Realist Theories of Crime Flashcards
What was left realism developed from?
Developed from weaknesses of Marxists views of crime which:
- romanticised offenders
- ignored victims
- ignores the cause of crime
What do left realists argue crime is caused by?
Caused by structural inequalities in society
What three factors have left realists identified as causes of crime?
Relative deprivation
Marginalisation
Subcultures
What is relative deprivation?
Being deprived in relation to others
What is relative deprivation encourage by?
The media
What is cultural inclusion and economic exclusion?
Cultural inclusion - media advertising includes everyone
Economic exclusion - many are excluded from buying products due to poverty
Why might cultural inclusion and economic exclusion increase crime?
May turn to crime to get the economic goods, particularly when connected with individualism
What is marginalisation?
Refers to social groups who are pushed to the edges of society and left out
e.g. unemployed - no one to represent their interests?
What does marginalisation cause?
Causes resentment and frustration which can lead to non-utilitarian crimes
Why do left realists argue some may turn to subcultures?
Some people may turn to a subculture to resolve their feelings of relative deprivation or marginalisation
Could lead to either utilitarian or non-utilitarian crimes
What are left realists solutions to tackle crime?
Improve policing - more police accountability, strong relationships with the local community, multi-agency approach
Tackle structural inequalities - i.e. poverty through improved education and job opportunities, better housing etc.
What are the criticisms of left realists views of crime?
Recognises the impact crime can have on its victims
Marxists argue left realists focus too much on street crime and ignore corporate crime
Not everyone who is marginalised or experiences relative deprivation responds with crime
What do right realists believe crime is based on?
Believe crime is based on rational choice
What are right realists concerned with?
Concerned with the growing underclass
Who are the underclass?
The underclass are people at the bottom of the social ladder who are welfare-dependent and fail to socialise their children properly
What are the two main right realist approaches to crime prevention?
Situational crime prevention
Environmental crime prevention
What does Clarke argue the aim of situational crime prevention is?
Argue it aims to make crime less attractive by increasing the risks and reducing the benefits of committing a criminal act
Based on rational choice theory
What are the two types of situational crime prevention?
Target hardening
Surveillance
What is target hardening?
Reducing the opportunities to offend by making it physically harder to commit crime
e.g. alarms, anti-climb pain
What is surveillance?
Increasing the risk of making the criminal more likely to be seen
e.g. CCTV, neighbourhood watch etc.
What are the weaknesses of situational crime prevention?
Causes displacement- people commit crimes somewhere where there’s no surveillance
Assumes crimes are rational - not all are calculated and planned e.g. crimes of passion
What does Wilson argue about crime and social disorder?
Argues crime and social disorder are closely linked
What is the broken window theory?
If one window is left broken, more broken windows will appear
Solution - repair broken windows, remove litter etc.
What is zero tolerance policing?
Aim was to crack down hard on the first signs of petty disorder
e.g. begging, jaywalking
Developed in New York in the 1990s
