[4.1] Left realism Flashcards
Which two factors did left realism develop in response to?
The need to take the rising crime rate seriously and the influence of right realism on government policy.
How do left realists see society?
As an unequal, capitalist one.
Are left realists reformist or revolutionary?
Reformist.
How do left realists accuse others of not taking crime seriously;
Traditional Marxists?
Neo-Marxists?
Labelling theorists?
Traditional Marxists - neglect working class crime. Neo-Marxists - romanticise working class criminals. Labelling theorists - criminals are seen as victims.
What does Young (1997) argue has created an aetiological crisis for theories of crime?
A real increase in crime rates since the 1950s.
Who is more affected by crime and why?
Disadvantaged groups, because they have a greater risk of becoming victims and therefore have greater fear of crime.
What the three causes of crime that Lea and Young (1984) identify?
Relative deprivation, subculture and marginalisation.
What is relative deprivation?
How deprived someone feels in relation to others, or in relation to their own expectations.
What is a subculture?
A group which is a collective solution to the problem of relative deprivation, the groups turn to crime to solve their deprivation problem.
What is marginalisation?
Where a group is excluded or pushed to the side, these groups lack clear goals and organisations to represent their interests.
What does Young (2002) argue that we are now living in, and what is it characterised by?
Late modernity, it is characterised by instability, insecurity and exclusion.
What has increased unemployment and poverty since the 1970s?
De-industrialisation and the loss of unskilled manual jobs.
What has created relative deprivation?
Greater inequality between the rich and poor, and the spread of free market values which encourage individualism.
What is there a growing contrast between?
Cultural inclusion or economic exclusion.
What does media-saturated late modern society promote?
Cultural inclusion.
How are expectations for the good life promoted?
An emphasis on leisure activities.
Who are systematically excluded from opportunities?
The poor.
How is there relative deprivation downwards?
The hard-working middle class resent the unemployed lower class who live off the welfare state.
Which type of crime has there also been an increase in?
Hate crime.
What has happened to the boundary between acceptable and unacceptable behaviour?
It has become blurred.
How do left realists argue we should tackle crime?
We must improve policing and control, and deal with the deeper and structural causes of crime.
What do Kinsey, Lea and Young (1986) argue that police spend too little time doing?
Investigating crime, they argue the public must become involved in determining the police’s priorities and style of policing.
What is the result of the police losing support?
Communities are alienated, as the police use stop and search procedures to catch criminals since the public don’t report crime as much.
Who should the police be made accountable to?
The local community.
Which structural causes of crime need to be dealt with?
Inequality of opportunity and unfairness of rewards, discrimination, unemployment and improvement of council facilities.
Evaluate left realism in three points.
- Fails to explain corporate crime.
- Can’t explain motives of offenders.
- Assume that value consensus exists.
