4. Realist Theories of Crime

What are some things all realists believe about crime?

1. There has been a significant rise in crime rates - especially street crime, burglary and assault

2. They are concerned about the widespread fear of crime and impact on victims

3. They argue other theories failed to offer realistic solutions to crime → they propose practical policies to reduce it

Describe the difference in views between left and right realists?

Right realists - share a New Right/neo-conservative view blaming crime on the individual

Left realists - socialists that favour different policies for reducing crime and blame society

Describe characteristics of right realist approach to crime

• Crime (especially street crime) is a growing issue destroying society, undermines social cohesion

• Influential in the USA → introduction of zero-tolerance policing

• This is because policy makers in the 70s and 80s argued “nothing works” → more control and punishment not rehabilitation

• Offer 3 explanations for crime: Biological differences, socialisation and the underclass, rational choice theory

Explain and evaluate biological differences as a right realist explanation of crime?

• Wilson + Herrnstein: biosocial theory saying crime is caused by a combination of biological and social factors → some people may have personality traits such as aggressiveness make some people innately more strongly predisposed to commit crime

• Herrnstein + Murray: main explanation for crime is low intelligence which they argue is biologically determined

• However, some may argue intelligence isn’t biologically determined and that that is superficial. It can lead to eugenics as seen in WW2 which led to sterilisation and other disastrous consequences. Lilly et al said IQ differences account for <3% of differences in offending.

Explain and evaluate socialisation and the underclass as a right realist explanation of crime?

• Murray argues the crime rate is increasing because of a growing underclass or “new rabble” who are defined by their deviant behaviour and fail to socialise their children properly

• The welfare state’s “generous revolution” → people becoming dependant on the state → decline of nuclear family + more lone parent families → lone mothers are inadequate socialisation agents (especially for boys with absent fathers) → boys turn to delinquent role models

• Bennett et al say crime is the result of “growing up surrounded by deviant, delinquent and criminal adults”

• However, it stereotypes the working class, is deterministic of family structure, ignores wider structural inequalities and there is a lack of evidence for an underclass. Critics say the underclass is an ideology

Explain and evaluate rational choice theory as a right realist explanation of crime?

• Clarke argues the decision to commit a crime is a choice based on a rational calculation of the risks vs rewards

• Perceived costs of crime are low. Felson argues for crime to occur there must be a motivated offender, suitable target and lack of a capable guardian (police) to stop them

• However, it overstates the rationality of criminals. Some crime may be impulsive

• Supported by the fact 57% of people sentenced to 6 months of less reoffend

Explain right realist ideas of tackling crime?

• They don’t believe it is fruitful to focus on tackling the causes of crime → focus on target hardening (increase the costs of crime through containment, control and punishment)

• The main theorist Wilson came up with Broken Windows theory which stated that small signs of disorder (like broken windows) signal that no one is in control → encourages more crime and anti-social behaviour

• Focus on zero-tolerance policing to help law abiding citizens feel safe

Analyse zero tolerance policing as an urban myth?

• Young argues that the success of zero tolerance policing was a myth by politicians and police keen to take credit for falling levels of crime

• They argue the crime rate in New York had already been falling for 9 years before the introduction of zero tolerance

• Young argues for the police to justify their existence they would “define deviance up” and started arresting people for deviant acts which wouldn’t usually be punishable and re-labelling them as worthy of punishment

What are some criticisms of zero tolerance polcing?

• Preoccupied with petty street crime not corporate crime which is more costly

• Gives police free rein to discriminate against minority groups through stop and search

• Led to displacement of crime to other areas

• Over-emphasised the control of disorder rather than tackling the causes of neighbourhood decline eg: lack of investment

What do left realists argue about Marxist, neo Marxist and labelling theorists theories of crime?

Marxist - they concentrate on crimes of the powerful and neglect working class crime and its effects

Neo-Marxists - romanticise working class criminals as present-day Robin Hoods stealing from the rich as an act of political resistance → generally it is working class on working class crime

Labelling theorists - victimises WC criminals neglecting the real victims who are WC people who suffer at the hands of criminals

Explain left realist views on crime?

• Believe in gradual change and the need for explanations to crime → practical solutions

• Young argues the increase in crime from the 1950’s caused an aetiological crisis (crisis in explanation) of crime therefore labelling theorists denied it was real and said it was as a result of increased reporting

• Left realists argue the increase was too big to not be real and it showed that minority/disadvantaged groups had a greater risk of being victims and so had a greater fear of crime

• They argue relative deprivation, subcultures and marginalisation causes crime

Explain and evaluate how relative deprivation causes crime in left realism?

