Left Realism Flashcards
What is Left Realism?
Is the political idea created by Lea and Young that was created in the mid 1980s that focuses on the causes of crime and deviance.
They believe that the typical criminals are young, male, working class and disproportionately black.
They focus on the victims of crime as well as the offenders of crime.
Why do Left Realists think crime happens?
Relative Deprivation
Subcultures
Marginalisation
Late Modernity and Exclusion
What is Relative Deprivation?
Refers to the inequality in society.
Some people are more deprived that others such as materially or opportunities. Examples are a nice car,house, clothes or a good job.
Them being deprived makes them go into crime.
An example of people that are usually deprived are young black males as they aren’t offered the same things are other people.
They feel they are denied the ‘glittering prizes’ offered to others.
What are subcultures?
They are cultural groups that share the same values and beliefs.
An example of a subculture is young blacks as they are different to their parents who have accepted their marginalised position in society.
They have higher material expectations and ambitions such as money, cars, status.
What is Marginalisation?
Marginalisation is the process of certain groups lacking goals due to feeling excluded from society.
An example of a group is black and white working-class youths who feel alienated by schools, unemployment, low wages and the police.
Young black youths face marginalisation due to prejudice and harassment.
For example, military policing such as stop and search.
This causes them to go into crime.
What is Late Modernity and Exclusion?
Late modernity refers to the shift in society as times are changing.
Society went from capitalism (stable, secure, promoting social inclusion) to late modernity society (unstable, insecure, relative deprivation, hate crime, social exclusion).
This makes crime become worse.
What are the strengths of the explanations?
Addresses the need for crime to be taken seriously.
Offers practical solutions
Considers the victim.
Explains why crime increases as standard of living improves.
What are the weaknesses of the explanations?
Feminists- can’t explain crimes against women.
Marxists- ignores the power of the ruling class. Guilty of accepting the ruling class definition of crime as street crime committed by the poor.
Interactionalists- doesn’t consider the offenders motives.
What do Left Realists think are the solutions to crime?
Understand the relationships between offenders, victim, public and state.
Accountable policing- not military policing like stop and search.
Tackling long term factors such as poverty, poor education.
Tackling deprivation eg, New Deal, Race Audit
What are the strengths of the solution to crime?
New Deal helped to secure jobs for more than 250,000 young people.
Perry Pre School project- reduction in lifelong offending due to better employment and education.
What are the weaknesses of the solutions to crime?
Long term effects take time and money. The government might not want to take the risk.
ASBO’s did not bring communities together.
