How Would Marx and Engels and Veblen Explain our Reliance on Incarceration in Society? (Essay Sample)

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How would Marx and Engels and Veblen Explain our Reliance on Incarceration in Society?
Indeed, the ideologies expressed by Karl Marx in his Marxist Criminology theory can explain why the contemporary society really depends on incarceration. According to this theory, Marx held the view that the society is divided into two main classes: the bourgeoisies (capital owners) and the proletariat (labor providers). As capital owners, the bourgeoisies are the rich people in the society who are more privileged to control the means of production (Marx and Engels 23). On the other hand, the proletariats are the poor people who basically own nothing rather than their labor. Marx believed that the existence of these social classes naturally cause conflicts because each class accuses the other of attempting to subdue them.
The theory can help in explaining that the modern society cannot do without incarceration because it has become an important tool for the bourgeoisies. There has been an increase in the number of in mates in the recent past because of the high rate of criminal activities in the country. Marx’s ideas can be used to explain why many people are resorting to crime. As explained in his theory, Marx says that the underprivileged in the society have to engage in social revolution to advocate for their rights (Cullen and Jonson 19). Since there is no mechanism, the disillusioned proletariats have to participate in unorganized crime. This justifies why it is the poor and less educated blacks and Hispanics who commit more criminal offenses than their privileged white counterparts.
Marxism also presents a candid explanation on the reasons why laws exist. Karl Marx says that laws must exist because they are used by the bourgeoisies as an important tool for asserting their dominance and control over the less privileged proletariats. The ruling class believes that f they put in place strong laws, they can manage to maintain their status. The ideology applies to the contemporary society in which the judicial system is put in place to create order in the society (Veblen 64). However, as Marx found out, the current judicial system is not uniform, but skewed towards serving the interest f the rich classes. This is the reason why the underprivileged classes account for as large percentage of the incarcerated individuals, not because they are prone to crime, but because of the application of classism in the country’s legal system.
The ideas of Fredrich Engels can also be relied upon to shed more light on the current status of incarceration in the society. In his view, Egels was convinced that classism is a reality in the society. Just like Marx, Engels believed that the society is divided into social strata with the advantaged occupying the topmost stratum. So, instead of showing concern and care for the less privileged, the rich use their position to oppress them in the pursuit for more wealth. This in turn infuriates the poor class who then rebel (Marx and Engels 23).
Marx’s ideas can be used to explain why many people are resorting to crime. As explained in his theory, Marx says that the underprivileged in the society have to engage in social revolution to advocate for their rights. Since there is no mechanism, the disillusioned proletariats have to participate in unorganized crime because it is the only platform through which their plights can be expressed. However, instead of heeding to their demands, the rich class uses laws to frustrate the proletariat (Travis and Western 37). Since the laws are made to protect the interest of the rich, it can be manipulated against the underprivileged classes. This justifies why it is the poor and less educated blacks and Hispanics who are mostly incarcerated. The judicial system is quite discriminative and looks down upon the vulnerable proletariat who can be unfairly jailed even if they do not engage in serious criminal activities.
Thorstein Veblem’s theory of leisure class can be an invaluable resource in explaining the current state of incarceration in the society. Just like Marx and Angels, Veblem believed in the idea of classism. He knew so well that the society is segmented into different strata based on wealth and privilege (Mills 54). Even though everyone wants to be at the top, it might not be possible to do so because there must be the poor and the rich.
The love for the topmost stratum that is associated with comfort and leisure can compel individuals to enga...