Right Realism Flashcards
All key words on right realism in crime
Value consensus, morality, community, rational choice, incivilities, underclass, dependency culture
Key words of right realism in crime
Murray, Wilson, Wilson and kelling, Cornish and clarke
Wilson
He argues that attempts to tackle crime are pointless and the best thing to do is reduce the impact crime has on people’s lives.
Heavier punishment will deter criminals as there is a greater chance of detection not because of
the heavy sanction.
Strengths of right realism in crime and deviance
Has been praised for recognising crime
is a real problem, not just some people
being labelled
Has attempted to suggest ways crime
might be reduced, so is practical not
just theoretical
Does not appear as sympathetic to criminals as both traditional Marxists and Interactionists
it recognises the importance of
community solutions to crime and we
need victims, offenders, the police and
the public involve in reducing crime
Limitations of right realism in crime and deviance
Some of their solutions to crime appear
to be either very long Term and/or
expensive
Marxists criticise them for ignoring the
really serious crimes of the rich and
powerful
Interactionists maintain the crime
statistics really are distorted by police
attitudes, for example where they
choose to police
It relies on victim surveys which measure
the extent and fear of crime yet these
may be focussed on some crimes not
others.
Cornish and clarke rational choice theory
Cornish and Clarke (1980) Rational choice theory:
This is the belief that the decision to commit a crime is based on a rational calculation of the likely
consequences.
The perceived cost of crime Vs the rewards of the crime. They believe that crime is
committed when the benefit outweighs the cost.
Wilson and kelling
Broken Windows Thesis
Wilson and Kelling (1982) developed the broken windows thesis. This suggests that unless anti- Social behaviour or what they called “incivilities” is kept to a minimum there will be a gradual deterioration of neighbourhoods. With vandalism, noise and litter comes a sense of anything goes.
All right realist policies
Zero tolerance policing
CCTV surveillance
Target hardening
Deterrence sentencinh
Strengths of right realism in crime and deviance
.It addresses the immediate Cause of
crime and provides policies for
reducing crime.
It recognises that if minor problems like
anti-social behaviour aren’t nipped in
the bud they grow into more serious
crime.
It recognises like left realism the
importance of community control and
response to crime in affecting crime levels.
Limitations of right realism in crime and deviance
It does not address wider structural causes
of crime that other theories do.
It suggests zero tolerance will decrease
crime yet it may create hostility and in fact
increase crime.
Zero tolerance may lead to focus being
placed on minor offences and the
resources will be taken up rather than
focussing on serious offences.
It does not include white collar crime and
corporate crime.
It assumes all offenders are rational and
weigh up cost and benefits.
