theory on crime

Question 1

control theory

Hirischi - control theory

Answer 1

• states that when individuals bonds in society are weakened, they are more likely to commit crime

Question 2

left realism

what does left realism focus on?

Answer 2

• practical ways of solving rime

Question 3

left realism

what do left realists see as the root cause of crime?

Answer 3

• inequality in a capitalist society

Question 4

left realism

why do left realists say that relative deprivation has increased?

Answer 4

• in modern times, those in extreme poverty now live in cohesion with the rich, increasing the sense of relative deprivation

Question 5

left realism

the square of crime

Answer 5

• made up of four intersectional concepts
  1. the offender (commits a crime)
  2. the victim (decides whether to report a crime or not)
  3. the public (react to crime in different ways)
  4. state agencies (decide if an act is a crime and how to punish/enforce it)

Question 6

left realism

what do left realist approaches to crime emphasize?

Answer 6

• social and community crime prevention strategies

Question 7

left realism

what are the two broad approaches left realists take to reduce crime?

Answer 7

1. intervention
2. community based approaches

Question 8

left realism

what do left realist intervention strategies to reduce crime involve?

Answer 8

• involves the process of identifying the groups at risk of committing crime and taking action to limit offending

Question 9

left realism

what do left realist community based approaches to reduce crime involve?

Answer 9

• involves the local community working together to combat crime

Question 10

left realism

what do left realists stae about the police?

Answer 10

• the police should concentrate on improving their relationship with the public
• public should have more say in shaping police policy

Question 11

right realism

what are right realists concerned with?

Answer 11

• controlling and preventing criminal behaviour to protect individual freedoms

Question 12

right realism

what do right realists favour?

Answer 12

• harsh punishments
• zero tolerance policing
• penal populism

Question 13

right realism

how is right realism a form of control theory?

Answer 13

• right realists stress adherence to moral values and the idea that criminality is socially unacceptable

Question 14

right realism

how do right realists say socialisation links to criminality?

Answer 14

• effective socialisation reduces the chance of an individual offending by teaching them self control and correct values

Question 15

right realism

what do right realists see as the best agency of socialisation and how does this link to Murray’s ideas?

Answer 15

• the nuclear family is the best agency of socialisation
• Murray says that the nuclear family is being undermined by welfare dependency nd creating an ‘underclass’ who fail to socialise their children properly

Question 16

right realism

situational crime prevention

Answer 16

• policies which aim to reduce opportunities for crime by increasing risks or difficulty
• this includes target hardening

Question 17

right realism

what is situational crime prevention based on?

Answer 17

• rational choice theory

Question 18

right realism

rational choice theory

Answer 18

• idea that individuals make the rational and concious choice to commit a crime

Question 19

right realism

how does rational choice theory link to situational crime prevention?

Answer 19

• if a target is hardened and the risks of crime are higher, rational choice theory means that potential offenders should be deterred from committing the crime as the risks will outweigh the reward

Question 20

right realism

what are some examples of situational crime prevention?

Answer 20

• gated communities
• anti-theft devices
• cctv
• security shutters on shops

Question 21

right realism

right realist views on the police

Answer 21

• zero tolerance policing
• police should maintain a strong presence

Question 22

phenomenology