Crime Control and Prevention

What is the left realist view of crime?

• Crime is caused by social factors: marginalisation, relative deprivation, and subcultures.

• Relative deprivation: People feel deprived compared to others, leading to marginalisation and deviant subcultures.

What is the right realist view of crime?

• Individualistic perspective: Crime is a rational choice; benefits outweigh the costs.

• Criminals commit crimes due to opportunities.

• Murray: Rise in single-parent families leads to a lack of socialisation and youth delinquency.

What is situational crime prevention?

Pre-emptive approach to prevent crime by designing it out

What are the strategies of crime prevention?

• Target hardening: bars, bolts, alarm systems, park benches, and preventing sleeping.

• Increased CCTV and police presence.

• Hostile architecture.

What are studies for situational crime prevention?

• Pease (2002): ‘Bars, Bolts and Barriers’.

• Hostile Architecture examples.

• Marcus Felson (1998): New York City Port Authority Bus Terminal.

• Cornish and Clarke (2003): Notices.

What is the evaluation for situational crime prevention?

• Displacement theory: Crime moves to a different area.

• Doesn’t address corporate or white-collar crime.

• Unfairly targets the working class due to the cost of target hardening.

What is environmental crime prevention?

Improving local areas and addressing low-level criminal activity

What are examples of environmental crime prevention?

Vandalism, graffiti, and loitering

What are strategies of environmental crime prevention?

Zero tolerance policing: Addressing small petty crimes to prevent escalation.

What is a study for environmental crime prevention?

Wilson and Kelling: Broken Windows Policy.

What is the evaluation for environmental crime prevention?

• Deals with the system, not the cause.

• Targets working-class people and street crime.

• Displacement theory.

What is social and community crime prevention?

The Left realist approach addresses social inequalities to reduce crime

What are strategies for social and community crime prevention?

• Youth groups and community centres to create a sense of community.

• Parenting groups to aid socialisation.

• Increase community police officers to improve relations and solve crimes.

What are studies for social and community crime prevention?

• Community action programs: Perry pre-school program.

• Intervention programs: Troubled families program.

What is the evaluation for social and community crime prevention?

• Assumes a value consensus within a community.

• Ignores issues like relative deprivation and institutional racism, which can limit effectiveness.