Realist Theories of Crime

Question 1

Why do right realists see crime as a problem?

Answer 1

It destroys communities, undermines social cohesion and threatens society’s work ethic.

Question 2

Why do right realists criticise other views on crime?

Answer 2

Right realists: Reject idea put forward by Marxists and others that structural or economic factors such as poverty and inequality are the cause of crime.

Against the Marxist view: the old tend to be poor yet they have a very low crime rate.

Question 3

Briefly outline the three factors that cause crime, according to right realists.

Answer 3

Biological differences:

• Biological differences between individuals makes some people innately more strongly predisposed to commit crime than others.
• E.g personality traits such as aggressiveness, risk tasking, extroversion increase risk of offending.

Socialisation and the underclass:

• Effective socialisation decreases the risk since it involves learning self-control and internalising moral values of right and wrong.
• Right realists: nuclear family is best for this.

Rational choice theory:

• Assumes individuals have free will and the power of reason.
• Clarke: decision to commit crime is a choice based on a rational calculation of the likely consequences.

Question 4

Give three criticisms of the right realist explanation of the cause of crime.

Answer 4

• Ignores wider structural causes such as poverty.
• Overstates offenders’ rationality and how far they make cost-benefit calculations before committing a crime (doesn’t explain all types of crime)
• Over-emphasises biological factors: according to Lilly et al, IQ differences account for less than 3% of differences in offending.

Question 5

What is the main focus of the right realist view on how to tackle crime?

Answer 5

Control, containment and punishment of offenders rather than eliminating the underlying causes of offending or rehabilitating them.

Question 6

According to right realists, what should crime prevention aim to do?

Answer 6

Reduce the rewards and increase the costs of crime to the offender for example by ‘target hardening’, greater use of prison and ensuring punishments follow soon after the offence to maximise their deterrent effect.

Question 7

According to Wilson and Kelling, how should crime be prevented in neighbourhoods?

Answer 7

• Essential to maintain orderly character of neighbourhoods to prevent crime taking hold.
• Any sign of deterioration e.g graffiti must be dealt with immediately.
• ‘Zero tolerance’ policy towards undesirable behaviour such as prostitution, begging and drunkenness.

Question 8

According to Young, why was the supposed ‘success’ of zero tolerance actually a myth?

Answer 8

Crime rate in New York had been falling since 1985 - 9 years before zero tolerance - and in other US cities that didn’t have such policies.

Question 9

Briefly outline four criticisms of zero tolerance.

Answer 9

• Preoccupied with petty street crime and ignores corporate crime, which is more costly and harmful.
• Gives the police free rein to discriminate against minorities, youth, the homeless etc.
• Over-emphasises control of disorder, rather than tackling the causes of neighbourhood decline such as lack of investment.
• Zero tolerance and target hardening just lead to displacement of crime to other areas.

Question 10

In what way is left realism like Marxism?

Answer 10

They see society as an unequal capitalist one.

Question 11

Briefly explain how left realism differs from Marxism.

Answer 11

Left realists are reformist rather than revolutionary socialists: they believe in gradual change rather than the violent overthrow of capitalism as the way to achieve greater equality.

Question 12

Briefly outline how left realists see the following perspectives as not taking crime seriously:

• Marxism
• Neo-Marxism
• Labelling theory

Answer 12

Marxists: concentrate on crimes of the power e.g corporate crime. LR agree this is important but argue it neglects w/c crime and its effects.

Neo-Marxism: romanticise w/c criminals as ‘Robin Hoods’, stealing from rich as an act of political resistance to capitalism. LR point out w/c criminals mostly victimise other w/c people, not the rich.

Labelling theory: see w/c criminals as victims of discriminatory labelling by social control agents. LR argue this approach neglects the real victims - w/c people who suffer at the hands of criminals.

Question 13

Briefly explain what Young means by the aetiological crisis.

Answer 13

From the 1950s on, there was a real increase in crime, especially w/c crime. Young argues this lead to a aetiological crisis - a crisis in explanation - for theories of crime.

For example, critical criminology + labelling theory deny the increase was real and was actually result of increased reporting. Stats were social construction, not reality.

LR: increase was too great to be explained this way.

Question 14

What do local victim surveys show about the scale of crime?

Answer 14

• Even greater than that shown by official statistics.
• Disadvantaged groups have a greater risk of becoming victims, especially of burglary, street crime and violence.
• For example, unskilled workers are twice as likely to be burgled as other people.

Question 15

What is the impact of a greater fear of crime?

Answer 15

Fear of attack may prevent women from going out at night.

Question 16

Why might victims be reluctant to report crime?

Answer 16

Police are often reluctant to deal with crimes such as domestic violence, rape or racist attacks.

Question 17

Briefly outline Lea and Young’s three related causes of crime.

Answer 17

• Relative deprivation:
• Subculture:
• Marginalisation:

Question 18

According to Young, what are the features of late modern society?

Answer 18

Instability, insecurity and exclusion which make the problem of crime worse.

