Left Realist Perspective

Question 1

Who came up with left realism?

Answer 1

Lea and Young

Question 2

What is left realism?

Answer 2

It is a theory that finds traditional Marxist theories of crime too simplistic as they had simply blamed capitalism. Whilst it blames the right for over dramatising and distorting the nature of the problem with things like Murrays ideas.

Question 3

What are the 3 key arguments of left realism?

Answer 3

1. Most crime is commited by the working class people against other working class people. 2. The victims of crime need to be focused on. 3. Crime is a real problem especially among the working class and this fear is justified.

Question 4

How did left realists explain crime?

Answer 4

They accept the official statistics that say there has been a growth in working class crime, blaming the fact that the working class are finding themselves marginalised in a increasingly consumerist society.

Question 5

What do Lea and Young say about marginalisation?

Answer 5

There is a growing army of young unemployed for whom collective violence and temporary control over their territory js a substitute for organised politics. This is due to capitalism and the ending of manual jobs.

Question 6

What 3 concepts do Lea and Young argue cause criminality?

Answer 6

Relative deprivation, marginalisation and subcultures .

Question 7

What 2 things does Young come up with?

Answer 7

The idea of a bulimic society and the fact that relative deprivation is intensified by 3 features of modernity.

Question 8

What is a bulimic society?

Answer 8

Young argues that as a result of a media saturated society everyone is included in consumer culture by a constant exposure to advertising. The media shows us what our life should be like but this is a problem for the people who cannot afford these goods and services. This creates a bulimic society as the poorest people try to constantly consume all that is advertised.

Question 9

What is an example of the bulimic society?

Answer 9

The 2011 riots

Question 10

What are the 3 features of modernity?

Answer 10

1. Growing individualism. (eg lack of communitys.) 2. The weakness of informal social control. (eg traditional family structures.)3. Growing economic inequality and economic change. (made worse by globalisation). This creates a toxic mix which generates crime in the most deprived areas.

Question 11

How can we critis the idea of the 3 features of modernity?

Answer 11

Working class communities usually have the best communities but they are still the ones with the highest crime rates. We also are active audiences.

Question 12

Who came up with the idea of the square of crime?

Answer 12

Lea and Young

Question 13

What is the square of crime?

Answer 13

Formal social control, informal social control, offenders and victims all interact with each other to cause crime.

Question 14

What are 4 left realist solutions to crime?

Answer 14

1. Improved community cohesion. 2. Measures to tackle deprivation for example sure start centres. 3. Restorative justice. 4. Democratic control of policing.

Question 15

How could a community improve their community cohesion?

Answer 15

They would work together to prevent crime through shared norms and values and things like neighbourdwatch

Question 16

What’s a issue with trying to improve community cohesion?

Answer 16

It’s a socially constructed idea.

Question 17

What are sure start centres?

Answer 17

They support parents with children in disadvantaged areas.

Question 18

What are two issues with sure start centres?

Answer 18

Funding issues and Marxists would argue they are ignoring serious crime.

Question 19

What’s restorative justice?

Answer 19

An approach where the offender and victim have an organised meeting which is used to prevent conflict and build relationships.

Question 20

What’s democratic control of policing?

Answer 20

Where theres a level of trust between the police and public to allow a flow of information.

Question 21

What’s 2 issues with restorative justice?

Answer 21

The victim might not want to meet the offender and its only really a solution for petty crime.

Question 22

What’s an issue with democratic control of policing?

Answer 22

Marxists would say that the police are controlled by the bougersaise so they can’t really be democratically controlled.

Question 23

What are 6 strengths of left realism?

Answer 23

1. It recognises crime as a real problem not just people being labelled. 2. It suggests ways that crime can be reduced so is practical not theoretical. 3. It does not appear as sympathetic to criminals as both traditional Marxists and interactionalists. 4. It recognises the important of the community. 5. It relies on victim surveys which are based in evidence. 6. It recognises the importance of the victim.

Question 24

What are weakness of left realism?

Answer 24

1. Some of the solutions to crime can be very long term and expensive. 2. It doesn’t really look at white collar or serious crimes which Marxists would critique them for. 3. It doesn’t consider the interactionalist view that crime statistics can be distorted such as victim surveys. 4. The solutions to crime are only looking at a specific issue not an overarching approach. 5. It can be said to victim blame.