Right wing crime prevention

Question 1

What are the two types of crime prevention the right emphasise?

Answer 1

Situational crime prevention
Environmental crime prevention

Question 2

What does situational crime prevention focus on?

Answer 2

‘Target hardening’

Question 3

What is ‘target hardening’?

Answer 3

• Increasing security around targets of crime (like houses and cars).
• This can be done through installing alarms, better locks, and encouraging people to be safer. (e.g. not leaving money in car on show)

Question 4

What is an example of ‘target hardening’?

Answer 4

• Clarke: theft from phone boxes stopped when aluminium coin boxes were changed to steel.

Question 5

Who talks about theft from phone boxes?

Answer 5

Clarke

Question 6

What are examples of environmental crime prevention?

Answer 6

• CCTV, street lighting, and the design of housing estates.
• Town planners design areas to prevent crime, with public, semi-private and private space.
• Public areas are most vulnerable to crime as no-one has responsibility for them.
• Use of CCTV is growing, with there being 1 surveillance camera for every 11 people in the UK.

Question 7

What sociologists discuss street lighting?

Answer 7

Painter & Farrington

Question 8

What is the impact of lighting on crime?

Answer 8

It makes deviants more visible and encourages more people on the streets as they are well lit.

Question 9

What did Painter & Farrington find when street lighting was improved?

Answer 9

Crime decreased by 45% in experimental areas.

Question 10

What type of punishment do the right wing favour?

Answer 10

Harsh punishment/retribution, based on the idea that punishment must fit the crime.

Question 11

What has harsher penalties led to?

Answer 11

Public shaming

Question 12

How does harsher penalties and public shaming link to functionalism?

Answer 12

It links to the idea of ’degradation ceremonies’ and how they reinforce ‘collective conscience’ and acceptable boundaries of behaviour.

Question 13

How has retribution been shown in the US?

Answer 13

• Longer prison sentences and harsher regimes
• They introduced a ‘three strikes and you’re out’ policy, involving life imprisonment with no parole for the third offence.

Question 14

Who discusses the practicality of imprisoning offenders?

Answer 14

Murray

Question 15

What does Murray say about imprisoning offenders?

Answer 15

It practically takes them off the streets so no reoffending will occur. This must happen if crime rates are to be improved.

Question 16

Who discusses policing?

Answer 16

Wilson & Kelling

Question 17

What two forms of control do the right stress?

Answer 17

Policing
The welfare stare & the family

Question 18

What do Wilson & Kelling say about policing?

Answer 18

• We must prioritise the police’s role in ‘order maintenance’ e.g. increasing foot patrols.
• They should focus more on preventing crime than catching criminals, which will save money and reduce crime
• Should have zero tolerance policing, meaning aggressive policing of minor and anti social crime. (drugs, vandalism…). It should be tackled straight away to show it is not tolerated and re-emphasise our shared norms/values.

Question 19

What does Wilson & Kelling’s theory on policing believe?

Answer 19

Crime will reduce as social control is increased and a law abiding culture is reinforced.

Question 20

What impact did Wilson & Kelling’s policies, along side harsher punishments, have on the crime rates in the US?

Answer 20

Zimring stated homicide rates in NYC declined by 82%, although it was difficult to prove whether it was down to these strategies.

Question 21

Who talks about the Welfare state and the family?

Answer 21

Murray

Question 22

What does Murray say about the Welfare state and the family as a form of control?

Answer 22

• An overgenerous welfare system encourages ‘feckless’ behaviour and prevents families from taking responsibility.
• Benefits should be cut and if families cannot afford children they should be adopted.
• Involving the community in sanctioning reckless behaviour is more effective than tolerating it.

Question 23

How can the right wing view on crime prevention be evaluated?

Answer 23

• Crime not addressed. Criminals are just moved.
• Harsh punishments, like the death penalty, are challenged as there’s little evidence it works as places which have the death penalty have higher rates of crime than those that do not.
• Harsh punishment is irrelevant when someone doesn’t think they’ll be caught.
• Davis: Cities will be segregated and a culture of fear is created which can lead to negative racial views.