Question 19

Why does Young see the 1950s and 1960s as a ‘Golden Age’?

Answer 19

Period of stability, security and exclusion, with full employment, a fairly comprehensive welfare state, low divorce rates and relatively strong communities. There was general consensus about right and wrong, and lower crime rates.

Question 20

Briefly outline the changes to society since the 1970s.

Answer 20

• Insecurity and exclusion have increased.
• Deindustrialisation + loss of unskilled jobs has increased unemployment.
• Most jobs low paid/short term

Question 21

Why has there been an increase in the sense of relative deprivation in society?

Answer 21

• Greater inequality between rich and poor and spread of free market values encouraging individualism.
• Growing contrast between cultural inclusion and economic exclusion

Question 22

Briefly outline the contrast between cultural inclusion and economic exclusion identified by Young.

Answer 22

• Media-saturated late modern society promotes cultural inclusion.
• Greater emphasis on leisure, personal consumption and immediate gratification.
• Despite ideology of meritocracy, the poor are denied opportunities to gain the ‘glittering prizes of a wealthy society.’

Question 23

In what way is Young’s view of cultural inclusion and economic exclusion similar to Merton’s notion of anomie?

Answer 23

Society creates crime by setting cultural goals, while denying people the opportunity to achieve the, by legitimate means.

Question 24

Give an example to illustrate why there is a great trend towards relative deprivation in late modernity.

Answer 24

Widespread resentment at the undeservedly high rewards that some receive, whether top-flight footballers or ‘fat-cat’ bankers.

Question 25

Briefly outline how the amount and types of crime are changing in late modern society.

Answer 25

Crime is found increasingly throughout the social structure. Also nastier, with an increase in ‘hate crimes’ - often the result of relative deprivation downwards e.g racist attacks against asylum seekers.

Question 26

Briefly outline the changes to the reactions to crime in late modern society.

Answer 26

• LMS: more diverse + there’s less public consensus on right + wrong, so boundary between acceptable + unacceptable behaviour becomes blurred.
• Informal controls become less effective as families + communities disintegrate.
• Makes public more intolerant + leads to demands for harsher penalties + increased criminalisation of unacceptable behaviour.

Question 27

Why is a fall in the crime a problem for realist theories?

Answer 27

Suggests crime is not longer the major threat they’d originally claimed.

Question 28

In what sense has the government created a new ‘crime’ wave?

Answer 28

Introduction of ASBOs and IPNAs to control behaviour.
While the crime rate is going down, governments have replaced a new ‘crime’ wave or anti-social behaviour wave to replace it.

Question 29

Why do left realist criticise the military style of policing?

Answer 29

• Policing must be made accountable to local communities + deal with local concerns.
• Routine beat patrols: ineffective
• Search tactics: conflict

Question 30

What do left realists propose as an alternative form of policing?

Answer 30

Police/local communities relationship needs improvement: spend more time investigating crime, change priorities + involve public in making policing policy.

Question 31

Briefly explain what is meant by a multi-agency approach to crime.

Answer 31

Multiple agencies contribute to crime control, help prevent it and support victims.

Question 32

According to left realists, what are the causes of crime and what solutions do they offer?

Answer 32

• Causes of crime lie in the unequal structure of society + major structural changes are needed.
• Must deal with: inequality of opportunity + unfairness of rewards, tackle discrimination, provide decent jobs for everyone + improve housing.
• Become more tolerant of diversity + cease stereotyping whole groups as criminal.

Question 33

Briefly outline two examples of policies that were influenced by left realism.

Answer 33

• New Labour’s firmer approach to policing hate crimes, sexual assaults + DV, along with ASBOs, echoed left realist concerns to protect vulnerable groups from crime.
• New Labour’s New Deal for unemployed youth and their anti-truanting policies attempted to reverse exclusion of young people at risk of offending.

Question 34

Briefly outline three criticisms of left realism.

Answer 34

• Marxists: Fails to explain corporate crime, which is more harmful.
• Interactionists: because left realists rely on quantitative data from victim surveys, they cannot explain offenders’ motives.
• Henry + Milovanovic: it accepts authorities definition of crime as being street crime committed by the poor, instead of defining problem as being one of how powerful groups do more harm to the poor.

Question 35

In what ways are left realism and right realism similar?

Answer 35

• Both see crime as a real problem and fear of crime as rational.

Question 36

Briefly outline the differences between left realism and right realism.

Answer 36

• RR: Blame individual lack of self-control (crime).
• LR: Blame structural inequalities (crime).
• RR: Prioritise social order, achieved through tough stance against offenders (aim+solution).
• LR: Prioritise justice, achieved through democratic policing + reforms to create greater equality (aim+solution).

Question 37

What do Bennet et al argue crime is the result of?

Answer 37

“Growing up surrounded by deviant, delinquent, and criminal adult in a practically perfect criminogenic environment - that is, [one] that seems almost consciously designed to produce vicious, predatory unrepentant street criminals.”