Realism and crime Flashcards
what do left and right realists agree on
- crime is a real problem to be tackled
- other theories give unrealistic solutions to crime
- concerned with wide spread fear of crime and the impact of crime on victims
what do right realists think
they share the new right or neo-conservative view and support the police
what do left realists think
they’re socialists and favour different policies for reducing crime
right realist key assumptions
originated in 1970s by James Q. Wilson and Ernst van den Haag
crime is a growing issue that undermines social cohesion and destroys social communities
negative view of human nature ( people are selfish and greedy)
this aspect of human nature needs to be subject to social controls and socialised into appropriate behaviour
explain right realist: causes of crime
- individual biological differences
- underclass theory (inadequate socialisation)
- rational choice theory
biological differences as a cause of crime
people are born with a predisposition towards crime, without proper socialisation they will be criminals
see low intelligence as the main cause
they recognise choice and free will
bio differences: A02 case study
Brunner et al. (1993) studied families in the Netherlands that committed crimes like rape, exhibitionism or arson
researchers found men had a genetic condition called ‘Brunner syndrome’ which caused low IQ (families had average IQ:85) and high aggression
suggests we can inherit conditions making us prone to crime
underclass theory as a cause of crime
Murray and Marsland say crime is committed by highly deviant, immoral, work-shy subculture called the underclass»_space; made up of problem families in council estates who socialise the next gen into crime
families are headed by single mothers and kids lack a stable father
new right think rise in underclass is due to welfare or state
Murray thinks lone mothers are ineffective socialisation agents
rational choice theory as a cause of crime
Cornish and Clarke (1986) say criminal have free will and choose to commit crime
crime is due to weighing up costs and benefits
benefit: money, revenge, thrill, status
costs: prison, fine, re-offending, exclusion
rational choice theory > reason for increased crime
Felson argues crime increased because:
-quality of policing has deteriorated
-punishments are too lenient
-community controls are weak (people are scared to report crime)
Hirschi’s control theory: factors that deter people from crime
- attachment > fear losing love from family
- commitment > fear losing job, house and standard of living
- involvement > fear losing positive reputation and respect from friends, colleagues and community
- belief > most people have been successfully socialised into respecting others and following the law
control theory application
underclass and young are less likely to have 4 controls so are more likely to commit crime
A03 right realist explanation of crime
biological differences > conflicting explanation as it states we are free agents but are also predisposed to crime
Lilly et al (2002) found IQ differences account for less than 3% of differences in offending
rational choice theory > postmodernists say crime is not rational and is irrational and spontaneous ( eg a drunken fight is not rational)
underclass theory > only explains utilitarian crime and not impulsive or violent crime
Hirschi’s control theory > ignores wide structural causes such as poverty
state 3 right realist strategies to tackling crime
target hardening
surveillance
neighbourhood watch schemes
explain broken windows theory
Wilson: minor signs of neglect lead to disorder
people know the community is not taken care of
fixing them will reduce crime
explain zero-tolerance policy
involves punishing minor crimes (eg: graffiti, littering)
creates a situation where less crime is possible
explain right realist solutions to crime
responsible parenting
‘active citizens’ who challenge anti-social behaviour
tough punishment > heavy fines, longer sentences, advocation of corporal punishment and death penalty
AO3 for right realist strategies
zero tolerance has been a successfully adopted policy in New York
some argue that lack of investment in deprived areas causes crime and not anti-social behaviour
Marxists argue that focusing on minor offences means serious crimes and m/c crime gets ignored
it’s influential on gov policy in the USA and UK
some argue that zero tolerance only displaces crime to other communities
left realist assumptions
Lea and Young aimed to explain street crime committed by black and white youth in w/c areas
we need explanations that lead to practical strategies
see society as unequal and think crime has an economic factor
they use victim surveys (eg surveys showed that in inner city areas, lower w/c black and asian people were most likely to be victims of ordinary crime like street crime and burglary)
state the 3 left realist origins of crime
relative deprivation
marginalisation
subcultures
explain relative deprivation
deprivation felt when people compare their situation with that of others
they suggest anyone can feel relatively deprived
relative deprivation + individualism leads to crime
explain marginalisation
the process by which certain groups find themselves on the edge of society
Marginal groups lack both clear goals and organisations to represent their interests
eg: group[s like workers have clear goals (better pay) and unions to share their views so they dont need to turn to crime
unemployed youth have no clear goals and no one to support them and as a result they turn to crime
explain subcultures
relative deprivation + marginalisation leads to subcultures
people with similar frustrations come together and form deviant subcultures
the subcultures are similar to society as they both place high value on material wealth > shows crime is due to the economic structure of society
AO2: ethnicity and crime
Lea and Young:
there has been an increase in crime committed by black youth
they accept that there is institutional racism and a racist ‘canteen culture’ amongst police
they think black criminality stems from:
-racial discrimination
-material deprivation
-low wages
-unemployment
-strain theory
AO2 application to black criminality - relative deprivation
frustration between expectations and reality of lifestyle leads to relative deprivation
young black men have to choose between unemployment, training schemes or ‘white man’s shit work’
AO2 application to black criminality -marginalisation
white and black w/c youth are often alienated by: school
unemployment
low-wages
the police
black men face marginalisation through ‘military policing’ (stop and search)
economic marginalisation is transferred to crime
AO2 application to clack criminality - subcultures
Black youth subculture has high material expectations and aspirations: money and status symbols like flash cars
black youth is tied to consumption, style and wealth which leads to crime due to blocked opportunities (innovation)
AO3 of left realist explanations of crime
focuses on victims as well as offenders to improve our understanding of crime
deterministic > everyone who is relatively deprived doesn’t turn to crime
relative dep and marginalisation can’t explain motive (links to m/c crime)
strength is the recognition of multiple causes of crime
Marxists argue it can’t explain corporate crime which can be more harmful
use of subculture theory assumes value consensus exists and crime occurs when it breaks down > functionalists suggest complex diversity means there isn’t a value consensus
theory over-predicts the amount of crime
state 3 left realist strategies to crime
-policing and control
-tackling structural causes
-left realist square of crime
explain policing and control
Kinsey, Lea and Young identify issues with policing
police resort to military policing > they do multiple stop and searches in high crime areas
this alienates people (eg muslims)
they think police need to improve their relationship with the public and we should have more of a say in shaping police policy
ways to improve policing and control
involving the public in creation of public policies
changing priorities from minor crimes to major crimes like dv and racism
spending more time investigating crime
needs a multi-agency approach involving:
social services
schools
housing departments
explain tackling structural causes of crime
we need to address social inequality by being more tolerant of diversity and stop labelling whole groups as criminals
explain left realist square of crime
there are four elements to crime:
offender
victim
informal controls
state
Crime by its very nature is a product of formal(state) and informal rules, of actions by offenders, and of reactions by victims and other agencies.
Jock Young: socail change and crime
late modernity makes crime worse in a number of ways:
-a breakdown of informal social norms
-less consensus about moral values
-people’ desire for immediate, personal pleasure
-greater uncertainty and instability in most aspects of life
explain late modernity
Young describes the UK society as a ‘bulimic society’
there is a culture where consumerism, celebrity and monetary success are worshipped
people on the margins of society get excluded from the ‘get rich’ culture
they are still materialistic and turn to crime to indulge in consumerism
