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sociology crime and deviance > left and right realism > Flashcards

left and right realism Flashcards

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Sociology 101 flashcards
1
Q

multiple aetiology

A

crime as the result of many factors interacting with each other.
no single factor is to blame and crime is the result of a mixture of informal and formal social control, structural inequalities and the agency of the offender,

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2
Q

why ‘realist’? what is it about?

A
  • practical views of C and D and looking for solutions to reduce crime
  • they both see it as real and a major problem, esp for victims
  • they react to labelling theory and radical criminology by saying that these don’t show concern for the real victim who suffers the impacts of crime
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3
Q

what are Lea and Young’s three key factors influencing the levels of crime?

A
  1. relative deprivation
  2. marginalisation
  3. subculture
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4
Q

left vs right realism- what is the difference

A

LEFT: emphasise the importance of tackling poverty and deprivation- looking for the cause

RIGHT: emphasis on zero tolerance policy and punishing the criminal

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5
Q
  1. relative deprivation
A
  • a level of deprivation where some people feel like they don’t have the same level of economic resources relative to others.
  • crime rates are higher among those within the lower social and economic strata of society
  • pressures of media to achieve economic success and social goals leaves people feeling deprived in relation to others
  • need for parity w others lead to deviation and crime
  • explains white collar crimes too
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6
Q
  1. subcultures (Lea and Young)
A
  • collectivist values of subcultures provide relief from relative deprivation (in it together)
  • award people status within the group via small crimes (disorganised or street crime)
  • male black youth is closely enmeshed in values of consumption, style and wealth, so they engage in crime because of blocked opportunities to have these.
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7
Q
  1. marginalisation (Lea and Young)
A
  • frustration from being alienated from society leads people to find a group of similar people they DO fit in with = subculture
  • marginalised groups have minimal representation in society, being rejected by it
  • they express their frustration at this through violent and aggressive means
  • powerful institutions create this marginalisation that makes groups feel left out or left behind
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8
Q

Evaluations of Lea and Young (tutor 2u vid)

A
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9
Q

Lea and Young main points (notes)

A
  • statistics often reflect typical criminals (young wc disproportionately black)
  • focus on victims AND offenders, crime is concentrated in urban areas + ‘sink housing’ estates
  • do not approve of use of statistics to create fear and moral panic.
  • they blame the broken system not the criminal- limited life choices
  • Jock Young, John Lea, Roger Matthews and Richard Kinsey
  • critical of perspectives that see longer sentences and more prisons as a solution
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10
Q

the perry school project

A
  • 2y intellectual enrichment for disadvantaged black kids aged 3-4 = by age 40 crime rates were lowered and there were higher school graduation rates
  • identifying groups at risk of offending, trying to limit that risk via intervention
  • for every $1 spent, $17 were saved on welfare, prison etc
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11
Q

the square of crime

A

state
- the way it’s policed has effect
- military style plicing
- petty crimes focused on rather than wider focus impacts ppl.

offender
- why do they?
- what rules govern their behaviour?
- impact on society?

informal control (soc welfare/infastructure)
- sense of community
- better job prospects
- better housing

victim
- why are they likely to be victims

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12
Q

what solutions are suggested by left realists?

A
  • better community relations- ppl and policies
  • less deprivation (poverty down and legit opportunities)
  • more opportunities to build bonds of attachment
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13
Q

what are the main ideas of right realists?

A
  • seek PRACTICAL crime CONTROL measures- worry less about finding the causes and more about controlling it
  • labelling and critical criminologists excuse criminal behaviour too much with reference to police labelling/ poverty/ capitalism etc
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14
Q

James Q Wilson (1975) and poverty

A

he notes that in the 1960s in the US anti-poverty programmes were also accompanied by enormous crime increases?

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15
Q

Ron Clarke and poverty

A

crime rates have risen in the UK since 1945 despite the avg income also rising

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16
Q

what are the 3 main reasons for crime according to RIGHT realists?

