realist theories Flashcards
(15 cards)
Right Realism
James Wilson. 0 tolerance. Shares the same ideas of the new rights. Crime is a real problem destroying communities and theareting societies work ethic. Concerned about the growing number of people on benefits & want people to take responsibility for their on lives. Welfare dependency has contributed to the growing crime rate. The best way to reduce crime is through control & punishment
Biosocial theory
Wilson and Hernstein
right realism
introduced a biosocial theory of crime, arguing that crime is a result of biological (young men more aggressive biologically makes them more likely to commit crime) and social factors (inadequate socialisation). Argue some people are born with the potential to become criminal, if they are inadequately socialised (their parents did not teach them right from wrong or did not punish bad behavior), they are more likely to commit crime.
The underclass
Charles Murray
Crime rises as the underclass benefits from deviant behavior and fails to properly socialize children.
Welfare dependency leads to more single-parent families, reducing men’s responsibility to work and support families.
Boys raised without father figures are poorly socialized, often turning to criminal role models for status.
The underclass undermines societal values of hard work and personal responsibility.
Solution: Drastically reduce welfare benefits to encourage personal responsibility.
Rational choice theory
right realism
Roy Clarke
Individuals have free will they make a rational choice whether or not to commit crime. Roy Clarke argues that an individual’s decision to commit crime is a choice based on a rational calculation of the likely consequences. If the rewards (money and status) outweigh the costs (being arrested or sent to prison), people are more likely to commit crime. Right realists argue that the crime rate is high because the rewards are greater than the const of committing crime. So, in order to reduce crime, the const need to be greater than the rewards (longer prison sentence)
tackling crime and crime prevention policies right realism
right realism
Tackling crime- Main focus on control, prevention and punishment of offenders, rather than tackling the causes of crime (poverty).
Crime prevention policies- Aim to reduce the rewards and increase the costs of crime to the offender. Like:
-Target hardening: reducing the opportunities to commit crime such as increased security
-Punishments: greater use of prison and ensuring that punishments follow soon after the offence
to decrease the chance of re-offending.
-CCTV: increases the costs of getting caught
The ‘Broken Windows’ theory
Wilson and Kelling
right realism
It is essential to maintain communities and clamp down on all petty crime and disorder like keep drunkens off the street, in order to prevent crime from taking hold. Any sign of deterioration, such as graffiti or vandalism, must be dealt with immediately. Wilson and Kelling argue that if one window is broken and goes unfixed, soon all of the windows will be broken, thus crime increases if it is allowed to happen.
A ‘zero tolerance’ policy to street crime like begging, drunkenness is needed. The role of the police should be
to focus on controlling the streets, so that law-abiding citizens feel safe.
Criticisms of right realisms
-Right realists argue that criminals are rational individuals choosing whether or not to commit
crime but this goes against their view that criminal behaviour is a result of biology and socialisation.
-Focus on petty street crime, ignoring other types of crime which are equally or even more harmful such as domestic violence and corporate crime.
-Zero tolerance policy policing can lead to movement of crime to other areas
-Over-emphasises control of disorder, rather than tackling the underlying causes of neighbourhood decline such as lack of investment.
Left realism
Developed in 1980s. Jock Young. Crete practical solutions to the growing crime rate. Influence of right realism to right realism which he argued failed to understand the real cause of crime. Crime is a real problem & practical strategies need to be introduced in order to tackle crime. More crime are being committed & being reported by victims, Victim survey show disadavantaged groups more likely to be victims (burglaries, street crime) giving them greater fear of crime big effect on there life
Relative deprivation
left realism
People feel disadvantaged compared to others. May lack status, employment & income. feeling of unfairness & resentment can lead to crime
Lea & Young- Paradox in society people are better off but there is more crime in society
-Media & advertisment fuel people’s feelings of relative deprivation. People exposed to material goods on TV magizines. Makes people want more those who cant afford it turn to crime
-crime due to relative deprivation & individualism (concern with your on interests not others leads to a breakdown in the informal controls of the family & community which are based on mutual support & selflessness)
Subcultures
left realism
a groups collective solution to relative deprivation
criminal subculture share the same vales & goals to mainstream society (materialism consumerism)
Young- Ghettos in the USA where people peruse the american dream.
Marginalisation
left realism
Groups on the margins of society (unemployed young people) have no clear goals or organisations to represent their interests. They feel a sence of resentment & frustration express this through crime such as violence and rioting
Late modern society excision and crime
left realism
Late Modern Society: Young argues that increased insecurity and exclusion characterize our society.
De-Industrialization: Loss of unskilled jobs has led to high unemployment and poverty, especially among youth and ethnic minorities.
Media Influence: Media exposes everyone, including the poor, to materialistic values, but economic exclusion intensifies feelings of deprivation.
Changing Views on Crime: Less societal agreement on right vs. wrong, with blurred lines between acceptable and unacceptable behavior.
Weakened Informal Control: Family ties and community control are weakening, leading to public demands for stricter state control due to rising crime rates.
policies & control
left realism
Democratic Control of Policing: Kinsey, Lea, and Young (1986) argue that the public should help set policing priorities and styles locally.
Public Involvement: 90% of crime reports come from the public, so police rely heavily on public support.
Loss of Trust: Police face declining support, especially in inner-city areas among young people and ethnic minorities.
Military Policing: Due to lack of information from communities, police rely on tactics like stop-and-search, which can strain relationships.
Solution: Police need to rebuild public trust by engaging with and listening to the community.
A-multi-agency approach: Crime control cannot be left to the police alone. it needs to involve agencies such as local councils, social services, housing department, school & leisure services as well as voluntary organisation’s an the public
Tackling the structural causes
left realism
Improving policing is not the main solution. Cause of crime due to unequal structure of capitalism society & major structural changes are needed to reduce crime. For example, ensure equal opportunities for all providing decent jobs for everyone and improving housing
Criticisms
left realism
-Focuses on street & WC crimes ignoring middle & upper class crimes such as cop-rate crime
-The view that relative depravation, individualism and economic inequality leads to crime is an over- prediction. Not everyone who feels relative deprivation turns to crime
-Give an unrepresentative view of crime as they focus on street crimes in inner- city areas which makes crime appear a greater problem than what it is
-Rely on victim survey which lack validity as they only include the crimes reported to the police many are not.
