3.1 perspectives on crime and deviance - left and right realism Flashcards
How do right realists view crime?
- as a real problem that is destroying communities and social cohesion
- they offer both explanations and practical solutions to crime
- crime will always exist, we just need to limit the impact on victims
What are the three causes of crime, according to right realists?
- biological differences
- inadequate socialisation
- rational choice theory
Who argued that biological differences are the cause of crime?
- Wilson and Hernstein (1985)
What is meant by biological differences being a cause of crime?
- crime is caused by a mixture of biological and social factors
- some people are more predisposed to committing crime than others e.g. certain hormones and personality traits can lead to more aggression, impulsivity and risk taking
- one of the main causes of crime in low intelligence
Who argues that inadequate socialisation is the cause of crime?
Murray (1990)
What is meant by inadequate socialisation?
- children who are socialised inadequately have a higher risk of becoming offenders
- crime is increasing because of a growing underclass
- the welfare system is a huge factor in creating more of an ‘underclass’
- lone parents don’t socialise adequately
Who argues that rational choice theory is the cause of crime?
Clarke (1980)
What is meant by rational choice theory as a cause of crime?
- a theory that states everyone has free will and the power of reason
- the decision to commit crime is due to a choice based on a rational calculation of the consequences
- if it is perceived the rewards outweigh the costs, then someone may turn to crime
How do right realists think we should tackle crime?
- crime prevention policies should reduce the rewards and increase the cost of committing crime, for example - the greater use of prison
What is meant by zero tolerance?
- first introduced in New York in 1994 and was widely applauded for reducing crime in the city
- took a harsher, no tolerance view to crime and stepped up their game
What does Young (2011) argue about zero tolerance?
- falling crime was a myth created by politicians
What is meant by target hardening?
- making it more difficult for certain crimes to be committed
e.g CCTV, labelling goods which may be stolen
What is the broken windows theory?
- proposed by James Q
- Wilson and George Kelling (1982) = used broken windows as a metaphor for disorder within neighbourhoods and incivility within a community to subsequent occurrences of serious crime
What are some strengths of right realism?
- it addresses the immediate causes of crime
- provides practical approaches to dealing with crime
- it recognises the importance of community control and community responses
What are some weaknesses of right realism?
- ignores wider structural causes e.g. poverty
- overstates offenders’ rationality and how far they make cost-benefit calculations before committing a crime - it may explain utilitarian crime but not violent crime
- it contradicts itself
- doesn’t pay attention to white collar crime or corporate crime
- strategies just displace crime to other areas
What do left realists argue about crime?
- crime can be solved through social policy rather than revolution
- crime needs practical solutions
- the high crime rate has led to an aetiological crisis (a crisis in explanation)
What are the three causes of crime according to left realists?
- relative deprivation
- subcultures
- marginialisation
What is meant by relative deprivation?
- the feeling of resentment is more important than the actual poverty
- poverty will only cause crime if people feel deprived in relation to each other
- the media and advertising plays a big part in this
- creates a bulimic society
What is meant by marginalisation?
- marginalised groups are prone to use violence and rioting to express their frustration because they lack other outlets
- marginalised groups include lower social classes and ethnic minorities
What is meant by subcultures?
- the lifestyle chosen by some to solve their problems of living in a capitalist society often emphasise antagonism towards the police and authority in general
- different groups may produce different subcultural solutions to the problem
What does Young argue about late modernity, exclusion and crime?
- since the 70s, deindustrialisation has resulted in more poverty especially for young and ethnic minority groups
- there is cultural inclusion, which the media promotes BUT there is also economic exclusion, where the poor are excluded from these opportunities
What do Lea and Young argue about policing?
- there are a number of problems with policing: public confidence in the police has declined; the police resort to new policing methods
What is meant by consensus policing?
- a policing style which involves community input and support for the police
What is meant by military policing?
- a policing style which is primarily policing without the consent, and with the hostility of the community
What are the structural causes Young argues that we must address?
- inequality of opportunity
- discrimination
- decent jobs for all
- improved housing and community facilities
- be more tolerant of diversity to stop stereotyping
What are the strengths of left realism?
- left realism draws attention to the reality of street crime and its effects, especially on victims from deprived groups
What are some weaknesses of left realism?
- it accepts the authorities’ definition of crime as being the street crimes of the poor + ignores the harms done to the poor by the powerful
- over-predicts the amount of WC crime - not everyone who experiences relative deprivation will go on to commit crime
- focusing on high crime inner city areas makes crime appear a greater problem than it is
