Left realism Flashcards
Who are critical crimologists?
Taylor, Watson, Young
What do critical crimologists agree with Marxists on?
- class conflict and inequalities cause crime
- state enforces laws in interstate of powerful
- replacing capitalist system with classless system will reduce crime
How is critical crimologists different to Marxists?
- they take a voluntaristic approach where people have free will and crime is a choice to try and change society
What are the 6 aspects of crime according to critical crimologists?
- Wider origins of act like capitalism
- The act itself
- Immediate origins of social reaction like police
- Wider origins of social reaction
- Effects of labelling
Evaluation of critical crimologists?
- romantises WC criminals
- no solutions to crime
- ignores victims of crime
What are left realists view on crime?
- crime as a REAL problem for society
- unequal capitalist society does influence crime
However - we need explanations that will provide realistic solutions rather than waiting for solution
Lea and Young
- critical that crime is social contrust because believe crime is real issue that must be tackled
- should use local victim surveys for crime statistics
- believe police focus on targeting wrong types of crime/criminals, we should focus where there’s a victim eg SA
What is the criminogenic triangle?
There’s 3 reasons why someone commits crime
1. Relatively deprived (eg from education) and their situation is made worse because of proximity to different social groups
2. Marginalised because lack clear goals so resort to violence to achieve goals. Express frustration through criminal means (fix by giving them a voice)
3. Subculture in because of the variety of subcultures leads to raising crime as different deviant values like rise in hate crime
What is the square of crime?
We need to examine the inter-relationships between 4 elements
1. Formal social control (police) influence context of crime eg how its defined and decide if the act is labelled as crime
2. Informal social control (public) reporting crime depends whether act is normal in community, if they trust the police. Communities can be hyperviligent to stereotype others as deviant
3. Victims are usually the same ethnic, class, community, if victim views themselves diff to offender=report
4. Offenders may be marginalised, be in subculture, be deprived- is it due to external forces
How has left realists influence British social policy?
New labour has introduced policies to help reduce inequality like tax credits and minimum wage
What does Young say about policing?
it could only be effective with the cooperation of the public eg
- police and crime commissioners= members of public holding police accountable
- neighbourhood watch= members of community holding offender accountable
- BME police offenders
4 key concerns left realists have?
- Distrust between police and public
- Lack of informal social control
- Social inequality (criminogenic triangle)
- Importance of listening to victims
What policy is there to solve distrust between police and public?
- police and crime commissioners
- police recruit policies
What policy is there to solve lack of informal social control?
- neighbourhood watch
What policy is there to solve social inequality?
- labours new deal for unemployed youths
What policy is there to solve importance of listening to victims?
- ASBO (civil order to protect public from behav likely cause harassment/alarm, prohibits offender from committing)
- criminalising hate crime
What is left realists ultimate solution for crime?
Have equality-> reduces crime
