Realist Theories of C&D Flashcards
1
Q
Realist Theories
A
- Care more about practicalities than ethics/ideology
- Can be towards left or right of the political spectrum
- Each realism is based on positivist and rationalist principles
2
Q
LR
Creation of LR: Lea & Young’s (1984) criticisms of Marxist/NM theories
A
- Tend to celebrate WC deviants as revolutionary heroes
- Have no practical policies to reduce crime
- Fail to take victimisation seriously - most poor and deprived
- Promote identity politics - who you are matters more than what you’ve done - removes responsibility
3
Q
LR
Explaining crime - Lea & Young (1984)
A
- Relative Deprivation
- Marginalisation
- Subcultures
4
Q
LR
Lea & Young (1984) - Relative Deprivation
A
Increasing difference in wealth and opportunity makes many people resentful or angry
5
Q
LR
Lea & Young (1984) - Marginalisation
A
- Minority groups feel disconnected from society
- No incentive to follow rules made by people who don’t represent or understand them
6
Q
LR
Lea & Young (1984) - Subcultures
A
- Status frustration often drives young people to illegal behaviour
- eg. Post-2010 removal of youth services associated with increase in gang membership
7
Q
LR
Late Modernity & Bulimic Society
A
Society is media saturated - mass consumer culture and high cultural expectations, which creates frustration
8
Q
LR
Individualist Culture
A
- Capitalism, humanism, libertarianism, and identity politics all focus on the self above others
- Weakens bonds with society
- Libertarianism = freedom from consequences
9
Q
LR
Loss of Informal Control
A
eg. Families and youth centres
10
Q
LR
Growing Inequality
A
- Link to neoliberalism
- Gap from richest to poorest in UK has risen by >400% since 1974
11
Q
LR
Understanding & Tackling Crime: Young’s (1997) Crime Square
A
- Police/agencies (formal control)
- The public (informal control)
- Victim
- Offender
- All interact
12
Q
RR
Right Realism
A
- Developed from NR
- Believe criminals and deviants are responsible for their actions - freely choose to do them
- Tend to favour harsher punishment - want to make examples out of offenders to deter others from making poor choices
13
Q
RR
Charles Murray’s (1989) Underclass
A
- Social contract - must do our bit to get benefits (eg. tax for free healthcare)
- Most people in all class groups accept this - some will try to get out of it and take advantage of others
- eg. tax avoidance, unecessary use of welfare
- Underclass = not worthy of respect or pity - deserve stigma and punishment
14
Q
RR
Example RR Policies
A
- Theresa May (2012) - Hostile Environment immigration policy
- Police, Crime, Sentencing, & Courts Act (2021) - bans inconvenient protests
15
Q
RR
Key features of RR
A
- Value consensus and shared morality underpin society
- All are selfish - would commit crime if they could get away with it
- Community control to decrease crime
- Rational choice & opportunity
- Crime will always exist
