4. Realist theories of crime Flashcards
Why do right realists criticise other theories
For failing to offer any practical solutions to the problem of rising crime.
- labelling theory and critical criminology are too sympathetic to the criminal
- they are too hostile to the forces of law and order
right realism: the causes of crime- biological differences
- Wilson and Hernstein say crime is caused by a combination of biological and social factors
- biological differences between individuals makes some people innately more strongly predisposed to commit crime than others
- Hernstein and Murray argue that the main cause of crime is low intelligence, which they also see as biologically determined
right realism: the causes of crime- socialisation and the underclass
socialisation:
Effective socialisation decreases the risk of someone offending because they learn self control and morals about right and wrong. Right realists say the nuclear family is the best agency of socialisation
Underclass
Murray says the crime rate is increasing because of a growing underclass which has deviant behaviour and inadequate socialisation of children. The welfare state’s generous revolution allows more people to depend on the state which has increased LPFs and led to decline of marriage. Lone mothers are ineffective socialisation agents and boys lack a male role model. Therefore they gain status through crime rather than a job.
right realism: the causes of crime- rational choice theory
- Clarke: the decision to commit a crime is a choice based on the rational calculation of the consequences. If the perceived rewards outweigh the perceived costs, the individual will be likely to offend.
- Right realists say that the perceived costs are low which is why the crime rate is high. There is little risk of getting caught and punishments are lenient
- Felson’s routine activity theory says that for a crime to occur there must be a motivated offender, a suitable target and the absence of a capable guardian.
criticisms of the causes of crime
- it ignores the wider structural causes eg poverty
- overestimates offenders’ rationality so can’t explain violent crimes
- the idea of free will conflicts with the idea about biology
- overemphasises biological factors: Lily et al found that iq differences only account for 3% of the differences in offending
right realism: tackling crime
right realists seek practical measures to make crime less attractive. their main focus is on control, containment and punishment of offenders. Crime prevention policies should therefore reduce the rewards and increase the costs of crime eg by
target hardening
greater use of prison
ensuring punishments come quickly after the offence to maximise their deterrent effect
zero tolerance policy
Wilson and Kelling’s article ‘Broken Windows’ argues that the orderly character of neighbourhoods should be maintained to prevent crime. Any signs of deterioration should be dealt with immediately. They advocate a zero tolerance policy towards undesirable behaviour where the police should focus on controlling the streets so that law abiding citizens feel safe.
zero tolerance: an urban myth?
Young says the success of the ZTP was a myth because the crime rate in NY had already been falling prior to it. The shortage of crime led police to ‘define deviance up’ aka arrest people for minor deviance that they had
re-labelled as worthy of punishment. Police and politicians then wrongly claimed that cracking down on minor crimes had been the cause of the decline.
other criticisms of ZTP
- it is preoccupied with petty street crime and ignores corporate crime
- it gives the police free rein to discriminate against minorities, youth, homeless etc
- it over-emphasises control of disorder rather than tackling the causes of neighbourhood decline
- ZTP and target hardening just lead to displacement of crime to other areas
left realisms criticisms of other sociologists not taking crime seriously
- marxists concentrate on crimes of the powerful but neglect w/c crime and its effects
- neo marxists romanticise criminals even though they target w/c people
- labelling theorists see w/c criminals as victims of labelling but neglects the real victims- w/c people who suffer at the hands of criminals.
aetiological crisis
- Young argues that the increase in crime has led to an aetiological crisis aka a crisis in explanation for theories of crime. While critical criminology and labelling theory deny that there was an increase in crime and say it was a social construction, left realists say the increase was too big to be explained in this way and that increased reporting was due to there being more victims.
Victim surveys show that the problem is bigger than official stats show, with disadvantaged groups at greater risk of becoming victims and so have a greater fear of crime. They are also less likely to report crime and the police are reluctant to deal with crimes like domestic violence, rape and racist attacks.
left realism: the causes of crime- relative deprivation
- Runciman say this refers to how deprived someone feels in relation to others or compared to their own expectations. This can lead to resention of what others have in pursuit of what they feel they are entitled to.
- Lea and Young: although people are more prosperous, they are more aware of RD due to the media, which raises their expectations for material possessions and if they can’t afford it they resort to crime
- Young: the lethal combo is RD and individualism- a concern with the self and one’s individual rights, rather than those of the group. It causes crime by encouraging the pursuit of self interest at the expense of others.
left realism: the causes of crime- subculture
- left realists say that subcultures are a group’s collective solution to RD.
- different groups produce different sub cultural solutions:
1. Some turn to crime to close the deprivation gap
2. Others turn to religion for spiritual comfort and what Weber calls a theodicy of disprivilege - criminal subcultures still subscribe to the values and goals of mainstream society but they can’t achieve legitimately so they resort to street crime instead
left realism: the causes of crime- marginalisation
- groups like workers have clear goals and organisations to put pressure on employers and politicians. They don’t need violence to achieve their goals
- unemployed youth are marginalised. They have no clear goals and no organisation to represent them so they express their frustration through crime.
Late modernity, exclusion and crime
- Young: insecurity and exclusion have increased.
- Changes like de-industrialisation, loss of unskilled jobs and new right policies to hold back welfare spending have destabilised family and community life and contributed to increased exclusion of those at the bottom.
- Greater inequality between rich and poor and more encouragement of individualism have increased the sense of RD.
