Realist theories on crime (left and right) Flashcards
what are the three causes of crime according to lea and young ?
relative deprivation
marginalisation
subculture
what does relative deprivation refer to?
how deprived people feel, however due to those at a disadvantage being surrounded by those with more material success nowadays, people feel they are taking what is theirs
what is an idea to support r/d?
explains why crime rates are higher in lse areas surrounded by hse areas
what is an argument against r/d?
fails to look at harm caused by white-collar crime
what does subculture refer to?
if your relatively deprived , you may join a group that are also relatively deprived so you have similar values, this may or may not cause you to turn to crime
what are arguments against the s/c view?
reliant on quantitative data so individual experiences are ignored and assumed irrelevant
what are examples of peaceful and criminal subcultures?
peaceful- rastas
criminal- gang
what are support for s/c theory?
would explain why there are more gangs in lse areas
what is known as marginalisation?
lack clear goals and organisations to represent their interests e.g. those on benefits struggle due to lack of qualifications
what ideas support marginalisation?
explains why re-offending rates are so high, as ex-offenders are often denied reintegration into society e.g. people will judge and therefore not employ them (easier to go back to prison)
what did young say?
some people faced blocked opportunities , so turn to crime in order to succeed e.g. easy money
what did Wilson and hernstein propose
the bio-social theory for crime
what is the bio-social theory of crime
some people are predisposed to commit crime
whats an example of the bio-social theory?
young males with testosterone will be impulsive and aggressive , w/c are less likely told how to control this , were as an old lady is not as capable or out of control
what is an evaluation of this study? (w+h)
explain why offending rates are so high for young males
what does murray suggest ?
explain crime through inadequate socialisation
some groups are not socialised to fit in with the value consensus of society
what an example for murray?
he describes the underclass as not being law-abiding or teaching their children to obey the rules of society
what is an evaluation of murray ?
ignores structural inequalities which some may argue are inevitable influences on crime e.g. hirshi ties to society may explain why crime rates are highest among working class males
what did Clarke suggest?
he proposed rational choice theory - offenders choose to commit a crime by weighing up the benefits and consequences
what examples are used to support clarkes theory ?
offending is more likely to occur in areas with less supervision (no police presence , cctv , less consequence)
what is some evaluation of Clarke ?
overstates how rational we are in committing crime e.g. violence is usually not rational
however offers a solution , increasing surveillance will increase the consequence
what do Wilson and kelling suggest?
argues that unless ‘uncivilities’ (litter, grafetti) are kept minimal , then wider anti-social behaviour and more serious crimes will follow
