Crime-reduction prevention and policy-making Flashcards
1980s conservative crime policy
James Q Wilson (Right Realism)
Margaret Thatcher’s conservative government in power during 1980s and its approach to reducing crime was influenced by “the new right”, in particular “right realist” criminology.
James W Wilson was popular due to it being ‘no-nonsense’:
- existing theories on criminals are too soft on them.
- too many excuses made for criminal behaviour, preventing individuals from taking responsibility.
- Wilson thinks it important to understand the main causes of crime before tackling crime itself.
Causes of crime
BIOLOGY - men more aggressive and exposed to violence - biology must not be considered an excuse for crime, it is their duty to control temper etc.
POOR SOCIAL CONTROL - Travis Hirschi - people who lack strong bonds to society have less moral conscience, people seek “immediate gratification” often making people selfish explaing them committing crime.
OVERLY GENEROUS GOVERNMENT WELFARE - Charles Murray - we are too tolerant of people who break social norms and values - lazy people who cant be bothered to get a job who breed the “underclass” are the cause of crime.
How do we tackle crime
Rational choise etc.
right realists consider crime a “rational choice” - the criminal think about pros and cons of the crime before committing it.
“situational crime prevention” strategies, include:
- target hardening - making it harder to commit crime
- cctv cameras etc.
EVAL - crime is not always a “rational choice” - some crimes are committed without much forethought especially due to raw emotions or alcohol and drugs are involved.
Marcus Felson (1998)
explored way right realists views are put into practice with success.
> he uses New York transport as an example where people used the sinks to wash and bath
> to tackle this authorities follow right realist advice in adopting “target hardening” ideas - large basins were replaced with much smaller basins preventing people bathing in them.
EVAL - right realists ignore the root causes of crime - they only look at responding to criminal behaviour not exactly preventing it in the first place.
“target-hardening”
For example:
> anti-climb paint
> burglar alarms installed to houses
> installing gates on drive ways
> electronic access to doors etc.
Surveillance in society
Michael Foucalt (1977)
Michael Foucault - Panopticon principle:
> points out that in the past peoples behaviour was controlled by brutal, physical oppression.
> today less emphasis is put on reacting to crime, and instead more emphasis is place on preventing it - surveillance is a way of achieving this aim.
PANIOPTICON PRINCIPLE:
> draws upon a prison design used in USA - prisoner cells face inwards to look at central guard tower , they can always see tower but not if people are there watching - this acts a “self-surveillance” don’t know so they act cautious incase someone is watching.
EVAL - surveillance doesnt prevent crime - it might only displace the crime to another location where surveillance is not present.
Synoptic surveillance
- rise of social media - allows people to spy on each other on apps - this is “synoptical surveillance”.
- another example is allowing individuals to police each others behaviour includes in car ‘dash cams’ - act as a form of ‘deterrance’ to people committing crime against them.
Feeley and Simon (1994)
argued a new “technology of power” has emerged - whereby the state can monitor whole groups of people in an attempt to cut offending rates.
> airport security scanners, for example gather data on passengers about age, sex, ethnicity etc. to find ‘high-risk’ groups to stop and search them for safety.
> this form of “social sorting” allows state to place whole groups under ‘categorical suspicion’
> this is a preventative crime reduction strategy, but one that be open to abuse
Strengthening informal social control
right realists in the 1980s also put forward advice to the conservative-led government to strengthen informal social controls too.
> this involves encouraging communities to play their part in preventing crime - police cannot fight crime alone.
This is influenced by the “broken windows theory”:
> James Q Wilson with George Kelling, use this concept to highlight the need to tackle even the slightest signs of anti-social behaviour immediately - if it left for somebody else to deal with, little gets done - resulting in further anti-social acts and “spiralling into decay”
> this invites more deviance resulting in places getting a negative reputation.
EVAL - is there hard evidence to show that “broken windows” theory is effective
EVAL - “broken windows” theory is ineffective in preventing certain crimes - it doesn’t tackle serious crimes like murder, rape and terrorism - therefore it is limited.
EVALUATING RIGHT REALISM
EVAL - have right realists helped create a “big brother” society - people are continually watched by cctv therefore little privacy challenging human rights
EVAL - right realist views discredited by modern evidence - rather than looking at biology critics claim they should look at issues like inequality + poverty
EVAL - effectiveness of prison is over-exaggerated - more than 50% of offenders end up back in prison within two years of being released.
New Left Realism
highlights the way that it provides to provide workable, practical solutions to experiences of crime people in working class experience.
