Right Realism Flashcards
What is right realism?
They say that we should have a free society and inequality is not a problem and is inevitable if people are trying to get as rich as they can
What did Ron Clarke do?
- rational choice theory
What did JQ wilson and herrnstein do?
- broken windows theory
- zero tolerance
- biosocial theory
What did Charles Murray do?
- dependency culture and the underclass
What did Marcus felson do?
- routine activity theory
What is the rational choice theory?
This was a theory by Ron Clarke. This is where criminals weigh up the risks of getting caught. You also look at the utilitarian gain and and the status gain. Putting these two together helps the person to consider weather it is worth it. This helps a criminologist to look for realistic crimes and find out why they are doing it.
What is the broken window theory?
This was a theory of Wilson and herrnstein. They said that if you deal with the evidence of crime then the crime is reduced. This is because if a criminal can see an area that crime is not being dealt with then they realise that they could do it as well. But if the police or other authority figures (formal social control or informal social control) clear up the evidence then criminals will realise that this is not an area where they can get away with it so crime reduces.
What is the zero tolerance theory?
This is a theory of Wilson and herrnstein. It is where there is no leniency towards a crime and no police discretion. If you pair this with the broken windows theory then it reduces the amount of crime. It is Avery reliable way to deal with crime.
What is the biosocial Theory?
This is another theory done by Wilson and herrnstein. They say that you can’t completely blame human behaviour on society, their genes also play a role. There are people with either mental issues or low impulse control. This means that they are more prone to aggression which in turns means that they are more prone to turning to crime. So these actions are due to a persons biological make-up. You can deal with this by having good socialisation taught from your upbringing.
What is the dependancy culture and the underclass?
This is Charles Murray’s theory. He says that the generous have a lot of people feeling very dependant on it. This means that there has been a decline in marriages and an increase in in line parent families. As women have more benefits men no longer need to work to support them so they have no involvement in their child’s life. However women are unable to socialise children on their own, especially boys. So as boys have a lack of a role model they look to other people and in the underclass this is usually on the streets. They begin to gain status in gangs and start committing crimes.
What is the routine activity theory?
This is a theory from Marcus Felson.
