realist theories of crime - topic 4 Flashcards
causes of crime - right realist
reject marxist ideas
cr product of 3 factors; indiv biological differences, inadequate socialisation, indiv rational choice 2 offend
biological differences - right realist
wilson/hernstein; biosocial theory of criminal behaviour
bio differences b/w indiv make some people innately +re strongly predisposed 2 commit cr ie. aggression
hernstein/murray; arg main cause of cr is low intelligence wh seen as biologically determined
socialisation and the underclass - right realist
murray; cr increases bec of growing underclass who fail to socialise children properly
this is growing bec of welfare dependency wh led to decline in marriage/increase lone parent fami
mother/children don’t need to rely on man due to benefits
how. lone par fami is ineffective socialisation agent esp 4 bs
absence of fathers means bs turn to delinquent role models on streets wh increase cr
how. critics say that no evidence young people raised in lone par fami +re likely to commit cr
rational choice theory - right realist
assumes indiv has free will and power of reason
ron clarke; arg decision to commit cr based on rational calculation of consequences
if reward of cr greater then people +re likely to offend
costs of cr and punishment r low so people commit cr
felson; for cr to happen there must be a motivated offender, suitable target and absence of capable guardian
criticisms of rational choice theory - right realist
1 ign wider structures ie. poverty
2 overstates offenders rationality/ does not explain impulsive/violent cr
3 rational point conflicts w. biological point/socialisation
tackling cr - right realist
seek practical measures to make cr less attractive
main focus; control, containment, punishment rather then removing causes
cr prevention policies need to increase costs of cr and decrease rewards ex. +re use of prisons
zero tolerance policy towards undesirable petty behaviour ie. begging/drunkenness
police should focus on streets so citizens feel safe
target hardening and broken window thesis
tackling crime criticisms - right realist
1 zero tolerance policy introduced in new york, young; arg ‘success’ was myth made by politicians and police who keen to take credit for cr but cr rate was already decreasing 9 years before
police arrested people 4 minor deviant acts wh they used 2 say was the reason 4 decline in cr
2 ign corporate cr and only full of petty cr
3 police discriminated against minorities ie. homeless
4 over emphasis of control of disorder
5 led to displacement of cr to other areas
relative deprivation (causes of cr) - left realism
living standards increased and so did cr
runciman; how deprived someone feels to others can lead to cr and people resent others unfairly
lea/young; people more aware of material deprivation thru media wh raises expectations
young; combo of relative deprivation/individualism causes cr as increased individualism causes disintegration of families/communities by undermining values of mutual support
this weakens informal control over group wh increases anti social beh and cr
subculture (causes of cr) - left realism
subculture is groups collective solution to problems of relative depriv
some turn to cr and some to religion ex saints
crim subcultures still subscribe to goals/values of mainstream soc
ex. ghettos in USA w american dream who turn to street cr to achieve as legitimate way blocked
marginalisation (causes of cr) - left realism
this gr lack clear goals/organisations 2 represent them
unemployed youth r marginalised w no goals/organisations they have resentment/frustration
being powerless to use politics 2 improve their position so express frustration thru violence/rioting
late modernity, excision and crime - left realism
resulting exclusion is amount/types of cr changing in late mod soc
cr fou thru social structure not just at the bottom
relative depriv downwards results in hate cr/racist attacks
families/communities disintegrating as informal control less effective which make public +re intolerant wh leads 2 harsher penalties/ increased criminalisation of unacceptable beh
preventing and tackling crime - left realism
want to reduce cr in soc by +re community based improvements yet not using harsh punishments like imprisonment
1 ethnic min police - bec ethnic min often victim of institutional racism
2 community policing - permanent police in these areas
3 community service - bring back sense of community so people help each other
4 community centres - promotes/integrates social solidarity
5 cctv
tackling the structural causes of crime - left realism
causes of cr lie in unequal structure of soc
must deal with inequality of opportunity, unfairness if rewards and jobs 4 everyone
must become +re tolerant of diversity/stop stereotyping whole gr as criminals
left realism and government policy
LR views similar to new labour government
stance on ‘tough of cr’ and tough on causes of cr
new labours approach to policing and hate cr similar LR concern to protect vulnerable groups
young; criticises as many of policies r doomed and don’t lead to secure permanent jobs or community
the government have just addressed symptoms b not acc done anything
evaluation of left realism
1 henry et al; arg LR accepts authorities definition of cr as st cr committed by poor, marxists arg ign corporate cr
2 interactionists; rely on quantitative data fr victim surveys wh doesn’t expl offenders motives
3 subcultural theory assumes everyone has a value consensus and cr happens when this breaks down
4 relative depriv only part of explanation as not all poor turn to cr, they over predict amount cr
5 only focus on high cr in inner city areas wh gives unrep view and makes cr appear greater than is
