Topic 4 - Realist Theories of Crime

Question 1

How do realists see crime?

Answer 1

Realists see crime as a real problem to be tackled, not just a social construction

Question 2

List the three things that realists argue

Answer 2

1. There has been a significant rise in the crime rate
2. There is a concern about the widespread fear of crime and the impact of crime on it’s victims
3. Other theories have failed to offer realistic solutions to the problems of crime

Question 3

When did realism emerge and what is it similar to?

Answer 3

1970s and 1980s
It is similar to the New Right

Question 4

What did the New Right government favour?

Answer 4

Rolling back the welfare state, which included less benefits, perverse incentives ( Murray) and they favoured a ‘get tough’ approach on crime with increased use of prison and a ‘short sharp shock’ approach to dealing with young offenders

Question 5

How are realist approaches divided along political lines?

Answer 5

Right realists = share the new right or neo-conservative political outlook and support the policies such as the ‘get tough’ scheme
Left realists = are socialists and favour quite different policies for reducing crime

Question 6

What did policy-makers argue about criminologists approach to crime?

Answer 6

Policy makers argued that ‘nothing works’, criminologists had produced many theories prof crime, but no workable solutions to curb the rising crime rate

Question 7

What was the result of policy makers calling out that a solution needs to found for crime rather than just theories?

Answer 7

This led to a shift in official thinking, away from the search for the causes of crime and towards a search for practical crime control measures.
The governments of the UK and USA also viewed that the best way to reduce crime was through control and punishment, rather than rehabilitating offenders or tackling causes of crime such as poverty as they were not interested in tackling poverty

Question 8

How does right realism view labelling and critical criminology?

Answer 8

Right realists regard theories such as labelling and critical criminology as too sympathetic to the criminal and too hostile to the forces of law and order
Right realists are less concerned to understand the causes of crime and more concerned to provide what they see as realistic solutions.

Question 9

Although their main emphasis is on …………… they do offer an explanation of the causes of …….

Answer 9

Although their main emphasis is on crime reduction strategies , they do offer an explanation of the causes of crime

Question 10

Right realists reject the idea put forward by ………….

Answer 10

Right realists reject the idea put forward by Marxists and others that structural or economic factors such as poverty and inequality are the causes of crime

Question 11

Provide an example of why right realists are against the Marxists view

Answer 11

They point out that the old tend to be poor yet they have a very low crime rate.

Question 12

What are the three factors crime is a product of according to right realists?

Answer 12

1. Individual biological differences
2. Inadequate socialisation
3. Individuals rational choice to offend

Question 13

What theorists are connected to Biological Differences

Answer 13

Wilson and Herrnstein

Question 14

What did Wilson and Herrnstein put forward?

Answer 14

Wilson and Herrnstein put forward a biosocial theory of criminal behaviour. In their view, crime is caused by a combination of biological and social factors

Question 15

Biological differences between individuals make some people ……

Answer 15

Biological difference between individuals make some people innately more strongly predisposed to commit crime than others.

Question 16

Provide an example for biological differences

Answer 16

Personality traits such as aggressiveness, risk taking and low impulse control put some people at greater risk of offending

Question 17

What does Herrnstein and Murray argue?

Answer 17

Herrnstein and Murray argue that the main cause of crime is low intelligence, which they also see as biologically determined.

Question 18

However, while biology may increase the chance of an individual offering, …..

Answer 18

Effective socialisation decreases the risk, since it involves learning self-control and internalising moral values of right and wrong

Question 19

What is the best agency for socialisation for right realists?

Answer 19

The nuclear family

Question 20

Why does Murray argue that the crime rate is increasing?

Answer 20

Murray argues that the crime rate is increasing because of a growing underclass or ‘new rabble’ who are defined by their deviant behaviour and who fail to socialise their children properly

Question 21

In Murrays view why is the underclass growing?

Answer 21

According to Murray, the underclass is growing in both the USA and the UK as a result of welfare dependency

Question 22

What Murray calls the welfare states’ ‘generous revolution’ allows …

Answer 22

Increasing numbers of people to become dependent on the state.

Question 23

What has the ‘generous revolution’ led to and what does it mean?

Answer 23

It has led to the decline of marriage, and the growth of lone parent families, because women and children can live off benefits. This also means that men no longer have to take responsibility for supporting their families, so they no longer need to work.

