right realism policies Flashcards
(22 cards)
what are the 3 main crime control and punishment policies from right realism?
situational crime prevention (SCP)
environmental crime prevention (ECP)
penal populism and imprisonment
what does SCP aim to do?
reduce opportunities for crime by increasing the risks or difficulties of committing the crime and reducing the rewards
what is SCP based on?
explain the theory
rational choice theory-weighing up risk and reward of crime opportunity
what ‘target hardening’ measures does SCP include?
locking cars
security guards
reshape the environment to ‘design crime out’ of an area
is SCP effective?
a problem is displacement
when criminals find a target that is hard to crack they find a simpler one
e.g commit a crime at a different time and place or choose a different target
this often means vulnerable targets e.g old, poor or disabled being victimised as other targets have been hardened
ECP - what is Wilson and Kelling’s theory called and explain it:
‘broken windows theory’
a disorderly neighbourhood sends out the message that nobody cares which attracts offenders
means law abiding citizens will move out if they can
what is a twofold policy in ECP?
an environmental improvement strategy
a zero tolerance policy strategy
explain environmental improvement strategy:
all signs of disorder must be tackled e.g graffiti removed, broken windows repaired to stop attracting offenders
explain zero tolerance policy strategy:
taking a tough stance towards all crime
police should concentrate on tackling ‘quality of life’ offences e.g aggressive begging, prostitution and vandalism
is zero tolerance policy effective?
crime fell from ZTP in New York in 1990s but it also fell in US cities that did not introduce ZTP
ZTP can lead to targeting ethnic minorities
ZTP and SCP fail to tackle structural causes of crime e.g inequality and only focus on low level street crime
do prisons work (penal populism)?
from the 1990s, government took view that tougher penalties were needed arguing that ‘prisons work’
what 2 functions do prisons have?
incapacitation
deterrence
what is incapacitation?
criminals become unable to harm the public as they are in jail
what is deterrence?
criminals think twice before offending when they see tough punishments handed out
what was Tony Blair’s New Labour Government 1997 promise?
‘tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime’
crime (sentences) act
mandatory minimum sentences:
automatic life sentences for second serious offence
minimum if 7 years for third class A drug trafficking conviction
minimum of 5 years for third domestic burglary conviction
stats of rising number in jails due to penal populism:
45,000 in 1993
83,000 in 2018
England and Wales imprison more of their population than any other western European country
in 2018, 69 suicides, 5 homicides, 44,000 incidents of self harm and 8,400 assaults on staff
is prison effective?
incapacitation
works temporarily but can still commit crime on inmates and staff
is prison effective?
rehabilitation
aim to rehabilitate offenders but due to overcrowding and budget cuts it means prisoners lack access to education, skills or treatment that would help them to be law abiding citizens
is prison effective?
recidivism
+stat
prevents recidivism
48% of adults reconvicted within a year of release
what is recidivism?
the tendency of a convicted criminal to reoffend
is prison effective?
deterrence
meant to deter would-be criminals who make rational choices about offending
risk of imprisonment doesn’t deter offenders enough to affect overall crime rates
