Left and right realism on crime, statistics on crime

realist

one that suggests practical solutions to the issue of crime not just an explanation

what three aspects did left and right realists agree on

there has been a significant increase in the crime rate, there are concerns about the fear of crime, other sociological theories fail to offer realistic solutions to crime

what are the main concepts surrounding right realism

free choice, individualism, people are naturally selfish, value consensus underpins society, close links to right wing politics and new right ideology

how do right realists say crime must be tackled

community control “control, containment, punishment“

what was right realist Wilsons approach to crime

believed sociology hadnt provided solutions to crime, believed that heavier punishment did not always help as crime was inevitable, argued that the solution was to increase rate of detection to make the risk of committing the crime heavier therefore it would deter people from being criminal

what are the three right realist approaches to crime

rational choice theory, broken windows theory, underclass

rational choice theory

ideology that all individuals have the capacity to make choices and weigh up the risks of criminal activity, crime will generally increase when there is a decrease in the risk of committing a crime

who created the broken windows theory

Wilson and Kelling

explain the broken windows theory

idea that if an area has a high level of small-scale disorder crimes going unpunished (e.g graffiti, broken windows, dog fouling), the people in the area will be under the impression that crime is not risky and will therefore commit more. there is often an absence of both formal and informal social control

how does the broken windows theory lead to crime

deviants become attracted to the area which moves many people out as they do not want to be in that environment, they commit crime there as they believe it is allowed

who thought of the underclass

charles murray

explain Murray’s underclass theory

idea that there is and increase in deviants due to inadequate primary socialisation. single parent households lacked a father figure who asserted discipline, families lived off of welfare benefits which would convey the message to their children that hard work is not needed and not valued turning them to deviance

why would young people of the underclass (boys in particular) turn to crime according to Murray

to gain a social status and because they did not value work anymore

what are some solutions right realists put forward

stricter socialisation of young people e.g cjs in schools, more policing in communities, more zero-tolerance policies, situational crime prevention such as noises playing to deter people, increased social control

strengths of right realism

addresses immediate causes of crime such as broken windows, gives policies to reduce opportunity of crime,recognises severity of small scale crimes, recognises importance of community control

weaknesses of right realism

over-emphasis on minor offences, corporate crime and white collar crime doesn’t exist, assumes offenders are rational, only suggests that strong police presence will help yet doesn’t acknowledge labelling and self fulfilling prophecy

who is the main left realism theorist

Jock Young

what is the key cause of crime according to left realists

inequality through structure and injustice

outline the main reasoning behind left realism

marxist and neo marxist views don’t tackle crime seriously and romanticise working class crime along with not taking victims seriously, believed democratic policy and improved clear up rates by police would help crime rates

what are the three main causes of crime according to left realists

relative deprivation, marginalisation, subcultures

who spoke about relative deprivation

Runciman

outline relative deprivation

someone feels that they are materially deprived in relation to those around them due to the belongings the society may have e.g not having a phone or new shoes

outline marginalisation

groups lack clear goals and organisations to represent their interests, for example, groups based on class or ethnicity. these groups turn to crime as a means to release their frustrations

outline subcultures

groups with the same ideology and frustrations that come up with collective solutions to relative deprivation, argue that those who achieved the goals of society did so illegitimately so will do the same, have the same goals of society but access them through illegitimate means (crime)

how do left realists say crime must be tackled

through the examination of the interrelations between four elements- role of victims, social structure and formal social control, public and informal social control, offenders

outline the role of victims

who the victim is and how they choose to report their crime, how do victims view offenders and if they trust the police to prosecute the offender

outline social structure and formal social control

the context of crime and how it is defined, the style of policing and who decides weather the deviance is deviant, styles of policing e.g military

outline public and informal social control

how the general public reacts to crime, how offenders are condemned, trust between the police and the public

what are some solutions to crime that left realists propose

building communities, agencies working together, community policing, tacking social deprivation, addressing risks of crime

name some sources of crime statistics

police records, prison records, court records, victim surveys, self report studies, OCR (official crime rate)

what three sources of crime statistics does the OCR use to report

court records, prison records, police records

who thought of the filters theory, outline it

moore and champman, police use filters which decided weather or not they should report a crime i.e victim status, importantness of rime, categorisation of crime, police digression (mood), relationships and career status i.e needing more completed crimes for a promotion

what is the bristish crime survey

annual survey carried out by the ONS surveying 500,000 peoples experience with crime through structured interviews assessing their experiences with crime, attitudes to the CJS, fears of crime etc

pros and cons of the british crime survey

pros- representative, quantitative and easy to analyse, identifies repeat victims, shows some of the dark figure of crime

cons- relies on memory, does ask why, not everyone realises they are a victim, no victimless crimes i.e drug use, no cooperate or white collar crimes included, shame of victimisation