Question 24

Why are lone mothers in affective socialisation agents especially boys? What is the effect?

Answer 24

Absent fathers means boys lack paternal discipline and appropriate male role models. As a result, young males turn to other, often delinquent role models on the street and gain status through crime rather than supporting their families through a steady job

Question 25

What does Bennett eat al argue crime is the result of?

Answer 25

Growing up surrounded by deviant, delinquent and criminal adults … almost consciously designed to produce vicious, predatory unrepentant street criminals

Question 26

What does the rational choice theory assume?

Answer 26

That individuals have free will and the power of reason

Question 27

Name a rational choice theorist

Answer 27

Clarke

Question 28

What does Clarke argue about the decision to commit a crime?

Answer 28

Clarke argues that the decision to commit crime is a choice based on rational calculation of the likely consequences. If the perceived rewards of crime outweigh the perceived costs to if the rewards of crime appear to be greater than those of non-criminal behaviour, then people will be likely to offend.

Question 29

What do right realists argue about the perceived costs of crime?

Answer 29

Right realists argue that the perceived costs of crime are low and this is why the crime rate has increased. In their view there is often little risk of being caught and punishment are in any case lenient.

Question 30

What did Wilson say on the perceived costs of crime?

Answer 30

If both the supply and value and the cost of illegitimate opportunities are declining then a teenager concluded it made more sense to steal a car than wash them

Question 31

What theory did Felton put forward and what did he argue? What are offenders assumed to do?

Answer 31

Routine Activity Theory, Felton argues that for a crime to occur, there must be a motivated offender, a suitable target and the absence of a ‘capable guardian’.

Offenders are assumed to act rationally, so that the presence of a guardian is likely to deter them

Question 32

Provide three criticisms of the right realists explanation

Answer 32

1. It ignores wider structural problems such as poverty
2. It overstates offenders rationality and how far they make cost-benefit calculations before committing a crime. Whilst it may explain some utilitarian crime, it may not explain impulsive or violent crime
3. It’s view of criminals as rational actors freely choosing crime conflicts with its claim that their behaviour is determined by their biology and socialisation and it over-emphasises biological factors

Question 33

What do right realists believe about the causes the crime

Answer 33

Right realists do not believe it is fruitful to try deal with the causes of crime ( such as biological and socialisation differences) since these cannot easily be changed

Question 34

Instead of trying to deal with the causes of crime what do right realists do?

Answer 34

They seek practical measures to make crime less attractive

Question 35

What is the main focus of of right realists?

Answer 35

On control, containment and punishment of offenders rather than eliminating the underlying causes of fending or rehabilitating them

Question 36

What should crime prevention policies do? Provide an example

Answer 36

Crime prevention policies should reduce the rewards and increase the costs of crime to the offender.

For example; by ‘target hardening’ greater use of prison and ensuring punishments follow soon after the offence to maximise the deterrent effect

Question 37

Which theorists are behind zero tolerance ?

Answer 37

Wilson and Kelling

Question 38

What is the article called that Wilson and Kelling put forward?

Answer 38

Broken windows

Question 39

What did the Broken Windows article argue?

Answer 39

That it is essential to maintain the orderly character of neighbourhoods to prevent crime taking hold.

Any sign of deterioration such as graffiti or vandalism, must be dealt with immediately

Question 40

How should the police advocate a zero tolerance policy towards undesirable behaviour?

Answer 40

The police should focus on controlling the streets so that law-abiding citizens feel safe

Question 41

What do supporters of zero tolerance policing claim?

Answer 41

That it achieved huge reductions in crime after it was introduced in New York

Question 42

What does Young argue about the zero tolerance policy?

Answer 42

Young argues that its ‘success’ was a myth peddled by politicians and police keen to take the credit for falling crime

Question 43

What did Young argue about crime in New York?

Answer 43

Young argues that police need arrests to justify their existence and New York’s shortage of serious crime led police there to ‘define deviance up’.

This is that they took to arresting people for minor deviant acts that had previously fallen outside their ‘net’, re-labelling them now as worthy of punishment

Question 44

What happened after zero tolerance?

