Right Realist View of C&D

Question 1

Right Realism

Answer 1

• Seek practical crime CONTROL measures - worry less about finding the causes of crime and more about controlling crime
• Labelling and critical criminologists are too sympathetic on the criminal - crime is a choice - they provide too many excuses for criminals (labelling & poverty etc)
• Need to GET TOUGH on criminals
• the 3 causes of crime are:
  1. Biological differences
  2. Underclass / (faulty Socialisation
  3. Rational choice theory

Question 2

James Q.Wilson (1975)

Answer 2

• in the 60s in the USA
• anti-poverty programmes were accompanied with an increase in crime rates
• LR ideologies are not true - poverty is not the cause of crime

Question 3

Ron Clarke

Answer 3

• Since the end of WW2 (1945) there have been steadily rising incomes in the UK
• But crime rates have been rising not falling
• LR ideologies are not true - poverty is not the cause

Question 4

Evaluation of Ron Clarke

Answer 4

• Are incomes rising equally?
• Is there still inequality in society?
• this causes status frustration (A.Cohen) and strain (Merton)

Question 5

What do RR believe are the 3 causes of crime?

Answer 5

1.BIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES - Hernstein &Murray, Wilson & Hernstein

2. UNDERCLASS / (FAULTY) SOCIALISATION - Charles Murray
3. RATIONAL CHOICE THEORY - Marcus Felson

BUS R

Question 6

causes of crime - Biological Differences

Answer 6

• HERSTEIN & MURRAY (1994) - the main cause of crime is low intelligence (they argue this is biologically determined)
• WILSON & HERNSTEIN (1985) - use a biosocial theory - some people are innately more predisposed to commit crime - due to personality traits like extroversion & aggressiveness which makes them risk-takers with non self control who act on impulse

Question 7

Evaluation of Hersntein & Murray
(biological differences)

Answer 7

Some crime takes high levels of intelligence to complete

EG Tax fraud or Anna Sorokin - scammed wealthy socialites

Question 8

Evaluation of Wilson & Hernstein
(biological differences)

Answer 8

• If some people are more innately predisposed to commit crime why can’t we screen for this?
• Some people may channel these personality traits (extroversion & aggressiveness) into other areas (not crime) - EG sports.

Question 9

Causes of crime - Underclass / (faulty socialisation

Answer 9

• Faulty socialisation = not in a nuclear family and stable environment
• Faulty socialisation = kids do not learn self control or internalise moral values of right and wrong and pass this on to their kids
• CHARLES MURRAY (1994) - of the New Right - misguided, generous welfare benefits have created an underclass and a mass of single parents that spawn delinquents - the underclass live in a separate world to respectable people and they are characterised by reckless and feckless behaviours
• The 2011 London Riots were blamed on an Underclass that had not internalised society’s moral values

Question 10

Causes of Crime - Rational Choice Theory

Answer 10

• Criminals are rational - weigh up cost and benefits of committing crime
• crime is committed when chances of getting a reward are at a maximum and chances of getting caught are low
• if crime is more profitable than getting a job then crime rate increases as it is a form of cost / benefit
• The response to this is to make it harder to get away with crime - make punishment harsher
• crime rate is increasing because the perceived costs of crime are low - there is too little chance of being caught and if they are caught criminals are treated leniently
• MARCUS FELSON (1998) - the presence of ‘capable guardians’ (policemen % neighbours) deters crime - they tip the cost-benefit analysis of committing crime (increase the chances of being caught) - Crime can be influenced by the state as they choose where to use their resources and policemen.

Question 11

The 8 Practical Solutions to crime

Answer 11

1. PROACTIVE POLICING - zero tolerance / more police patrolling the streets
2. BROKEN WINDOWS POLICY - (USA) if an area begins to look run down then it seems like no one cares for that are so criminals think that no one will care if they commit a crime in that area - in America they put a lot of money into rough-looking areas (planted flowers etc) and crime plummeted.
3. STRONG COMMUNITIES - naming and shaming criminals (EG in newspapers) creates a stronger bond between non-criminals - EVAL = this does just reinforce labelling whoch causes reoffending
4. TARGET HARDENING - making it harder to commit crime EG better lighting, security gates etc
5. SITUATION MANAGEMENT / DEFENSIBLE SPACING - managing the situation and trying to prevent crime before it happens (more police patrolling etc)
6. CRIME DETERRENCE - putting people off committing crime through the law
7. SWIFT AND LENGTHY IMPRISONMENT FOR THOSE WHO DISOBEY THE LAW - at the moment it can take months for cases to go through court and sentences are often short and not fully completed by inmates

Question 12

Criticisms of Right Realism

Answer 12

1. ignores wider structural issues (EG poverty - LR
2. Overstates the rationality of criminals - what about violent / heat of the moment crime?
3. Rational choice conflicts with Biological differences
4. IQ differences only account for less than 3% of crime
5. Ignores corporate crime - must be intelligent to commit corporate crime
6. over-emphasis on control rather than the causes of neighbourhood solidarity decline