1.4 REALIST THEORIES OF CRIME

Question 1

What do left realists criticise Marxists for?

Answer 1

Suggesting that the only way to tackle crime is to abolish capitalism

Question 2

According to left realists, how can crime be tackled?

Answer 2

Reforming capitalism rather than replacing it

Question 3

Why do left realists make extensive use of local victim surveys?

Answer 3

To find out in detail how crime affects the lives of those who live and work in high crime areas

Question 4

Give examples of some crimes that left realists argue have too much attention and resources devoted to them.

Answer 4

Soliciting by prostitutes, underage drinking and drug use

Question 5

Why are official crime statistics invalid, according to some sociologists?

Answer 5

They are socially constructed

Question 6

What are the three key concepts which the sociologists Lea and Young base their attempt to explain crime around?

Answer 6

Relative deprivation, subculture and marginalisation

Question 7

What do the sociologists Lea and Young argue that rising crime is partly the result of?

Answer 7

A rise in people’s expectations with regard to what they think they are entitled to consume

Question 8

Why are the feelings of relative deprivation that emerge from economic exclusion made worse?

Answer 8

Because of the proximity of different social groups

Question 9

What does marginalisation involve?

Answer 9

Marginalisation involves being pushed to the fringes of society. It tends to mean that people or groups lack power and influence. They may feel that they lack a central role or full involvement in the mainstream life of society.

Question 10

According to Lea and Young, what is the underlying cause of relative deprivation, subculture formation and marginalisation?

Answer 10

Inequality

Question 11

How can ‘the square of crime’ be used to understand and explain crime?

Answer 11

According to Roger Matthews (1993), crime can only be understood in terms of the interaction between four elements: the state, the offender, informal social control and the victim. The square of crime acknowledges that crime is produced through the interaction between what offenders do and the social reaction to their behaviour.

Question 12

What does the square of crime acknowledge?

Answer 12

That crime is produced through the interaction between what offenders do and the social reaction to their behaviour

Question 13

Explain why many crimes cannot take place without victims.

Answer 13

Victims are often crucial in determining whether an act is defined as a crime or not. Victims will often be the ones who initially define whether an action is illegal and violent or not and decide whether it should be reported. For example, crimes such as domestic violence and sexual crimes are usually reported by the victims.

Question 14

How do the different elements of the square of crime interact with one another?

Answer 14

For example, informal attitudes and police policies towards domestic violence and sexual crimes play an important part in influencing whether victims decide to report the crime or not. This is hugely important as the risks of being caught if there is increased reporting may deter potential offenders.

Question 15

Outline two criticisms of left realism.

Answer 15

Hughes (1991) argues that it fails to explain the causes of street crime. Left realists have not gathered empirical data about offenders’ motives and the theory, therefore, lacks direct evidence about the reasons for committing a crime.

Question 16

Outline two strengths of left realism.

Answer 16

Hughes argues that the concept of relative deprivation is useful in understanding why crime can increase despite rising living standards. Hughes also believes that left realists have provided some useful suggestions for improving policing and, in doing so, have contributed to making the criminal justice system fairer and more effective.

Question 17

What do right realists focus on?

Answer 17

Right realists generally reject the idea that crime can be explained in terms of structural causes, such as increasing inequality, and instead focus more on the individual offender’s role and the role of law enforcement agencies in preventing and deterring crime. However, they do take some account of informal social control as well.

Question 18

According to Wilson, why were formal controls failing to combat crime?

Answer 18

The police were solving too few crimes and the law and its punishments were too weak

Question 19

According to Wilson and Kelling (1982), why do the police play an important role in maintaining informal social controls?

Answer 19

The police can play an important role in doing this by clamping down on the first signs of undesirable behaviour in a neighbourhood. This means that those who do abide by the law feel safe enough to spend time in public places and consequently they can monitor the behaviour of others and put informal pressure on them to conform.

Question 20

Why do Wilson and Kelling argue that the police should concentrate on areas that are just beginning to deteriorate and exercise a policy of zero tolerance?

Answer 20

Rather than concentrating solely on the more serious offences, they should deal with all minor offences as well because leave them unpunished is to risk a rapidly deteriorating situation where offenders feel they can get away with bad behaviour with impunity.

Question 21

What do zero-tolerance policies involve?

Answer 21

Zero-tolerance policies involve removing discretion from police to deal flexibly with minor offences (for example, through informal warnings). Zero-tolerance policies are adopted, the letter of the law is followed rigorously so that potential offenders are left in no doubt about the possible consequences of any offending.

Question 22

According to Lawrence Cohen and Matthew Felson (1979) and their routine activities theory, what were the three conditions crime needed to take place?

Answer 22

• Individuals who were motivated to offend.
• The availability of opportunity and targets
• The lack of capable guardians

Question 23

According to Lawrenece Cohen and Matthew Felson (1979) and their routine activities theory, when was crime likely to occur?

Answer 23

If individuals motivated to commit crimes encountered easy opportunities to commit a crime in the course of their routine activities in their everyday lives, then the crime was likely to occur.

Question 24

Explain why, according to the view of Cohen and Felson, why changes in the USA led to the growth of crime.

Answer 24

More people motivated to offend were spending more time in public places, where there were more targets and fewer capable guardians. Because potential offending and victims were more often together at the same time, and place, there was an increasing likelihood of crime occurring.

Question 25

According to Murray, why has the underclass grown both in the USA and UK?

Answer 25

Increase in single parenthood - over-generous welfare systems

Question 26

When were ASBOs (anti-social behaviour orders) first introduced in the UK?

Answer 26

1999