examining realist theories of crime

Question 1

what is the main focus of right realism in crime prevention

Answer 1

street crime - destroys communities, undermines social cohesion and threatens societies work ethic

Question 2

explain what is meant by zero tolerance policing

Answer 2

the idea that the police should tackle and treat even undesirable behaviour as a criminal act such as prostitiution, begging, drunkeness.

Question 3

why do right realists criticise other theories

Answer 3

for failing to offer any practical solutions to the problem of rising crime. labelling / critical criminology - too sympathetic to the criminal and too hostile to the forces of law & order.

Question 4

why might a prosperous society be more likely to have high crime rates

Answer 4

people feel relatively deprived when surrounded by prosperity that they believe they should be experiencing too and therefore they turn to crime to resolve the problem

Question 5

explain what is meant by marginalisation

Answer 5

marginalised groups lack clear goals and organisations to represent their interests - unemployed youth are maginalised as they have no organisation to represent them and no clear goals

Question 6

explain what is meant by relative deprivation

Answer 6

LEA AND YOUNG - how deprived someone feels in relation to others / compared with their own expectations. this may lead to crime when people resent others unfairly having more and use crime to obtain what they feel they are entitled to.

Question 7

identify 3 policy changes suggested by left realists to reduce crime

Answer 7

• policing to be done locally - police need to improve their relationship with local communities by spending more time investigating crime, changing their priorities and involving the public in making policing policy
  2. crime control cannot be left to the police alone - a multi agency approach is needed.
  3. major structural changes - the inequality of opportunity, the unfairness of rewards, tackling discrimination

Question 8

identify 2 similarities between left and right realism

Answer 8

• both see crime as a real problem, and the fear of crime as rational.

Question 9

why do right realists argue that socialisation leads to crime

Answer 9

CHARLES MURRAY argues that poor socialisation leads to deviant behaviour - a growing underclass is failing to socialise their children properly.

Question 10

what do right realists argue that absent fathers lead to

Answer 10

right realists argue that absent fathers means that boys lack paternal discipline and appropriate male role models - as a result they often turn to other delinquent role models and gain status through crime

Question 11

what is rational choice theory?

Answer 11

RON CLARKE (1980) the belief that a decision to commit crime is a choice based on a rational calculation of the likely consequences. if the rewards of crime appear to be greater than non criminal behaviour, then people are more likely to offend.

Question 12

What does FELSON argue needs to be present for a crime to occur

Answer 12

• a motivated offender
• a suitable target
• the absence of a capable guardian

Question 13

critiscisms of the right realist explanations of crime

Answer 13

• ignores wider structural causes like poverty
• overstates the rationality of offenders and how far they weigh up costs/benefits before committing a crime. does not explain impulsive / violent crime
• its view of criminals as ‘rational actors freely choosing crime’ conflicts with the claim that their behaviour is ‘biologically determined’
• overemphasises biological factors LILLY ET ALL found that IQ differences account for less than 3% of differences in offending.

Question 14

why do right realists argue it’s not a good idea to deal with the causes of crime

Answer 14

they cannot be easily changed (biological / socialisation), instead they opt for practical measures to make crime less attractive.

Question 15

what is WILSON AND KELLING’s ‘broken windows theory’

Answer 15

the theory that any minor signs of deterioration such as graffiti or vandalism need to be tackled straight away in order to stop it from spreading.

Question 16

why is zero tolerance in NYC interpreted as a ‘myth’

Answer 16

JOCK YOUNG argues that the success of zero tolerance in NYC was a myth put forward by politicians and police keen to take the credit for falling crime. The crime rate in NYC had already been falling since 1985, nine years prior to zero tolerance

Question 17

critiscisms of zero tolerance

Answer 17

• ignores corporate crime, which is costly and more harmful
• gives the police freedom to discriminate against minorities, youth, the homeless
• it over emphasises controlling disorder rather than tackling the CAUSES of neighbourhood disorder such as a lack of investment
• it just leads to a displacement of crime to other areas.

Question 18

what is the central idea behind left realism

Answer 18

crime is a real problem that particularly affects the disadvantaged groups in society.

Question 19

why do left realists argue other sociologists do not take crime seriously (Marxists, neo marxists, labelling theorists )

Answer 19

marxists - focus on the crimes of the powerful and ignore working class crime
neo marxists - romanticise working class criminals as latter day 'robin hoods' stealing from the rich and giving back to the poor- HOWEVER MOST WORKING CLASS CRIMINALS VICTIMISE PEOPLE FROM THEIR OWN CLASS RATHER THAN THE RICH. 
labelling theorists - see w/c criminals as the victims of disctriminatory labels implemented by social control agents - THIS APPROACH NEGLECTS REAL VICTIMS-W/C PEOPLE WHOM SUFFER AT THE HANDS OF CRIMINALS.

Question 20

evidence to suggest crime is not wholly the result of relative deprivation

Answer 20

• poverty was rife in the 1930s yet crime rates were low.

- since the 1950’s living standards have risen yet so has the crime rate.

Question 21

what other factor does YOUNG combine with relative deprivation which makes it more dangerous?

Answer 21

INDIVIDUALISM - A concern with the self and ones own individual rights, rather than those of the group.it causes crime as it encourages the pursuit of self interest at the expense of others.
- increasing individualism is causing the disintegration of families and communities by undermining the values of mutual support /selflessness on which they are based.

Question 22

what are features of late modern society that make the problem of crime worse?

Answer 22

instability, insecurity and exclusion

Question 23

differences between right / left realism

Answer 23

• left realists see crime as a result of structural inequalities whilst right realists see crime as lack of self control.
• the left prioritise justice which can be achieved through democratic policing and reforms to create greater equality whilst the right prioritise social order achieved through a tough stance on offenders

Question 24

criticisms of left realism

Answer 24

• fails to explain corporate crime which is more harmful
• they cannot explain the motives of offenders as they rely on quantitive data from victim surveys (interractionist critiscism)
• relative deprivation cannot fully explain crime, because not all those who experience it commit crime- they over predict the amount of crime
• focus on high crime inner city areas gives an unrepresentative view, making crime appear a greater problem than it is.
• their use of subcultural theory means they assume a ‘value consensus’ exists and crime only comes about when this value consensus is broken down

Question 25

how have left realist influenced government policy

Answer 25

new labour government - firmer approach taken towards policing hate crimes, sexual assaults, domestic violence - the protection of vulnerable groups.
‘New Labour New Deal’ for unemployed youth and anti truanting policies attempted to reverse the exclusion of young people at risk of offending.