Topic 4- Realist theories of Crime Flashcards
what do realists see crime as?
- crime is a real problem to be tackled
what are 3 key principles of ALL realists?
- Realists argue there has been a significant rise in the crime rate especially street crime, burglary, and assault.
- They are concerned about the widespread fear of crime and about the impact of crime on its victims.
- They argue that other theories have failed to offer realistic solutions to the problem of crime and they propose what they regard as practical policies to reduce it.
what is the difference between left and right realists in regards to their view on crime?
- socialists and favour quite different policies for reducing crime.
- share the New Right or neo-conservative political outlook and support the practical policies
what do right realists see crime as?
- real and growing problem that destroys communities
- less concerned with understanding causes crime and more concerned with how to tackle it
according to right realists crime is the product of what 3 factors?
- biological differences
- inadequate socialisation of the underclass
- rational choice to offend
which right realists comment about biological differences and what do they say?
- wilson and herrnstein
- crime is caused by a combination of biological factors
- biological differences make people innately stronger to commit crime
what is the socialisation of the underclass and which right realist comments on this?
- murray
- Murray argues that a growing underclass, defined by deviant behavior, is causing rising crime rates due to poor socialization.
- Welfare dependency since the 1960s has led to a decline in marriage and an increase in lone-parent families.
- Men no longer feel the need to work or support their families due to state benefits.
- Lone mothers struggle to socialize boys effectively, leading them to seek delinquent role models and gain status through crime.
- The underclass threatens social cohesion by undermining values of hard work and personal responsibility.
what is rational choice theory and which right realist comments on this?
- clarke
- assumes that individuals have free will and the power of reason
- the decision to commit crime is a choice based on a rational calculation of the likely consequences.
- If the perceived rewards of crime outweigh the perceived costs of crime, or if the rewards of crime appear to be greater than those of non-criminal behaviour, then people will be more likely to offend.
what did felson say in regards to rational choice theory?
- routine action theory
- argues that for a crime to occur, there must be a motivated offender, a suitable target (victim/property) and the absence of a capable guardian (e.g. policeman or neighbour).
- Offenders are seen to act rationally, so that the presence of a guardian is likely to deter them from offending.
what are 3 criticisms of right realist explanations of causes to crime?
- Right realism ignores wider structural causes such as poverty.
- It overstates offenders’ rationality and how far they make cost benefit calculations before committing a crime. While it may explain some utilitarian crime, it may not explain much violent crime.
- Its view that criminals are rational actors freely choosing crime conflicts with its view that their behaviour is determined by their biology and socialization. It also over emphasizes biological actors.
what 2 types of crime prevention strategies do right realists use?
target hardening
zero tolerance
what is target hardening?
- making committing a crime more difficult and reducing the opportunities for criminals to achieve their goal.
- For example, greater use of prison and ensuring punishments follow soon after the offence to maximize their deterrent.
- e.g. putting in new locks in doors.
what is zero tolerance and who draws on the idea of it and what do they say?
- cracking down on all forms of neighbourhood decline in order to prevent future crime from taking place
- Wilson and Kelling argued the ‘Broken Window’ idea 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. They advocate a ‘zero tolerance’ policy
what are the 2 evaluations of zero tolerance?
young
- first introduced in New York in 1994 and was widely applauded for reducing crime. Young argues that its success was a myth because the crime rate in New York had already been falling since 1985, 9 years before zero tolerance – and was also falling in other US cities that did not have zero tolerance policies.
- Young argues that police need arrests to stay relevant. In New York, lacking serious crime, they targeted minor offenses instead. Zero-tolerance “success” was just police adapting to an already declining crime rate.
what are 3 criticisms of zero tolerance?
- It is preoccupied with petty street crime and ignores corporate crime which is may be more costly and harmful to the public
- It over emphasizes control of disorder, rather than tackling underlying causes of neighbourhood decline such as lack of investment.
- Zero tolerance and target hardening just lead to displacement of crime to other areas.
what do left realists believe about captialism and who are they similar to?
- marxism
- Left Realists see society as an unequal capitalist one.
- left realists believe in gradual social change rather than the violent overthrow of capitalism
why and who are left realists critical of when it comes to opinions about crime?
3 viewpoints
- Traditional Marxists- Left realists criticize the Marxist focus on powerful groups e.g. corporate crime. They argue it neglects working class crime and its effects.
- Neo Marxists Left realists criticize Neo Marxists for romanticizing working class criminals as latter-day Robin Hoods, stealing from the rich as an act of political resistance to capitalism. working class criminals mostly victimize other working-class people, not the rich.
- Labelling theorist- Left realists criticize Labelling theorists for seeing working class criminals as the victims of discriminatory labelling by social control agents. Left realists argue that this approach neglects the real victims – working class people who suffer at the hands of criminal.
what did left realists discover about official statistics and what did they use to support this idea?
- official statistics did not show the whole problem of crime
- use local victim surveys to show extent of the problem
what are the 3 causes of crime in left realism and who identified them?
- lea and young
- relative deprivation
- subculture
- marginalisation
explain how relative deprivation has led to more crime and which sociologist speaks about it?
- runciman
- people turn to crime when they feel others have more than them
- people are aware of possessions they should have so when people can’t afford they turn to crime instead
explain why subculture leads to more crime?
- subcultures turn to crime to close the ‘deprivation gap’
- some may do crime for other reasons
- criminal subcultures still subscribe to the values and goals of society
- opportunities to achieve these goals are blocked so turn to street crime instead
how has marginalisation lead to more crime?
- marginalised groups lack clear goals and organisation
- eg unemployed youth have no organisation to represent them or clear goals
- they are powerless so reflect frustration through crime like violence and rioting
what does young argue about what type of society we are living in and what 3 things make crime worse?
- late modern society
- instability
- insecurity
- exclusion
what did 1950s and 60s represent and what 3 things made crime less?
- golden age
- stability
- security
- inclusion
what did de industrialisation do to society?
- destabalised family and community life
- contributed to divorce rates rising
- increased marginalisation and exclusion
what does media saturation promote in a late modern society?
- promotes cultural inclusion
- emphasis on leisure which stresses personal consumption and immediate gratification leads to higher expectations of a good life
what are 2 evaluations of the left realist reason for crime?
- Falling Crime Rate - the crime rate has fallen substantially. This is a problem for realist explanations because it suggests that crime is no longer the major threat they had originally claimed. However, because crime is a social construction, it may continue to be seen as a problem.
- While crime rate is going down, governments have created a new ‘crime’ wave, or anti-social behaviour wave to replace it. This makes it look like crime is rising again, when in fact the government have tried to crackdown on certain behaviours making crime rates go up again
what do left realists suggest as a way to tackle crime and what sociologists commented on it?
- policing and control
- kinsey lea and young
- police rates are too low to act as a deterrant so public should become involved in determining the police’s priorities and style of policing
what is the problem of ‘military policing’?
- The police rely on the public for information, with 90% of crimes being reported by citizens.
- Public support for the police is decreasing, particularly in inner cities, ethnic minorities, and among young people.
- To maintain control, police are resorting to military policing tactics, such as “swamping” areas and random stop-and-search, which alienates communities.
- This creates a vicious cycle: lack of trust in the police leads to fewer tips from locals, prompting more military-style policing.
- Left realists propose a multi-agency approach involving the police, local councils, social services, schools, voluntary organizations, and the public to improve relationships and reduce military policing.
what 4 things dors young say we need to do to reduce offending?
Tackle inequality of opportunities and unequal rewards
Tackle discrimination
Provide decent jobs for everyone
Improve housing and community facilities
