Right Realism Flashcards
What are the three causes of crime according to right realists?
Biological/ psychological causes of crime
Inadequate socialisation
Rational choice theory
What do Wilson and Hernstein say regarding biological differences?
Believe that some ppl are innately more predisposed to crime than others. Could be due to personality traits.
Could also be due to low intelligence which Hernstein and Murray believe is biologically determined
Murray blames an increasing underclass for crime, these are?- inadequate socialisation?
defined by deviant behaviour and fail to socialise their children properly.
Why is the underclass increasing?- inadequate socialisation
people becoming more dependent on state leading to a decline in marriage and an increase in lone parent families.
Who are ineffective agents of socialisation according to Murray?- inadequate socialisation
lone mothers, they cannot provide paternal discipline to child or act as a male role model.
How can we challenge Murrays claims?- inadequate socialisation
Mooney- should x blame lone parent families, they are more likely to be victims of crime, 1 in 5 had experienced violence over the last 12 months.
What are the causes of crime according to Wilson and what does he say is the best solution?- rational choice theory
people are naturally selfish so will commit crimes, the solution is to reduce the impact it has on peoples lives, make criminals getting caught better.
How is this theory similar to functionalism?- rational choice theory
argues people are naturally selfish similar to functionalism control theory argues people are self-seeking
What is the importance of community in crime prevention?-rational choice theory
community can re-establish social cohesion and a sense of individuals being responsible
Why does Wilson say it is not important to find out the causes of crime?- rational choice theory
some people will always turn to crime therefore it is pointless to consider causes
Why would Marxists be critical of this theory?-rational choice theory
ignorance of white collar crime and its victims it can produce.
What are the right realist 3 solutions to crime?
zero tolerance policing
situational crime prevention
punishment
What is the broken window theory?
if area starts to decline, visible signs of deprivation like broken window indicate no one cares about the area, leads to more deviance. Tipping- problem families are dumped in these areas leading to more deviance.
What is zero tolerance policing?
authoritarian type of policing characterised by repression and force
examples- fining for littering, breaking up congregations of children.
criticism- oppressive policing means ppl could retaliate more, leads to hostility between public and police.
What is situational crime prevention?
makes deviance harder to achieve, if harder to achieve ppl wont commit crimes, through surveillance and more security.
however, if more surveillance could give impression there is something expensive to hide, this could just displace crime to other places.
What do Right and left realists think about punishment?
left-prison does not solve crime as results in labelling
right-prison is x particularly effective at boundary maintenance, however containment and harsh punishment of criminals may act as deterrents.
recidivism (re-offending)- 75% of ex-inmates reoffend w-in nine years of release, and 39% w-in first 12 months.
How can we criticise the biological causes of crime?
most criminals are highly intelligent.
many people who have psychological problems do x commit crimes.
