CRIME AND DEVIANCE - Right Realism Flashcards
What do Right Realists want,m in regards to Controlling Crime? HINT: There are 4 Bullet points here!
- They sought practical crime control measures = They worry less about finding the causes of crime but they concentrated on controlling crime → This is a CONTROL theory!
- They want to solve crime, but they do not want to focus on the causes of crime!
- ‘Get Tough on Crime’ (and Immigration too)!
- They believe that Left-Realists and Labelling Theorists are too sympathetic to criminals and they excuse criminal behaviour with reference to labelling and inequality or poverty → However, in reality, not everyone who lives in deprivation / deprived areas commits crime!
TRUE OR FALSE: Right Realism is a CONTROL theory!
TRUE!
What are the 3 Causes of Crime that Right Realists identify?
- Biological Differences
- Underclass / Faulty Socialisation
- Rational Choice Theory
(BIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES) Describe what Right Realists mean by ‘Biological Differences’!
If you are ‘stupid’ and have a ‘lower IQ’, you are more likely to be a criminal and be more aggressive!
Lombroso = He measured the forehead size of Italian prisoners and other prisoners; if you have a smaller forehead, this means that you have a smaller brain.
(BIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES) What do Herrnstein and Murray say about the Biological Determinations of Crime being a Main Cause of Crime? HINT: Low IQ!
They argue that the main cause of crime is low intelligence (this they argue is biologically determined).!
(BIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES) What do Herrnstein and Wilson say about the Biological Determinations of Crime being a Main Cause of Crime? HINT: Bioscial theory!
They use a biosocial theory - They say that crime is caused by a combination of biological and social factors!
They say that some people are more likely to commit crime than others –> They get this from personality traits like extroversion and aggressiveness, which makes them risk-takers without self-control who act on impulse → They believe that the may cause of crime is low intelligence, which then commits them to commit crime.
(UNDERCLASS / FAULTY SOCIALISATION) Describe what Right Realists mean by ‘Underclass / Faulty Socialisation’!
This links to ‘Charles Murray’ - They do not have the same values, they come from single-parent families, they don’t have a strong education, they rely on the welfare state! This means they commit more crime!
(UNDERCLASS / FAULTY SOCIALISATION) Explain how this links to Charles Murray and the New Right! HINT: ‘Welfare dependency’ and not knowing self-control or any norms and values!
Faulty socialisation means that kids do not learn self-control and do not internalise moral values of right and wrong (they remain feral children)
MURRAY - The New Right = The argument that misguided generous welfare benefits have created a ‘new rabble’ or underclass and a mass of single parent families which create / spawned delinquents. The underclass live in a different world to respectable people, their lifestyles characterised by deplorable and reckless and feckless behaviour.
(RATIONAL CHOICE THEORY) Describe what Right Realists mean by ‘Rational Choice Theory’!
Everyone has a choice and we choose whether or not to commit crime; we have to choose between risk and reward. By increasing police intervention and law enforcement, increasing sentencing and putting up CCTV, this increases the risk - RAMPS UP THE PRESSURE - (Felson)!
(RATIONAL CHOICE THEORY) Explain how this links to Right Realism and to Fenton and the ideas of Deterrents!
- Most crime is not planned; it is opportunistic!
- The criminal is seen as essentially rational = Crime is committed when the chances are highest of getting the maximum reward with the minimum risk!
- If you can get away with it, crime will rise - LACK OF PUNISHMENT!
- If crime is more profitable than taking a job then, crime rises - PROFIT!
It’s a form of “cost / benefit” analysis i.e. constantly weighing up the costs and benefits of any action!
Right realists argue that the perceived costs of crime are low – that is why the crime rate has increased. There is too little chance of being caught, and when they are caught they are treated leniently!
FELSON - Deterrent = He argues that the presence of ‘capable guardians’ like policemen, teachers, CCTV, neighbours / ‘neighbourhood watch’ deter crime because they tip the cost-benefit analysis of crime in favour of not offending
What are the Prevent and Punish Practical Solutions, in regards to Right Realism? HINT: There are 7 Examples here!
- Proactive policing – Regulation/Zero-Tolerance = More regulation and more ‘capable guardians’
- Broken Windows Policy - Wilson and Kelling
- Strong Communities – Naming and shaming
- Target Hardening
- Situation Management/Defensible space
- Crime Deterrence
- Swift and lengthy imprisonment for those who won’t obey the laws
Explain what Wilson and Kelling meant by the ‘Broken Windows Policy’! HINT: Cleaning up graffiti in order to prevent crime!
Zero-tolerance in an area in New York; every time there was a sign of anti-social behaviour, the council would go in and sort it out, such as immediately cleaning graffiti. This meant that people in the community would look after their property more; people spent more time out with their neighbours and helped to look after their property (following in the steps of the council)! More people were on the streets (more ‘capable guardians’) = If you go zero tolerance on crime, it reduces crime; it gets rid of the smallest bit of crime to stop major crimes from being committed (stops the crimes from continuing - takes away the rational choice and means people no longer what to do it)!
What are the Criticisms and the Evaluating Points for Right Realism? HINT: There are around 6 Bullet Points here!
Criticised for both explanation of crime and for its solutions:
- Right-Realists ignores wider structural causes, such as poverty
- Overstates the rationality of offenders (assumes people are making wise choices, but how do we know?). Cost/benefit may apply to utilitarian crime, but what about violent crime?
- Rational choice conflicts with biological factors / paradox! (Lilly – IQ differences account for less than 3% of differences in offending!)
- Ignores corporate crime / cryptocurrency - You need to have a high IQ to do this, so biological factors don’t come into effect!
- Zero tolerance may give the police free rein to discriminate (Typification - Cicourel). It can displace crimes to other areas
- Over-emphasis of control rather than tacking causes of neighbourhood decline
Putting the police on streets = A vote winner for elections (visible sign of ‘zero-tolerance’)!
OVERALL = You probably need a bit of both → There are structural problems in society, but some people do just choose!
