Realist View of Crime and Deviance

How do realist approaches differ from other crime theories?

They address both the causes of crime and practical solutions.

What is the background of the left realist view of crime?

• Developed in the 1980s and 1990s.

• Rooted in the Marxist view of societal inequality as a cause of crime and deviance.

• Advocate for gradual change instead of violent overthrow of capitalism, unlike traditional Marxists.

What are the causes of crime according to left realists?

• Relative deprivation

• Marginalisation

• Subcultures

Why is relative deprivation a cause of crime?

• Lea and Young: Deprivation, not poverty, is the primary driver of criminality.

• Argue that rising living standards have increased feelings of deprivation compared to others.

• This leads to resentment and crime as a means to achieve perceived entitlements.

Why is marginalisation a cause of crime?

• Marginalised groups: Feel excluded from society and lack representation for their interests.

• This generates frustration and resentment, potentially leading to criminal behaviour to improve their situation.

Why are subcultures a cause of crime?

• Draws on Cloward and Ohlin's and AK Cohen's ideas of blocked opportunities.

• Subcultures provide a collective response to relative deprivation.

• Criminal subcultures still adhere to societal goals and values like materialism and consumerism.

What is an example of subcultures being a cause of crime?

Ghettos in America fixated on brands like Gucci, BMW, and Nike.

What is the left realist view of tackling crime?

• Address the social problems underlying crime, especially inequality and deprivation.

• Focus on improving relationships between the public and police.

• Employ a multi-agency approach involving various organisations.

What is Milovanovic's criticism of left realism?

Accepts the government's definition of crime, focusing on street crime by the poor

What is Interactionist critique of left realism?

Fails to explain motives due to reliance on quantitative data.

What is the evaluation of left realism?

• Assumes a value consensus within society.

• Relative deprivation doesn't explain all crime, as not everyone experiencing it turns to crime.

• Focusing on high-crime inner-city areas provides an unrepresentative view, exaggerating the problem.

What is the background of right realism?

• Aligned with neo-conservative governments of the 1970s and early 1980s.

• See street crime as a genuine and escalating problem that damages communities and social cohesion.

• Prioritise practical solutions over the causes of crime.

What are right realist view of causes of crime?

• Biological differences

• Socialisation and the underclass

• Rational choice

Why are biological differences a cause of crime?

Combined with poor socialisation or lack of role models leads to criminal behaviour.

What is Wilson and Herrstein’s (1985) theory?

Biosocial theory combining biological and social factors

What are the predispositions to crime linked to personality traits?

• Aggressiveness

• Extroversion

• Risk-taking

• Low impulse control.

Why is socialisation and the underclass a cause of crime?

• Charles Murray: Increasing crime rates due to a growing underclass dependent on the welfare state.

• This underclass fails to adequately socialise their children.

• Murray argues that the 'glorious revolution' of the 1960s led to more single-parent families, inadequate socialisation agents that fail to teach children responsibility.

Why is rational choice a cause of crime?

• Ron Clarke (1980): Individuals have free will and reason, so criminals choose to commit a crime.

• If the perceived cost of committing a crime is outweighed by the benefit, people are more likely to offend.

• Argue that the current costs of crime are too low, contributing to increased crime rates.

What is the right realist view of crime

• Believe that addressing the root causes of crime is ineffective because they are too difficult to change.

• Focus on making criminal behaviour less attractive.

What is target hardening?

Making it harder to commit crimes

What is zero tolerance?

Immediate, strict punishment for all criminal behaviour.

What is the evaluation of the right realist view of crime and deviance?

• Ignores wider structural causes of crime, focusing too much on individual choices and circumstances.

• Overstates the rationality of criminals, failing to explain violent or impulsive crimes.

• Presents contradictions between rationality and bio-social causes of crime.

• Ignores corporate and white-collar crime, focusing on street crime.