Crime & Deviance: Realist theories of cime Flashcards
All realists:
-Argue there’s been an increase in the crime rate, esp street crime.
-Concerned about the widespread fear of crime & the impact of crime on its victims.
-Argue practical policies should be proposed to reduce crime.
Right realists: share NR/neo-conservative political outlook & support policies like ‘get tough’.
Left realists: are socialists & favour different policies for reducing crime.
Right realism
-Sees crime as a growing problem destroying communities, undermining social cohesion & threatening society’s work ethic.
-There was a shift from causes of crime to searching for practical control measures.
-They reflect a political climate & criticise theories for lack of political solution.
-Try to enforce punishment and control rather than rehabilitation or tackling causes.
Right realism: The causes of crime
Reject idea that structural or economic factors (poverty/inequality) are the cause of crime.
They believe it’s the product of 3 factors: individual biological differences, inadequate socialisation & the individual’s rational choice to offend.
The causes of crime: Biological differences
Wilson & Herrnstein say that crime is caused by a combo of biological & social factors.
-These biological differences make people innately more likely to commit crime (ie. aggression, low impulse control).
-Herrnstein & Murray argue that the main cause of crime is low intelligence whcih is also apparently biologically determined.
The causes of crime: Socialisation & the underclass
Effective socialisation decreases the risk, due to learning self-control & internalising moral values of right and wrong.
-Murray claims crime rates are increasing due to a growing underclass who fail to socialise kids properly & due to welfare dependancy.
-Murray says the welfare states ‘generous revolution’ allows increasing numbers of people to become dependent on the state.
-He says lone mothers are ineffective socialisation agents for boys & they lack paternal discipline and role models.
-They therefore turn to crime to gain status (Bennett et all) and join deviant groups.
:( Critics argue there’s no evidence that young people in lone parent families are likelier to commit crime.
The causes of crime: Rational choice theory
-Clarke a rational theorist argues that the decision to commit crime is a choice based on rational calculation of the likely consequences.
-If the perceived costs are low & outweigh the benefits, crime rate increases.
-Felson argues for a crime to occur, there must be a motivated offender, a suitable target, & absence of a ‘capable guardian’ so presence makes them act rationally.
Broken window theory
Criticisms of right realist explanations
-Ignored wider structural causes like poverty.
-Overstates offenders’ rationality & how far they make cost-benefit analysis’ before crime.
-Explains utilitarian crime, but not violent or impulsive crime.
-View of criminals as rational actors freely choosing crime conflicts with view that their behaviour is determined by biology and socialisation.
Tackling crime
-Crime prevention policies should reduce the rewards and increase costs of crime to the offender.
-E.g. through target hardening, where a greater use of prison and ensuring punishments follow soon after the offence to maximise their deterrent effect.
-Zero tolerance Wilson & Kelling’s article Broken windows argues it’s essential to maintain the orderly character of neighbourhoods to prevent crime from taking hold & any signs of deterioration (ie. vandalism/graffiti) should be dealt with immediately.
-They advocate this policy towards undesirable behaviour such as prostitution, begging.
-The police should patrol the streets so citizens feel safe.
Tackling crime: Zero tolerance - an urban myth?
-First introduced in New York; & was applauded for reducing crime but Young argued its success is overstated and police just want to take credit for falling crime.
-Crime rates in New York had been falling anyway & in other places that didn’t have Zero tolerance policies.
-Young argues police need to arrest to justify their position and they wanted to ’define deviance up’ & arrested people for minor crimes.
Criticisms of Zero tolerance
-Preoccupied with petty crime & ignored more harmful corporate crime.
-Gives police free rein to discriminate against minorities, youth, homeless.
-Over-emphasised control of disorder rather than tackling causes of neighbourhood decline, such as lack of investment.
-Zero tolerance & target hardening just lead to displacement of crime in other areas.
