Right and left Realism Flashcards
Who’s views on what causes crime do Right realists align with? What are they more concerned with?
Who do they agree with regarding how to prevent crime?
-Right realists align with the views of the New Right and Functionalists on what causes crime.
-They are more interested in how to prevent crime and than what causes it.
-They agree with Hirshci that strong social bonds and tight knit communities help prevent crime, alongside firm policing of acceptable behaviour.
What do Right Realists argue urban communities have become in the late 20th century? Do gov’t policies work?
What do they propose on how to deal with crime?
-Right Realists argue that rapid social change in the late 20th century has made urban communities less cohesive, and gov’t policies have failed to properly deal with those who commit deviant acts.
-They propose a much tougher approach to minor deviance, arguing that this makes for stronger communities preventing more serious crime.
Who invented the Broken Window’s theory?
What does it argue greatly impacts the rate of deviance?
What is the broken window analogy?
-James Wilson & Keiling
-Levels of deviance are greatly impacted by the extent to which a community regulates itself.
-A broken window, left unreplaced, is a sign that a community is not regulating itself and minor crime will go unpunsihed.
What solution for the broken window analogy did Right realists create?
What is the view regarding the replicability of broken windows?
Where was this influential? Statistics proving its success?
-The solution was zero-tolerance policing and various ways for the criminal justice system to take a much stronger line on anti-social behaviour and acts considered ‘minor’.
-Right realists argue where there is one broken window, there will be many.
-Particularly influential in NY in the 1990s. People got custodial sentences for repeated relatively minor offences(washing cars, drug possession, ‘jay-walking’).
-All crime levels in NY fell(there was a 50% fall in homicides.)
How could economic changes reflect the drop in crime rates in NY instead of Broken window policing?
Who was disproportionately affected by this policing?
What do postmodernists argue instead of a lack of community as being the reason for crime unlike Right realists?
-The period of Broken window policing was also a period of economic growth. Some say the fall in crime rates was down to that.
-Evidence suggests the policy disproportionately affected those from minority-ethnic groups and from low income backgrounds. Whether police chose to do something about public drunkness for instance depended on who and where.
-Postmodernists argue crime is not down to rational choice. Instead criminals commit crime based on the appeal gained by the thrill in taking risks.
What do left realists agree with right realists about theories of crime (marxism) and their relationship with policy makers?
What theory influenced many left realists?
-Left realists agree with right realists that theories of crime, including marxism, do not help policy makers or help deal with crime as a real problem.
-Many left realists were initially attracted to marxism.
What did Lea and Young criticise about the ‘left idealism of Marxist thought’?
-Crime is a very real problem and particularly for the working class.
-Therefore, any working class politics had to tackle crime(not just interest itself in white collar and corporate crime).
According to left realists what is crime caused by?
What do they suggest gov’t should do to solve this issue?
What famous Tony Blair quote illustrates this?
-According to left realists crime is caused by:
-Relative deprivation(inequality rather than poverty),
-Marginalisation/social exclusion and subcultures.
-They argue gov’ts need to introduce policies to resolve these problems.
-Argued for consensus policing so that communities would trust and work with the police; agencies should work together to make society fairer and more equal.
Tony Blair: ‘Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime’.
Does everyone agree with the realistic aspect of left realism?
Why do feminists criticise left realism as malestream criminology?
When the coalition gov’t (2010-15) introduced elected police commissioners was there high public interest?
What do Marxists argue about reforms?
-NO. Some argue that it is still quite idealistic rather than realistic.
-Feminists argue if crime is caused by marginalisation, how come men commit so many more crimes than women in a patriarchal society?
-NO. Support from the public was very low(e.g. very low turnout in the commissioners elections).
-Marxists argue that reforms will not solve inequality and marginalisation: only getting rid of capitalism will do that.
