental feature of people lives is their relationship to the mode of production. The mode of production consists of both the means of production and the relationship of different classes to the means of production-whether they own them or work for those who do. Since ultimately, the only source of an economic surplus is that amount of goods which is produced beyond what the worker consumes, then the distinction between those who own and those who work for others is crucial to understanding the control of the surplus in the society.