Right Realism + Crime Flashcards
Right Realism - Intro
• Crime is a real problem
• Other theories produce no solution
• Should have zero tolerance
- Best way to reduce crime is control + punishment
Right Realism - Causes of Crime - Biological Differences - Wilson + Hernstein
• Bio differences make some more strongly predisposed to commit crime
- Personality traits: aggressiveness, extraversion, risk taker = high offending risk
Right Realism - Causes of Crime - Biological Differences - Hernstein + Murray
• Main cause of crime is low intelligence (UC) - biologically determined
Right Realism - Causes of Crime - Bio Differences - Evaluation of Murray
• Murray claims uc are less intelligent
- isn’t proven as IQ testing is culturally bias towards white mc
Right Realism - Causes of Crime - Socialisation + Underclass - Murray
• Effective socialisation decreases bio risk
- learn self control + internal values
- Best agency is NF
• Crime is increasing because of increasing under class (single mum, long term unemployed) failing to socialise children properly
- Growing because of welfare dependency
• Leads to Declining marriage + more Lone Parents, more single mothers (inadequate socialisation) + absent fathers (boys lack discipline)
**Right Realism - Causes of Crime - Socialisation + Underclass - Bennett - people grow up around
• Crims is result of growing up surrounded by delinquent + Criminal adults in a criminogenic env
Right Realists - Evaluating Socialisation + Underclass
• It’s victim blaming
- poverty + biased ISA causes higher wc crime
- solution of cutting benefits = more crime
Right Realism - Causes - Rational Choice Theory - Clarke- Calculation
• Choice to commit crime is rational calculation of consequences
- if rewards outweigh cost = crime
Right Realism - Causes - Rational Choice Theory - Wilson - low cost
• Perceived costs of crime are low so crime has increased
- View little risk of being caught + punished as lenient
Right Realism - Causes - Rational Choice Theory - Guardian present - Felson
• Routine Activity Theory
- For crime to occur must be:
• Motivated offender, suitable target + absence of capable guardian (police)
- Offenders assumed to act rationally, guardian present deters them
Right Realism - Rational Choice Evaluation + Marxists
• Crime isn’t always rationally motivated (under influence, manslaughter)
• Marxists –> believe increasing capable guardians can cause too much policing + reduce people’s liberties
• Marxists claim any increase in police is selectively enforced
- amplifies Deviance then divides + conquers wc - blame each other for soc problems - distracts from mc crime
Right Realists - Solutions - Wilson + Kelling - Zero Tolerance + Example
• Must have a zero tolerance/broken window policing approach
- prevention policies increase cost of crime on offender
• Wilson + Kelling –> any signs of small deternce should be punished
• New York City - Example
- Always had high crime, till aggressive law + order policy launched to cracks down on minor offences
Right Realists - Evaluation of Solutions - Young, Marxists + Interactionist
• Young –> Success in New York was a myth, crime rate was falling since 1985, police re labeling minor offences as serious to justify job
• Marxists –> Too occupied with street crime + not mc
• Interactionists –> Gives police free reign to label offenders
- pushes crime to other areas –> Deviance amplification
