Left and Right Realism

Question 1

What are the left wing characteristics?

Answer 1

• Focus on power/inequality
• Bottom= victims of circumstances
• State should intervene to share out wealth
• Inequality leads to crime
• The system is to blame
• Law is not equally applied
• Marxist, interactionists, radical criminology, left realist

Question 2

What are right wing characteristics?

Answer 2

• Foucs on individual achievement
• Equality is not possible or desirable
• People get what they deserve- incentivise the talented
• State should not intervene
• Individuals make bad choices, poor socialisation, wrong norms
• Blame the criminal/deviant
• Tough penalties and strict control-
• Functionalist, new right, right realist

Question 3

What is control theory?

Answer 3

• Hirshi- not why commit crime, but why do most NOT commit crime?
• Individuals with strong family/ friendship networks, with responsibilities, engaged in social activities, strong sense of morality= less likely to commit crime

Question 4

What are the 4 social bonds?

Answer 4

1) Attachment (being attached to others and caring about what they think prevents deviance- deviance would go against others’ perceptions of you)
2) Committment (having responsibilities- obey for fear of consequences)
3) Involvement (being part of a community/family/workplace/social group- too busy for deviance)
4) Belief (subscribing to common value system- prevents deviance as people know behaviour= wrong)

Question 5

What did Matthews and Young say about realist criminology?

Answer 5

• Focus on the ‘lived reality of crime’, and its effects on victims/communities
• Challenge traditional theories for being too remote and offering no practical solutions

Question 6

What are the right realist causes of crime?

Answer 6

• Rational choice theory: criminals are rational actors- weigh up the costs/benefits to whether a crime is worth committing (Clarke- opportunity theory)
• Broken windows theory: Wilson and Kelling- tolerating crime sends out a signal that no one cares (Zimbardo study)
• Underclass: Murray- changes to the family structure cause crime- dependency culture= lack of responsibility/right and wrong

Question 7

Evaluation of right realist explanations

Answer 7

• Focus on w/c crime
• Focus on street crime (ignore white collar)
• Too harsh- victim blaming

Question 8

What are the left realist causes of crime?

Answer 8

Lea and Young:
- Relative deprivation: people feel deprived in relation to others, media to blame as wealth= norm
- Subculture: group’s collective response to relative deprivation, link to Cohen’s status frustration
- Marginalisation: lack power/resources to full participation in society, lack clear goals/ organisations to match interests

Question 9

Evaluation of left realist explanations

Answer 9

• Too soft- ignore offenders and reasoning behind this