realist theories of crime

Question 1

What are both the theories concerned about in crime?
How do they criticise other theories

Answer 1

Concerned about the widespread fear of crime and the impact of the victims
Other theories have failed to offer SOLUTIONS to the problem of crime

Question 2

What are the 3 causes of crime according to right realists?

Answer 2

Biological differences
Socialisation and the underclass
Rational choice theory

Question 3

In what 2 ways do right realists see biological differences as a cause of crime?

Answer 3

-Stronger personality traits e.g. aggressiveness, extraversion, risk taking are more prone to committing crime
-Some argue that low intelligence causes crime, which is seen as biologically determined

Question 4

According to right realists, what is the best agency for socialisation?
How?

Answer 4

Nuclear family
Growing underclass wo fail to socialise their children properly>increase in crime

Question 5

What 2 things does right realist Murray argue about socialisation of the underclass?

Answer 5

Welfare dependency»increase in lone-parent families, decline in marriage>less responsibility for men to work and take responsibility
Single mothers are ineffective socialisation agents, especially for boys>increase in males committing crime

Question 6

What is a critiism of Murray’s argument of socialisation of the underclass?

Answer 6

There is no evidence that young people raised in lone parent families are more likely to commit crime

Question 7

What is the right realist rational choice theory?

Answer 7

Individuals have free will>the decision to commit crime is a choice based on a rational calculation of the likely consequences
People are likely to offend if the reward of the crime outweigh the costs of the criminal behaviour

Question 8

Criticise the right theorists rational choice theory

Answer 8

Doesn’t explain impulsive or violent crime

Question 9

Why do right realists focus controlling and punishing offenders, rather than eliminating the underlying causes?
What is the ‘zero tolerance’ policy? (2)

Answer 9

Causes cannot be easily changed
It’s essential to maintain characters of neighbourhoods in order to prevent crime
Any signs of deterioration (e.g. vandalism) must be dealt with immediately

Question 10

The ‘zero tolerance’ policy was first introduced in New York in 1994 and was applauded for reducing crime, how does sociologist Young criticise this? Evidence?

Answer 10

The success was a myth from politicians and police who wanted to take credit for the reduce
Crime was already reducing in New York from 1985 and other cities without the policy

Question 11

What do left theorists accuse the other theories off? E.g?

Answer 11

Not taking crime seriously:
Marxists- neglects WC crimes and its effects
Labelling- their emphasis on WC criminals neglects the real WC victims

Question 12

What are the 3 causes of crime according to left realists?

Answer 12

Relative deprivation
Subculture
Marginalisation

Question 13

According to left realists, how does relative deprivation lead to crime?
Why are people more aware of their relative deprivation in todays society?

Answer 13

Resentment of others for having more than them
The media and advertising>raises expectations

Question 14

Relative deprivation alone doesn’t lead to crime, what else combined with RD causes crime?
How does this cause crime?
How does the increase of this affect the family?

Answer 14

Individualism- concern with the self and ones individual rights
Encourages the chasing self-interest at the expense of others
Increase of individualism>disintegration of families and communities by undermining the values of mutual support

Question 15

What is a subculture according to the left realists?

Answer 15

Groups collective solution to the problem of relative deprivation
Different groups produce different subcultural solutions: some turn to crime, some turn to e.g. religion

Question 16

Why do criminal subcultural groups resort to crime, according to left realists?

Answer 16

They have blocked opportunities to achieve e.g. the American Dream legitimately>street crime

Question 17

What is marginalisaton according to left realists?
Give a group Young argues is marginalised and why?
Why does this lead to crime?

Answer 17

Relatively deprived people on the margins of society
They lack clear goals and organisations to represent their interests
Unemployed youth: powerless, have no jobs to represent them and improve their condition

Question 18

What do left realists argue about tackling crime?

Answer 18

Involve the public in making policies and improve their relationship with local communities by changing priorities e.g. focus more on DV than drugs
Routine patrols and stop and searches are ineffective

Question 19

What are 2 criticisms of left theorists?

Answer 19

-Accepts the authorities definition of crime as being street crime committed by the poor, instead of defining the problem as being one of how powerful groups do harm to the poor
-Their use of subculture theory means they assume the value consensus only exits and that crime only occurs when this breaks down