Right Realism - Tackling Crime Flashcards
Outline the right realist view on tackling crime
They focus on crime prevention policies which should increase the costs of crime to the offender
Describe the broken windows theory
Wilson and Kelling claim that if we don’t tackle smaller crime (few broken windows) and signs of deterioration, it will become a bigger problem (even more windows will break)
How does the broken windows theory influenced the zero tolerance approach?
It’s an environmental crime prevention and has lead to crime being punished as harshly as possible even on small and petty offences
Give an example of zero tolerance being used
- When zero tolerance was first introduced in NY, it was applauded for reducing crime. But Young argues that its success’ was a myth peddled by politicians and police and that were keen to take credit for falling crime
- Crime rates in NY had already been declining before zero tolerance was introduced, and it was only criticised as police had been become too aggressive in handling petty crime, which only leads to certain people being labelled and frustrating which can lead to more crime
Describe ‘target hardening’
It’s a situational crime prevention, proposed by Clarke, and focuses on reducing the opportunities for crime
Give an example of ‘target hardening’ being used to tackle crime
- In the Felson case study, a NYC bus terminal was poorly designed and led to deviance behaviour such as drug dealing and rough sleeping happening there
- ‘Target hardening’ was used and the layout of the terminal changes to prevent the opportunity e.g. large sinks where the homeless bathed were replaced with small basins
What is a weakness of ‘target hardening’?
It only causes displacement, deviance will simply go to a new place as it doesn’t tackle the root causes of crime
