It parallels the work of the structural functionalism school which focuses on what produces stability and continuity in society but, unlike the functionalists, it adopts a predefined political philosophy.
[3] Marx criticized Hegel for his german idealist view on law that gives "a transcendental sanction to the rules of existing society" and looking upon the criminal as "a free and self-determined being" rather than a "slave of justice" with "multifarious social circumstances pressing upon him".
[4] Thus, this school uses a Marxist lens through which, inter alia, to consider the criminalization process, and by which explain why some acts are defined as deviant whereas others are not.
Hence, whether directly or indirectly, it informs much of the research into social phenomena not only in criminology, but also in semiotics and the other disciplines which explore the structural relationships of power, knowledge, meaning, and positional interests within society.
Marxists are critical of the ideas, values, and norms of capitalist ideology, and characterize the modern state as being under the control of the group that owns the means of production.
[6] These researchers assert that political power is used to reinforce economic inequality by embedding individual property rights in the law and that the resulting poverty is one of the causes of criminal activity as a means of survival.
According to Miethe and Stafford, different roles correlate to risks of victimization, and "structural changes in activity patterns influence crime rates."
According to Charles R. Tittle [de], anomie can be considered one of eight theories or schools that "[imply] a negative association between socioeconomic status and the probability of criminal behavior.
In such research, Marxism tends to focus on societal forces rather than the motives of individuals and their dualistic capacity for both right and wrong, moral and immoral.
By comparison, in the sociology of deviance, Robert K. Merton borrows Durkheim's concept of anomie to form the Strain Theory.
Such correlations as do exist tend to reflect disparities between rich and poor, and features describing the development of the social and economic environment.
[citation needed] Dutch criminologist Willem Bonger believed in a causal link between crime and economic and social conditions.
[14] But once agricultural technology improved and a surplus of food was generated, systems of exchange and barter began offering the opportunity for selfishness.
As capitalism emerged, there were social forces of competition and wealth, resulting in an unequal distribution of resources, avarice and individualism.
[15] His method involved a comprehensive view of the subject incorporating historical, sociological, psychological, and legal factors into the analysis.
[17] Unlike Marxists, however, who propose that capitalism be replaced with socialism, anarchists reject all hierarchical or authoritarian structures of power.