• Runciman’s concept of relative deprivation explained how deprived people feel in relation to others/their own expectations → people resenting others → crime to gain what they are entitled to

• Lee and Young describe it as a paradox. Although people are better off today, people are more aware of their relative deprivation due to the media → people want more material possessions and may turn to crime if they can’t afford them. Society has become more individualistic

• However, Young says “the lethal combination is relative deprivation and individualism” as it encourages people in the pursuit of self-interest → undermines the values of mutual support → disintegration of families and communities → weakens informal controls groups have over individuals → spiral of anti-social behaviour crime

Explain and evaluate how subcultures cause crime in left realism?

• Crime is caused by relative deprivation → leads to status frustration and resentment, especially among working-class groups (Cloward and Ohlin)

• People respond collectively by forming subcultures: Groups with shared values and norms that justify crime and provide status when mainstream success is blocked eg: 2011 London Riots

• Messner and Golden found that violent subcultures are more likely to thrive in contexts where economic deprivation is high

• However, different groups may produce different subcultural solutions to the issue eg: some may find religion offer spiritual comfort (Weber’s theodicy of disprivilege) eg: Ken Pryce found subcultures in the African Caribbean community in Bristol with “saints” which where Pentecostal Churchgoers

Explain how marginalisation causes crime in left realism?

• Marginalised groups (eg: unemployed youth) are marginalised and have no group to represent them and no clear goals → express frustration through crime

• Young argues we are in late-modernity where insecurity and exclusion increased a as result of deindustrialisation + loss of unskilled jobs → increased unemployment for young people and ethnic minorities. Exacerbated by government holding back on welfare spending

• Inequality between rich and poor is increasing the sense of relative deprivation as people are economically excluded but culturally included through the media.

Explain how late modernity has changed the types and structures of crimes commited?

• Crime is found throughout the class structure + is nastier with an increase in hate crimes

• This is due to “relative deprivation downwards” where the MC who have to be hardworking to succeed in the competitive job market resent the WC for being idle and living off undeserved state handouts eg: racist attacks against asylum seekers

• Reaction to crime is changing: less of a consensus on right and wrong so the line is blurry. Also, informal controls have become less effective as families and communities disintegrate → public are more intolerant + harsher penalties + increased criminalisation

How did the government create a new crime wave to stop a second aetiological crisis when crime rates fell in the 90’s

Young said the government “defined deviance up” by introducing ASBO’s which:

• Blurred the boundaries of crimes

• Subjective definition

• Flexibility - could be used against people wearing hoodies

However, ASBO’s got abolished as they became a "badge of honour" for offenders rather than a deterrent, and they were criticized for unnecessarily criminalizing young people

What do left realists argue we shouldn’t do to tackle crime?

• SHOULDN’T: Kinsey, Lea and Young argue police need to work with the public, police clear-up rates are too low to act as a deterrent to crime. 90% of crimes are reported to the police by the public however, the police of losing public support by young people and ethnic minorities

• “Swamping” an area using stop and search tactics alienates communities and cause conflict

• The police over-police minor drug crime

What do left realists argue we should do to tackle crime?

• Police need to spend more time with the community, involve the public in making policing policy and investigate more racist attacks and domestic violence

• They argue a multi-agency approach is needed with social services, schools etc

• We must deal with inequality, tackle discrimination, provide jobs and homes and become more tolerant of diversity stereotyping people less as criminals

Argue for and against if New Labour echoed left realist ideas in government policy?

• New Labour stance of being “tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime”

• Firmer approach to policing hate crimes which protected vulnerable groups

• £3,000 "youth jobs grants" will support around 60,000 young people into employment over the next three years limiting exclusion

• However, Young argues these attempted to recreate the “Golden Age” and ASBO’s didn’t create a sense of community. Still high youth unemployment

Evaluate left realism overall?

• Henry and Milovanovic argue it accepts the authorities definition that street crime is always committed by the poor instead of looking at how powerful groups do harm to the poor

• Interactionalists argue because left realists rely on quantitative data they can never know people’s true motives

• Use of subcultural theory means left realists believe value consensus exists and crime only occurs when this breaks down

• Not everyone who experiences relative deprivation commits crime

• Postmodernist Katz argues crime may be motivated by excitement or thrill not inequality