Answer 44

After zero-tolerance was introduced, police and politicians then wrongly claimed that cracking down on these minor crimes had been the cause of the decline

Question 45

What was the real reason for the success of the zero tolerance policy?

Answer 45

It was just a product of the police’s way of coping with a decline that had already occurred

Question 46

Name the four criticisms of zero tolerance

Answer 46

1. It is preoccupied with petty street crime and ignores corporate crime, which is more costly and harmful
2. It gives the police free rein to discriminate against minorities, youth and the homeless
3. It over-emphasises control of disorder, rather than tackling the causes of neighbourhood decline such as lack of investment
4. Zero tolerance and target hardening just lead to displacement of crime to other areas.

Question 47

Who are left realists similar to and why?

Answer 47

Like Marxists, left realists see society as an unequal capitalist one

Question 48

Who are left realists unlike and what do they believe in?

Answer 48

Unlike Marxists, left realists are reformists rather than revolutionary socialists, they believe we need explanations of crime that will lead to practical strategies for reducing it now, rather than waiting for a revolution and a classless society to abolish crime.

Question 49

What is the central idea of left realism?

Answer 49

Crime is a real problem, one that particularly affects the disadvantaged groups who are its main victims.

Question 50

What do left realists accuse other sociologists of and who do they accuse?

Answer 50

Left realists accuse. Other sociologists of not taking crime seriously

Question 51

What do left realists accuse Marxists of doing

Answer 51

They accuse Marxists of concentrating of crimes of the powerful such as corporate crime, whereas left realists agree that this is important but they argue that it neglects working - class crime and its effects

Question 52

What do left realists accuse neo-Marxists of doing

Answer 52

Romanticise working-class criminals as latter-day robin hoods, stealing from the rich as an act of political resistance to capitalism, left realists point out that working-class criminals mostly victimise other working-class people, not the rich.

Question 53

What do left realists accuse labelling theorists off?

Answer 53

See working class criminals of the victims of discriminatory labelling by social by social control agents, left realists argue that this approach neglects the real victims, the working-class who suffer at the hands of the criminals.

Question 54

What is a part of the left realists project of taking crime seriously?

Answer 54

Is to recognise from the 1950s onwards there was an increase in crime, especially working-class crime

Question 55

What did this project from the left realists lead to?

Answer 55

Young argues that this led to an aetiological crisis, a crisis in explanation, for the theories of crime

Question 56

What is an example of aetiolgical crisis?

Answer 56

Critical criminology and labelling theory tend to deny that the increase was real. Instead they argue that it was just the result of increased reporting or increased tendency to label the poor.

In short, the increase in stats were just a social construction not a reality

Question 57

What did left realists argue about the example of the aetiological crisis? Provide evidence

Answer 57

Left realists argue that the increase was too great to be explained in this way + was real, more people reporting as more people were becoming victims.
Eg, victim surveys such as British Crime Survey and local surveys

Question 58

For left realists, what does taking crime seriously involve?

Answer 58

Recognising who is most affected by crime

Question 59

For left realists, who is the most affected by crime and how do they know this

Answer 59

Surveys shows disadvantaged groups have a greater risk of becoming victims, especially burglary, street crime and violence, for example unskilled workers are twice as likely to be burgled as other people.

Question 60

What is the effect of disadvantaged groups having a greater risk of becoming victims? Provide example

Answer 60

Due to this, disadvantaged groups have a greater fear of crime and it has a greater effect on their lives, eg, fear of attack may prevent women from going out at night

Question 61

Although disadvantaged groups are more likely to be fearful of crime, what is another effect?

Answer 61

At the same time, these groups are less likely to report crimes against them and the police are often reluctant to deal with crimes such as domestic violence, race or rapist attacks

Question 62

Who and how many causes of crime were identified in left realism and by him

Answer 62

Lea and Young identify three related causes of crime; relative deprivation, subcultures and marginalisation

Question 63

What do Lea and Young say on crime for relative deprivation?

Answer 63

Crime has its roots in deprivation

Question 64

However, deprivation in itself is not ……………………. Provide example

Answer 64

Directly responsible for crime
Eg . Poverty was rife in the 1930s, yet crime rates were low. By contrast, since the 1950s living standards have risen, but so too has the crime rate.

Question 65

Whose concept do left realists draw on?

Answer 65

Runchiman’s concept of relative deprivation