Left And Right Realism

Question 1

Biological differences

Answer 1

Wilson and hernstein argue how people high in personality traits such as extraversion, risk taking, aggresiveness and low impulse are at a greater risk of offending

Question 2

Murray view on cause of crime

Answer 2

The increasing crime rate is a result of the growing underclass who are defined by their deviant behavior and fail to adequately socialise their children

Question 3

Generous revolution

Answer 3

Murray argues how in the 1960s, people became increasingly dependent on the welfare state and this led to the growth of lone parent families because woman and children could live off benefits.

Question 4

Lone mothers and crime

Answer 4

Right realists argue how lone mothers are ineffective socialisation agents, especially for boys as absent fathers mean lack of an appropiate role model and so they turn to crime on the streets to gain status rather than support their famillies

Question 5

Rational choice theory

Answer 5

Clarke argues how decisions to commit crimes are based on a rational calculation of perceived cost and reward, so if the cost is less than the reward they are likely to offend

Question 6

One Criticism of right realism

Answer 6

Its argument that crime is based on rational decisions conflict with its other idea that we are influenced by biological factors for crime.

Question 7

How do right realists tackle crime?

Answer 7

Right realists argue that is not fruitful to tackle the underlying causes of crime such as socialisation and biological factors since they easily changed so they aim to make crime less atrractive instead by policies like zero tolerance

Question 8

Zero tolerance

Answer 8

Wilson and kelling argue how it is essential to essential the order of neigbourhoods to prevent crime taking hold and so advocate zero tolerance policy which do not allow any crimes whatsoever.

Question 9

One criticism of zero tolerance

Answer 9

It focuses too much on petty street crime and ignores corporate crime which is more harmful to the economy

Question 10

Left realism causes of crime

Answer 10

Marginalisation, subcultures and relative deprivation

Question 11

Lea and young

Answer 11

Relative deprivation where people feel poor compared to others and it leads to crime because people resent others having more and resort to crime obtain what they feel are entitled to.

Question 12

What do left realists argue will solve crime

Answer 12

Left realists argue that tackling structural factors such as poverty and discrimination will reduce crime much more than tackling crime itself.

Question 13

Criticism of left realism

Answer 13

Marxism argues that it fails to explain corporate crime which is more more harmful to society