Left and Right Realism on Crime

Left Realism

response to traditional Marxist and neo-Marxist approaches, which Left Realism criticized for:

Not taking working-class (WC) crime seriously and romanticizing WC criminals as heroes.

Reducing WC crime to moral panics created by the capitalist state or viewing it as a social construct.

Ignoring the serious victimization of the poor and deprived.

Lacking practical policies to reduce crime.

Left realists evidence

Left Realists used victim surveys (like the Islington crime surveys) to show that crime is a serious issue, especially in deprived inner-city areas, and requires policies to address it.

The most common concerns are street crimes like mugging, violence, car crime, and burglary, often committed by young working-class males.

The most at-risk and fearful of these crimes are the poor, including both white and minority ethnic residents in inner-city areas.

EXPLAINING CRIME Lea and Young

Lea and Young’s explanation for crime:

Relative deprivation: People feel deprived when comparing themselves to others, leading to discontent and resentment when their expectations aren’t met.

Marginalization: Some people feel politically and economically excluded due to factors like poor education, unemployment, and lack of community involvement. This can lead to crime, violence, and rioting as a way to express frustration.

Subculture: Working-class deviant subcultures form as responses to relative deprivation and marginalization. These subcultures (e.g., street gangs or youth groups) can promote crime by seeing offending as acceptable behavior.

LATE MODERNITY AND BULIMIC SOCIETY

- Young (2003) linked crime to changes in late modern society, where a media-driven, consumer culture influences everyone, even the poorest.

- This creates high expectations for a better life, but those at the bottom face social and economic exclusion, leading to a "bulimic society."

- The gap between expectations and reality causes frustration and resentment, driving people to commit crimes like looting to access consumer goods (Lewis et al, 2011).

YOUNG ARGUES THE INTENSIFIED SENSE OF RELATIVE DEPRIVATION IS MADE WORSE BY 3 FURTHER FEATURES OF LATE MODERNITY

- Growing individualism focuses on self-interest and reduces concern for the community, weakening informal social controls as traditional structures break down.

- Economic inequality increases due to globalization, benefiting the wealthy while traditional jobs decline, especially affecting young working-class males, leading to more unemployment and unstable work.

THE TOXIC MIX THAT GENERATES CRIME

- Late modernity's mix of increased risk and uncertainty contributes to crime among deprived youth.

- Lacking control and ways to cope with frustration, they engage in risk-taking "edgework," pushing legal boundaries.

- This often leads to crime, violence, and anti-social behavior.

UNDERSTANDING AND TACKLING CRIME: THE SQUARE OF CRIME

- Lea and Young's "square of crime" emphasizes the four elements in understanding crime:

1. Social structural factors: Influence crime context and law enforcement practices.

2. State control: How the government controls and responds to crime.

3. Public response: Public reactions, such as condemning offenders and trust in law enforcement, shape community attitudes.

- Victims and offenders: Victims often share similarities with offenders, affecting how crimes are reported.

- Offenders’ motivations, shaped by marginalization and subcultures, are influenced by these interrelated factors in their decision-making.

RIGHT REALISM

- Right Realism, linked to the New Right, influences modern crime prevention policies.

- It believes society is based on a shared value system, and criminals violate social morality.

- People are seen as inherently selfish and need regulation through socialization agencies.

- The theory focuses on community control, blaming poor socialization for crime and promoting stronger community bonds.

- Crime prevention involves stricter family and education socialization, encouraging individual responsibility, and rebuilding social cohesion.

- Critics, like Murray, argue that a dysfunctional underclass with weak moral standards and community pressure contributes to high crime rates.

right rralism pt 2

- Rational choice theory suggests that people weigh the costs and benefits before committing crimes (Cornish and Clarke).

- To reduce crime, they recommend increasing policing to raise the risks and reduce opportunities for crime.

- Crime will still persist due to people's inherent selfishness and greed.

- Focusing on social causes isn't always effective, as not all deprived individuals commit crimes.

- Policing should focus more on violent crimes and burglary, rather than white-collar offenses.