6. Realist Explanations Of C&D

Question 1

What do Realists see crime as?

Answer 1

A very real problem that needs solutions, not just explanations

Question 2

What type of approach do realists take?

Answer 2

They take a victim-centred approach

Question 3

What do left realists believe causes crime?

Answer 3

See inequality as the main underlying cause of crime, we should be tough on the crime & the causes of crime

Question 4

What do right realists blame crime on?

Answer 4

Blame the welfare state and a breakdown in informal and formal social controls, Should be tough on the criminal

Question 5

What survey do left realists refer to and their approaches to crime?

Answer 5

-Refer to The Islington Crime Survey to show crime is a really serious problem -They focus on street crime
-Reforming capitalism only real way forward.

Question 6

What are the main 3 left realist explanations?

Answer 6

-Relative deprivation
-Subcultures
-Marginalisation

Question 7

Left realist explanations: What is relative deprivation?

Answer 7

Not deprivation itself that leads to crime but feeling of deprivation in comparison to others. As nations have become richer crime has increased, showing the role of materialism. Bulimic society.

Question 8

Left realist explanations: Subcultures

Answer 8

-The formation of subcultures is linked to relative deprivation and marginalisation
-Those who share a sense of deprivation group together to find a place they ‘fit in’
-Can encourage criminality.

Question 9

Left realist explanations: Marginalisation

Answer 9

-Those on the edges of society who lack clearly defined goals and involvement in society.
-Feel socially excluded, abandoned and frustrated, leading to violence and rioting.
-Employment would prevent this.

Question 10

Describe a Bulimic society

Answer 10

-Media saturated world creates a smorgasbord of consumer goods
-‘Good’ life depends on having these products and lifestyles.
-Seeing this lifestyle but cannot afford, dissatisfaction, disappointment, frustration and anger.
-This is called relative deprivation

Question 11

What is the ‘Toxic mix’?

Answer 11

-Toxic mix tends to lead to criminal behaviour
-Young people feel excluded from society turning to anti-social behaviour for the buzz & excitement they desire.
-Those without money need to create own fun, committing crime gives thrill & excitement to otherwise dull lives

Question 12

Which postmodernists call the toxic mix ‘Edgework’ and ‘The seductions of crime’?

Answer 12

Lyng - ‘Edge work’
Katz - ‘The seductions of crime’

Question 13

What are the four elements that make up the square of crime?

Answer 13

-Formal social control
-Offenders
-Victims
-Informal social control

Question 14

Strengths of Left Realism

Answer 14

-Doesn’t glamorise crime, takes importance of tackling crime and fear seriously
-Recognises crime has devastating effects for most deprived areas.
-Sees importance of community solutions to crime.
-Draws on work of other sociologists to produce a fuller explanation for crime

Question 15

Limitations of Left Realism

Answer 15

-Neglects other responses to relative deprivation and marginality apart from crime.
-Neglects gender as a significant issue
-‘Left Realism’ tends to be part of a more male stream criminology
-Doesn’t pay attention to white collar crime

Question 16

What traits do Right realists believe in?

Answer 16

-People should take responsibility for their own actions
-Problem is people are selfish, make bad choices, people have poor socialisation leading to wrong norms and values being followed.

Question 17

Right Realist Explanations: Biological differences (Wilson & Hernstein)

Answer 17

-Some people are innately predisposed to commit crime
-Main cause of crime is low intelligence which they say is biologically determined.
-High proportion of prison population: low literacy levels, no qualifications, unemployed

Question 18

Right Realist Explanations: Inadequate socialisation (Charles Murray)

Answer 18

-People from the underclass develop a culture of dependancy, lack of discipline, criminality & laziness
-Overgenerous welfare payments to blame, increase in single mothers with iligitimate children.

Question 19

Right Realist Explanations: Rational Choice & opportunity theories (Wilson)

Answer 19

-Crime is matter of rational choice
-Assumed people look out for themselves weighing up risks and benefits for their own selfish outcomes
-Street crime benefit has tipped to much in favour of criminals as risk of getting caught has become low
-Formal & informal controls are weakening

Question 20

Right Realist Explanations: Routine Action theory (Clarke & Felon)

Answer 20

-Crime is opportunistic and not planned
-If individuals motivated to commit a crime encounter an easy opportunity crime likely to occur
-3 conditions need to be in place: Individual motivated to offend, suitable target of the crime, lack of capable guardian of the target
-Right realists answer is to make it harder to commit crime

Question 21

Right Realist Explanations: Broken Window Thesis (Wilson & Kelling)

Answer 21

-Failure to deal with low level crime can encourage an escalation of crime and anti-social behaviour.
-Police should take a zero-tolerance approach to low level deterioration

Question 22

Strengths of Right Realism

Answer 22

-Addresses the immediate causes of crime and provides policies for reducing the opportunities
-Recognises importance of community control and responses to crime like left realism.

Question 23

Weaknesses of Right realism?

Answer 23

-Doesn’t address the wider structural causes of crime
-Doesn’t pay attention to white collar or corporate crime.
-Suggests offenders act rationally, weighing up costs and benefits but some crime are impulsive and don’t bring obvious gain.