structure : intro + KA + CA + KA + CA + KA + CA + KA + CA (4 KA 4 CA)
intro - Left wing views tend to focus on issues of power and inequality rather than blaming the criminal and deviant.
KA1 - Lea and Young - social policy suggestions
left wing solutions to crime are longer term and seek to deal with the deeper structural causes of crime in order to remove the need to commit crime. Lea and Young argue that crime can only be reduced by reducing income and wealth inequalities (relative deprivation). left wing social policies have included: Educational programs and More generous welfare payments.
CA1 - Right realists criticise the left for being too soft on crime and criminals. They show that not everyone from poor backgrounds commits crime and therefore they suggest crime is an individual choice. Murray suggests that individuals need to take responsibility for their adhesion to society’s morals.
KA2 - Kinsey et al - community policing
Richard Kinsey et al put forward the idea of community policing whereby neighbourhoods have officers who regularly patrol the same area forging strong relationships with people in an area to improve confidence in the police. Kinsey et al argue the key to police success lies in improving relationships with community so that the flow of information on which the police rely increases. to achieve this, they propose that minimal policing should be used. the police need to regain the confidence of local communities so that people feel comfortable providing them with information about crime.
CA2- Right realists criticise these solutions, they maintain that taking a minimal policing approach will allow crime rates to increase and for people to feel isolated and unsafe in their own communities.
KA3 - Braithewaite - restorative justice
restorative justice involves encouraging offenders to take responsibility for their actions and is supported by Left realists. offenders are expected to repair the harm they have done by apologising to their victims and giving something back to the community. Restorative justice is an example of Braithwaite’s idea of ‘reintegrative shaming’. this encourages the offender to be sorry and ashamed for their actions. in 2001, the UK government funded a 7-year research programme looking into the effectiveness of RJ. it found that the frequency of reoffending had decreased and that the government saved £9 for every £1 spent on RJ.
CA3 - Right wing thinkers such as Murray accuse restorative justice of being soft on criminals.
KA4 - Young - rehbilitation of criminals in prisons
left realists propose a very different prison system to the right. instead of punishment and retribution the left suggest that criminals should be well cared for in order to re-socialise them ready for release. rehabilitation means giving criminals education, qualifications, work skills, and therapy. this solution uses Youngs theory that many criminals have faced exclusion from mainstream society and thus the way to ‘fix’ them is to include them. people who go to prison have had the most difficult and rehabilitation rather than punishment and further exclusion. left realists suggest that prison should be avoided since people who go to prison often have family who are damaged by the removal of a loved one. there are estimated to be 90,000 children in the UK with a parent currently serving time.
CA4 - However, right wing theorists such as Clarke suggest that the punishment in prison should be as harsh as possible in order to make it clear that the cost definitely outweighs the potential benefit when potential criminals weigh up the option of committing a crime.
Critical conclusion - In conclusion left realists believe that people commit crimes out of a desperate need to and not because they want too, they also believe that the state s to blame for the amount of crimes that take place.
Knowt
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Studied by 11 people
