unit 2 sociological theories of criminality - realism Flashcards
left realism and crime: lea & young
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political outlook
left wing, socialist. see inequality in capitalist society as root cause of crime. crime reducation by making society fairer and more equal
cause: relative deprivation
the media and growing inequality make people unable to afford the lifestyle that is promoted to them. some turn to crime to gain what they think they should have
cause: subculture
criminal subcultures share society’s materialistic goals - legitimiate opportunities to achieve them are blocked so they turn to crime
cause: marginalisation
marginalised groups (e.g unemployed youths) have no goals or organisations to represent their interests. their frustration leads them into non-utilitarian crime
what are two strengths of the left realism view?
draws attention to importance of poverty, inequality and relative deprivation as causes of crime. draws attention to reality of street crime especially effects on victims from deprived groups
what are three limitations?
henry and milovanovic: fails to explain crimes of the powerful, overpredicts working class crime and not all poor people turn to crime, focus on inner-city high crime areas makes crime appear to be a greater problem than it is
right realism and crime
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policital outlook
right wing, conservative. see crime as a growing problem. best way to reduce it is via control and punishment
cause: biological differences
wilson and hernstein: some individuals have biological traits which make them more prone to criminality
cause: inadequate socialisation
the underclass is welfare dependent and does not have the right norms and values. lone mothers mean boys lack a male role model and turn to gangs
offending is a rational choice (RCT)
people weigh up the costs and benefits of committing a crime before deciding to do it. they have free will
felson: RAT
for a crime to occur there needs to be a motivated offender, a suitable target and a lack of a capable guardian
what are four strengths of right realism?
RCT is supported by rettig’s study where students choice to commit crime was determined by severity of punishment, feldman’s study also found that people would commit crime if risks were low/rewards high, bennet & wright: burglars said risk of being caught was important in deciding decision to commit crime, may explain some opportunistic crimes such as petty theft
what are two limitations of right realism?
rettig and feldman’s studies were lab experiments - not like real life, bennett & wright studied convicted burglars - may not be the same as successful ones
