Right Realism and Crime

Main idea? Main ways of tackling (general)?

They focus on street crime and call it a major problem for society = argue that other theories focus too much on causes and need to offer practical solutions like them being tougher on crime and giving harsher sentences. They believe in blaming the criminal, reject rehab/overcoming structural inequalities and think others are too sympathetic (ZERO TOLERANCE)

• control

• containment

• punishment 

• ignore the cause

• no rehab

• reduce reward and inc cost of crime

What are biological differences, who said it and what are limitations of this idea?

Wilson and Herrnstein

people with certain personality traits such as aggressiveness, extroversion, risk taking and low impulse control makes people more strongly predisposed to commit crime. H+ Murray argue main cause is low IQ. 

Limitations include: overemphasising biological factors (differing IQ accounted for less that 3% of offences), conflicts with rational choice, ignores WC/CC and biology not necessarily a cause as things can lay dormant and not all abnormalities get triggered.  

What is the socialisation and the underclass? Who came up with idea? ao3?

Murray

Crime rates inc due to growing underclass - children from lone families and deviant fam types fail to be socialised correctly into moral values and self control. Greater dependency on state means ppl won’t go to work and lone mothers are ineffective in raising sons as they need father figure => if they don’t they will look for role models in deviant/criminal groups.

Limitations include: not a one size fits all (3.2 million), other family that can help, own experiences, doesn’t recognise structures. 

What is rational choice theory, who came up with it and limitations?

Clarke

individuals have free will/power of reason to make decisions about committing crime. They base it on a cost benefit analysis where they calculate the likely consequences and if the reward outweighs the cost (which it does due to leniency in sentences etc)

Limitations include: ignoring wider structures, overstates rationality and how much deliberation is taken (especially for violent crimes) and conflicts with their other claims

Key case study of RR? John ____? How does it prove RR ideas?

Massey had a shrunken amygdala (responsible for fear and emotion) therefore more prone to taking risks. Also had a low serotonin transporter gene so lacked empathy and => abnormalities made him more predisposed to commit impulsive aggressive or anti-social behaviour

Socially he was abandoned by his mother adding to childhood trauma leading to a reward seeking behaviour which is activated in the environment

One way of tacking crime - S___ C___ P___ / T___ H___?

Target hardening/situational crime prevention = focus on making the crime less attractive, harder to get 

Clarke says pre-emptive strategies reduces opp for crime. Directed at specific crimes:

• Involves managing and altering the environment 

• increasing the risks or efforts required to commit the crime 

  • CCTV

  • Neighbourhood watches

  • locks/lights/fences

Another way of tackling crime? B__ W__?

Wilson and Kelling

metaphor for social disorder and they say it’s essential to maintain order = to leave a broken window invites more tolerance for crime and say that both formal and informal agents should police neighbourhoods and take a zero tolerance approach.

AO3 points? Example in NYC?

Target hardening is harder as financial implications, displacement, crime situation is made worse, low level, not always effective.

Broken windows has similar financial implications falling on the victim aside from the perpetrator, other crime will be committed, can end in worse violence as people have little power = Gary Newlove murdered in 2007 by 5 teens after confronting them.

New York (clean car program) on the subway = graffiti removed from subway due to policy of service. success in tackling fare dodging and drug dealing by the NYPD had 7000 new officers, and a decline in the availability of crack cocaine that were actually more effective.