Crime, Punishment, and the American Dream: Toward a Marxist Integration

Abstract

In their book Crime and the American Dream, Messner and Rosenfeld suggest that the American economy sets up a society conducive to conflict and crime. The authors argue throughout their work that social, educational, and political institutions take a backseat to the economy. When building the theoretical foundation for their argument, however, Messner and Rosenfeld fail to adequately address the contribution of Marxist criminology to their “sociological paradigm.” In the present article, the author attempts to supply that missing link by suggesting that Marxist criminology can explain how social and economic inequalities are a naturally occurring even in the American system of capitalism. Having done so, she then examines how the theoretical foundation constructed in the first part of the article could be applied to address the manner in which punishment is meted out in American society.