THEORIES OF CRIME - REALISM Flashcards
realist criminology accepts…
typical criminal in police recorded figures even if flawed it does represent real crime
what do realist criminologists challenge?
traditional theories e.g. func, marx, fem for being too idealistic
realist criminology focuses on what?
problems caused by crime on victims in society
traditional theories need to offer practical solutions to address crime
what is the different between left and right realism?
left focuses on social injustice and ineq, whereas right blames individuals and focuses on solutions to control
what 3 sociologists must we remember for right realism?
Wilson
Wilson and Kelling
Wilson and Hernstein
Wilson challenges mainstream criminology and suggests crime can be accounted for by 3 factors…
1 - young males most likely to commit crime, as they are aggressive and have short-term prospects
2 - changes to benefits and costs in crime e.g. economy and unemployment
3 - social and cultural changes such as fam, edu, religion that influence norms and values
Wilson says that these factors in crime are uncontrollable and governments cannot prevent crime and it can only be addressed by…..
enforcing the law so the thought of punishment stops them from committing crime
how can social order be maintained according to Wilson?
police can visibly clamp down on crime, leading to more people reporting crime and being involved in informal social control
Wilson and Kelling said crime will happen more due to ….. leading to their ‘Broken Windows’ theory
criminal culture, where crime will cause community to change behaviour, stay indoors leading no one to challenge crime causing urban decay such as ‘Broken Windows’ where good people will move away and criminality will flourish
Wilson and Herrnstein emphasise the…
biological element to criminal behaviour that will be heightened if they lack socialisation
where do Wilson and Herrnstein believe criminal trends can be stopped?
when people are in a strong nuclear family, as right N+V are rought
where do Wilson and Herrnstein believe proper socialisation is not provided?
single parent families or those that lack a commitment to society’s N+V
what is the main challenge towards right realism?
too much focus
on the failures in social control and punishment
what sociologists criticises right realism?
Young who says that deviance and control cannot be studied independently of each other and they are part of the same equation
what do left-realists argue about left thinkers?
accept white-collar crime and corporate crime, but feel they are overexaggerated by left thinkers and don’t pay attention to any other crime
what do left realists focus on?
focus on street crime and the fear surrounding it
who made the square of crime?
Matthews and Young
what is the square of crime a reminder of?
reminder to criminologists that crime arises at an intersection
what should understanding of the roles of the victim and offender be put with?
understanding of the role of public opinion and informal control through media, peers, fam etc
what is the fourth element of the square of crime?
state which is formal agencies of social control such as gov, police, CJS
what two elements of the square of crime intersect?
state and informal control as public can influence government policy and police practice and vice versa
what did Young find about society?
we are in an ‘exclusive society’
what did Young develop ideas about?
relative deprivation and said that society excludes people
what does the exclusive society lead to?
the breakdown of communities and families -> an increase of crime -> fear and scapegoating -> more divisions
what does Young think comes from the right wing?
society that is becoming less tolerant and people acting more harshly to those who are excluded
what tends to happen to the disadvantaged in the exclusive society?
get blamed from crim activity -> fear -> more divisions
what are left realists challenged for?
lack of evidence on the motives of offenders
views similar to radical criminology
solutions such as stopping inequality are seen as unrealistic
