Right Realism

Question 1

How do realist approaches differ from the last 2 theories??

Answer 1

• argue there has been a significant rise in the crime rate
• are concerned about the widespread fear of crime and the impact of crime on its victims
• argue that other theories have failed to offer realistic solutions to the problem of crime.

Question 2

What are the 2 realist approaches?

Answer 2

1. Right realists share the New Right / neo-conservative political outlook and support a tough stance on crime, with increased use of prison
2. Left realists are socialists and favour quite different policies for reducing crime

Question 3

How do Right Realist theories link to Functionalist + subcultural theories on crime?

Answer 3

All 3 theories tend to focus on WC crimes, ignore crimes of the rich and powerful, trust official statistics, focus on male crime and ignore ethnicity, police labelling and discrimination.

Question 4

How are Right Realist theories different to Functionalist and Subcultural theories?

Answer 4

They are more political - linked to the conservative party in particular and more practical in that they offer more solutions to crime.

Question 5

How do realists see crime?

Answer 5

As a real problem to be tackled.

Question 6

When did realist theories emerge?

Answer 6

1970s and 1980s

Question 7

What shift in official thinking took place?

Answer 7

• shift in official thinking away from the search for causes of crime and towards a search for practical measures of crime
• tough stance towards offenders and their view that the best way to reduce crime was through control and punishment rather than rehabilitating offenders.

Question 8

What are the 3 causes of crime according to right realists?

Answer 8

1. Individual biological differences
2. Inadequate socialisation
3. The individual’s rational choice to offend / rational choice theory

Question 9

How might biological differences be an issue?

Answer 9

Biological differences make some people innately more strongly predisposed to commit crimes.

Question 10

Who puts forward a biosocial theory of criminal behaviour?

Answer 10

Wilson + Herrnstein

Question 11

How might biological differences be an issue?

Answer 11

Biological differences make some people innately more strongly predisposed to commit crimes.
- Personality traits such as aggressiveness + risk taking put some people at greater risk of offending
- The main cause of crime is low intelligence, which is biologically determined.

Question 12

Which right realist talks about inadequate socialisation?

Answer 12

Charles Murray

Question 13

Who does Murray blame for the increasing crime rate?

Answer 13

The crime rate is increasing because of a growing underclass / new rabble who fail to socialise their children properly/

Question 14

What does Murray argue?

Answer 14

The welfare state’s generous revolution allows increasing numbers of people to become dependent on the state which has led to the decline of marriage and growth of lone parent families.

However lone mothers are ineffective socialisation agents, especially for boys. Absent fathers mean boys lack paternal discipline and appropriate male role models which means they turn to delinquent male role models on the street and gain status through crime rather than supporting their families through a steady job.

Question 15

What is rational choice theory?

Answer 15

Assumes that individuals have free will and the power of reason. The decision to commit crime is a choice based on a rational calculation of the likely consequences. If the perceived rewards of crime outweigh the perceived costs, or if the rewards of crime appear to be greater than those of non-criminal behaviour, people will be likely to offend.

Question 16

Give some criticisms of the right realist explanation?

Answer 16

• ignores wider structural causes such as poverty
• overstates offender’s rationality and how far they make cost-benefit calculations before committing a crime. While it may explain some utilitarian crime, it may not explain impulsive or violent crime.
• its view of criminals as rational actors freely choosing crime conflicts with its claim that their behaviour is determined by their biology and socialisation. It also over emphasises biological differences.

Question 17

How should crime be tackled?

Answer 17

Seek practical measures to make crime less attractive. Their main focus is on control, containment and punishment of offenders rather than eliminating the underlying causes of offending or rehabilitating them.

Question 18

What should be put in place to tackle crime?

Answer 18

Crime prevention policies
Zero tolerance

Question 19

How should crime prevention policies be changed to tackle crime?

Answer 19

Crime prevention policies should reduce the rewards and increase the costs of crime to the offender e.g. greater use of prison and ensuring punishments follow soon after the offence

Question 20

Describe zero tolerance

Answer 20

Advocate a zero tolerance policy towards undesirable behaviour such as prostitution, begging and drunkenness. The police should focus on controlling the streets so law-abiding citizens feel safe.

Question 21

However what does Young argue?

Answer 21

Police need arrests to justify their existence, and New York’s shortage of serious crime lead to police arresting people for minor deviant acts.

Question 22

Give some criticisms of zero tolerance

Answer 22

• It is preoccupied with petty street crime and ignores corporate crime, which is more costly and harmful
• it gives the police free rein to discriminate against minorities, youth, the homeless etc.
• it over-emphasises control of disorder rather than tackling the causes of neighbourhood decline such as lack of investment
• zero tolerance and target hardening just lead to displacement of crime to other areas.