Realist theories of crime Flashcards
what do left and right realists focus on
focus on finding a solution to crime have had a big influence on social policy in britain and america.
what is the realist theory
- crime is a problem, not just social construction
- there has been significant rise in crime esp street crime
- concerned about how widespread it is
- other theorists have failed to other realistic solutions
how does right realism (neo conventional) see crime
- crime is a real problem- destroys communities undermines social cohesion and threatens work ethic
- right realists approach very influential ‘zero tolerance’ policies
less concerned about causes of crime reduction policies
what three factors do right realists argue is a product of crime
- biological differences
- socialisation and the underclass
- rational choice theory
what do Wilson and Herrnstein say about biological differences being a cause of crime
traits such as aggressiveness, extroversion and low intelligence makes some people strongly predisposed to commit crime
why is socialisation and the underclass seen as a cause of crime
effective socialisation decreases the risk of deviance. Murray argues that crime is increasing due to ‘new rabble’ who are defined by deviant behaviour and don’t socialize kids
why is rational choice theory seen as a cause of crime
Clarke- decision to commit crime is a choice based on rational calculation. If rewards outweigh the costs. people likely to offend. punishment is lenient, crime rates have risen
- ferson presence of guardian defers crime
what is A03 for right realists causes of crime
- ignores structural causes like poverty
- doesnt explain compulsive crime
- over emphaises biological eg 3% difference in Q
what is said about tackling crime
- crime prevention policies should reduce rewards of crime and increase costs ‘ target hardneing’
what did wilson and kelling say about tackling crime
‘broken windows’ : any sign of deteriation such as vandalism should be dealt with immediately zero tolerance policies, police patrolling streets led to huge crime reduction in new York
what is said about the urban myth
young- zero tolerance is a myth paddles by politicians to take the credit for failing crime
- ignored corporate crime
- gave police free reign to discriminate
what sociologists have not taken crime seriously
- marxists: concentrated on corporate crime
- neo marxists: romanticise WC criminals
- labelling theorists: neglect real victims
what is the Aetiological crisis
1950s increase in crime, lead to a crisis in exploitation , some argued it was an increase in reporting. Cite BCS and VS disadvantaged groups likely to be victims
what do lea and young say about what causes crime
- relative deprivation
- subculture
- marginalisation
what do lea and young say about relative deprivation
how deprived someone is in relation to others. this can lead to crime when they resent others for unfairly having more resulting in crime.
what does young say about relative deprivation
not just the only reason for crime but the combination of relative deprivation and individualisation
what do left realists say about subculture
subculture is a groups reaction to the problem of relative deprivation. but different groups may produce different subculture groups eg some may turn to religion
how do marginalised groups cause crime
unemployed youths are marginalised, they have no clear goals but a sense of resentment and frustration. being powerless to express their goals they result to crime
what did young say about late modernity
argues that we are in a stage where crime is getting worse as things are unstable
what do left realists say about policing and control
argues that police clear up rates are too low to stop crim, also police spend to little time investigating crime. They argue that the public must help stop crime
what do left realists argue about military policing
the police rely on the public to help with policing but the public no longer trust the police and give them information so the police resort to military policing
what do left realist say about givermnent policy
left realists have more influence on government policy than most theorists of crime
evaluation of left realism
- interactionists argue that, because left relists rely on quantitaive data from victim surveys, they cannot explain victims data
- it focuses on high crime inner city areas gives an unrepresentative view and make crime appear as a much bigger problem
what are the differences between left realists and right
left realists:
- blame structural inequalities
- prioritise justice
right realists
- blame lack of individual lack of self control
- prioritise social order + tough stances
