2.2.4 Crime and Deviance: Realist theories of crime

Question 1

Right realism

What do Right Realists mean with practical solutions to crime?

(attitudes to other theories and how we should deal with crime)

Answer 1

Believe that labelling theory and critical criminology are too lenient to criminals, so believe the best way to solve crime is though control and punishment, rather then rehabilitating offenders, or tackling causes such as poverty.

Question 2

Right realism

What do right realists believe are the three causes of crime?

Answer 2

• Biological differences.
• Inadequate socialisation and the underclass.
• Rational choice to offend.

Question 3

Right realism

What is Wilson and Herrnstein’s theory that crime is caused by biological differences?

Answer 3

• Biological differences between individuals make certain people innately predisposed to commit crime due to personality traits such as aggressiveness, risk-taking, or low intellegence, which are seen as biologically determined.

Question 4

Right realism

What does Murray argue about inadequate socialisation leading to crime?

(3 main points)

Answer 4

• Effective socialisation reduces the risk of offending and the nuclear family is the best for socialisation.
• The nuclear family is being undermined by the welfare state.
• lone parent families are unable to socialise their children due to absent fathers meaning children lack discipline - turn to delinquent subcultures.

Question 5

Right realism

What is Clarke’s rational choice theory?

Answer 5

• assumes that individuals have free will.
• Committing crime is a rational choice based on if the percieved reward is greater than the risk.

Question 6

Right realism

What are right realists solutions to crime?

(2 key terms)

Answer 6

• Believe it is hard to tackle biological and socialisation differences so focus on control and punishment.
• Advocate for a ‘zero tolerance policy’ where police control the streets.
• Crime prevention should focus on **‘target hardening’ **to reduce rewards of crime and increase costs - tackle rational choice.

Question 7

Right realism

What is Wilson and Kelling’s broken windows theory?

Answer 7

• Argue that we should keep neighbourhoods orderly to prevent crime taking hold.
• E.g fixing windows, removing graffiti, littering, drunks.
• Combat rational choice because visable signs of crime suggest that the risks are low.

Question 8

Right realism

What are the main criticisms of right realism’s view on crime?

(4)

Answer 8

• Contradiction between biological and socialisation explanations and rational choice - how can criminals be freely choosing crime, whilst their behaviour is determined by biology and socialisation?
• Zero tolerance policy allows police discrimination.
• Ignores structural causes of crime, such as poverty.
• Focuses on street crime, ignoring corportate crime.

Question 9

Left realism

What are the three causes of crime Lea and Young identify?

Answer 9

1. Relative deprivation
2. Subculture
3. Marginalisation

Question 10

Left realism

How does Relative deprivation cause crime?

Answer 10

• Crime has its roots in how deprived people feel in relation to others.
• When people feel that others unfairly have more, they may resort to crime to obtain what they feel entitled to.
• There is a growing contrast between cultural inclusion and economic exclusion as even the poor have access to the media’s materialistic messages but not the opportunities to achieve.

Question 11

Left realism

How to subcultures cause crime?

Answer 11

• Left realists see subcultures as solutions for relative deprivation.
• Some subcultures provide refuge and solutions that don’t involve crime.
• Criminal subcultures provide means to achieve goals through crime.

Question 12

Left realism

How does marginalisation cause crime?

(left realists focus this on youths)

Answer 12

• unemployed youth are marginalised as they have no-one to represent them and no clear goals, just a sense of powerlessness that they express through crime.

Question 13

Left realism

What patterns has Young noticed about crime in late modern society (3) and what does he think has caused this (2)?

Answer 13

• Crime is found throughout all classes.
• There is now ‘relative deprivation downwards’ - hatred towards asylum seekers and unemployed.
• Less consensus about what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour.
• Caused by harsher welfare policies and destabilisation of family life.

Question 14

Left realism

What are the two policies that left realists give as a solution to crime?

Answer 14

• Democratic policing
• Reducing inequality

Question 15

Left realism

What is democratic policing? By Lea and Young

Answer 15

• LR’s argue that police rely on the public for information, but they are losing support, so must resort to swamping areas.
• To win back public support the police must become more accountable to local communities by involving them in policies and priorities.

Question 16

Left realism

How do left realists believe that reducing inequality will lead to a reduction in crime?

Answer 16

• They believe that social inequality is the main cause for crime.
• Major structural changes to tackle discrimination, inequality of opportunities and unfairness of rewards, and proving jobs and housing is the solution.

Question 17

Left realism

What are the main criticisms of left realists?

Answer 17

• Marxists argue they are naive in thinking the police will be taken accountable as they are a key part of the repressive state.
• Ignores crimes of the powerful.
• Over-predicts working class crime as not everyone who experiences relative deprivation will resort to crime.