A
  1. biological differences
  2. underclass/faulty socialisation
  3. rational choice theory
17
Q
  1. Rational choice theory- Wilson
    (based on cost/benefit analysis)
A
  • views criminal as rational and logical
  • He suggested that crime was a rational choice that people made after weighing up cost/benefit
  • crime is comitted when the reward is highest and the risk is lowest
  • if it’s more profitable than taking a job, crime will rise
  • therefore, Right realists think that if the percieved costs of crime are low, the crime rate will increase.
  • there is too little chance of being caught and when they are caught, they are treated leniently
18
Q

Felson (1998)- ‘capable guardians’

A

capable guardians like police/neighbours deter crime because they tip the cost/benefit scale in favour of not offending = RR want more policing!

the idea of stopping people at the moment they might commit

19
Q

Broken windows theory- Wilson and Kellings

A
  • all signs of deterioration must be dealt with immediately because this promotes criminality
  • maintaining the appearance of the area fosters pride in the community and makes locals want to uphold law
  • if one window is broken, people might think it’s okay to break more and deteriorate the conditions further
20
Q
  1. Biological differences (Wilson, Herrnstein, Murray)
A
  • Herrnstein + Murray (1994)- main cause of crime is low intelligence, which they argue is biologically determined BUT some is very complex (eg white collar!)
  • Wilson + Herrnstein (1985)- use a biosocial theory (combo of biological and social factors): some ppl are predisposed to commit crime- they get this from personality traits like extroversion and agression, which make them risk takers who lack self control and are impulsive.
21
Q

Evaluations of Wilson

A
  • mostly based on assumptions of lower-class criminality
  • his work is contradictory because he argued that some people are biologically predisposed to commit crime, yet they also make rational and thought-out decisions?
  • ignores the impact of policies put forward by the political right that are criminogenic
22
Q
  1. Underclass/ faulty socialisation- Murray
A
  • underclass is on the edge of mainstream society, they lack socialisation into the norms and values of this.
  • they are amoral and do not have good traditional family values due to the rise in female lone parent families
  • dependent on welfare and lack motivation to work to improve their situations
  • ## idle young men who lack discipline of father figures
23
Q

Murray- shadow economies

A
  • the underclass young males who lack motivation and resilience provided by father figures look to earn through working in shadow economies:
  • counterfit goods, drug dealing, low level security etc
  • they gain status through masculinity and not conforming to soc norms and values
24
Q

Evaluation of Murray’s ideas of C+D

A
  • based upon negative stereotypes of wc and ethnic minorities
  • based on biological determinism
  • ignores structural inequality created by neo-liberal economic policies which privatised traditional male-dominated industries
  • existence of underclass is reductionist- blaming the victims of poverty and suggesting it is a lifestyle choice
25
Q

What do the RR think the solutions to crime and deviance are? (the seven)

A

PREVENT and PUNISH through:
1. proactive policing- regulation/ zero tolerance: more police out on the street
2. broken windows policy/theory- Wilson and Kelling: all signs of deterioration must be dealt with immediately eg grafitti and broken windows
3. strong communties- name and shame: if people care and have expectations then violating this should disgrace and loss of standing in the community through ‘naming and shaming’ them.
4. target hardening- making it physcially harder to commit crime against a target eg shop security. HOWEVER this just displaces the crime elsehwere
5. situation management/ defensible space: manipulation of the surroundings to reduce opportunity for crime/prevent it
6. crime deterrance: media/anything that deters criminals from targeting stuff “you’re on CCTV”
7. swift and lengthy imprisonment for those who don’t obey the laws: manipulation of surroundings to reduce opportunity for crime/prevent it

26
Q

Criticisms of right realism as a theory:

A
  1. ignores wider structural causes
  2. overtakes rationality of offenders- w abt violent crime?
  3. IQ differences are irrelevant
  4. ignores corporate crime
  5. zero tolerance only displaces crime elsewhere
  6. control it rather than tackling causes

sociology crime and deviance (8 decks)

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