A Level Sociology

Crime and Deviance

Topic 5

Realist Theories of Crime and Deviance

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Objectives: Understand the difference between realism and other approaches to crime and deviance Know the main features of right and left realism and understand their political context Evaluate the strengths and limitations of right and left realist approaches to crime and

deviance

Overview of Realism…

Left and Right Realism differ from other theories of crime because they deal with crime more head on as a real life problem, with consequences for victims, which needs tackling. Therefore they both focus on crime prevention strategies, although they differ considerably on how best to target and reduce crime. All realists do agree on the following points:

There’s been a significant rise in crime, especially burglary, assault and street crime They are concerned about the widespread fear of crime and the effect of crime on

victims Other perspectives and theories have failed to deal with the real issue of tackling crime

There are significant differences between right and left realists. Right share the New Right political outlook and support the harsh policies that ensure crime is strongly disapproved of by society. They are bothered about adequate socialisation to ensure crime is forbidden.

Left realists on the other hand are socialists, which means that they believe in state intervention to improve people’s lives where hardship is recognised. This results in Left Realist supporting very different crime prevention strategies which involve empathy and rehabilitation for criminals.

Activity – insert the following key words in to the correct side of the grids below:

Tough on criminals; Rehabilitation; Inadequate Socialisation; Underclass; Marginalisation; Inequality in society

Right Realism Left Realism

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Right Realism:

This theory became popular under Thatcher and Reagan in the 1980s and is linked to political and free market policies which seek to reduce the welfare state and put social responsibility on the individual's own shoulders. It argues that idleness has thrived under the Welfare State. This in turn has caused crime and made inner cities into no-go areas consisting of muggers and drug-dealers.

It identifies other groups as the ‘enemy within’ i.e. welfare ‘scroungers’, immigrants, young offenders, single parents etc.

The New Right approach is influenced by the control theory which is based on the idea of the ‘reasoning criminal’ i.e. human actions are seen as the responsibility of the individual and are taken through calculated reasoning about the situations around them i.e. that we are rational. Emphasis is placed on the informal and formal mechanisms that control behaviour through rewards and punishments. If situations arise where the rewards of crime are higher than any penalty, people will choose the former.

Following on from this, it is pointed out that the recent fall in crime is due to the policy of ‘Zero Tolerance’ i.e. of the forces of law and order clamping down hard on certain crimes so that the risk of getting caught and punished becomes too great.

Activity – answer the questions below:

1. Who developed this theory?

2. Which political policies do they seek to promote?

3. Whose theory does this tie in to (hint – think back to your work on families last year)?

4. Why has crime been reduced?

The causes of crime

Right Realists reject Marxist reasoning that poverty and inequality cause, and are to blame, for crime. Poor elderly people don’t commit much crime so Right Realist figure there’s more to it; people make a rational choice to offend. Right realists point to these factors:

Biological difference – like aggressive personality traits and the biological risk taking urge. Hernstein and Murray (1994) argue the biological factor of low intelligence causes crime. Right realists think this is combined with social factors.

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Socialisation – the nuclear family teachers right from wrong best, without this kids don’t learn that crime is wrong.

The underclass - Charles Murray (1990) states crime has risen due to an increase in a welfare dependant ‘new rabble’. State dependence has led to a decline in marriage and the nuclear family which causes inadequate socialisation and crime.

Single mothers are thought to be inadequate to socialise boys and lack of a male role model can cause young male crime.

Stretch yourself – How ethical are these conclusions?

Cornish and Clarke

The idea of rational choice is an important one for the New Right and Right Realism; people weigh up factors and make a rational decision before they commit a crime. This differs from the Marxist idea that people are led to commit crime by the capitalist system and its exploitative nature.

Cornish and Clarke (1980) argue that people commit crime based on a calculation of the likely consequences. If it seems worth it people will commit crime. This is the thinking behind harsh consequences and punishment, which Right Realism is so big on.

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_____________class

“Tracey Crompton has never had a job, and her husband Harry has been out of work for 15 years. Yet the couple live for free in a seven bedroom house with their ten children and receive £32,656 in benefits a year”

Can you think of any crimes in which the reward is bigger than the threat or consequences of getting caught?

Stretch yourself – What does this suggest about the punishment of offences?

Wilson and Kelling

A key study is that of ‘Broken Windows’ by Wilson and Kelling (1982). They make an initial similar point to the Chicago school that crime predominates within ‘disorganised’ areas where there is a loss of community & an erosion of the informal methods of social-control. The actual physical appearance of the area (i.e. graffiti etc.) adds to the problem and attracts more crime.

The answer, they believe is twofold:

1. Cleaning up the area helps a great deal, as does the addition of improved lighting, which makes the criminal more visible.

2. The policy of zero tolerance also helps reduce crime. This involves the arrest of an individual for even minor crimes. This then deters the committing of crime.

Activity – draw a picture to represent this argument:

Right Realist crime prevention strategies

Right Realism’s policy on crime, law & order is tough: it advocates strong public punishments. Hence the notion of zero tolerance.

Although characteristic of the 80’s and early 90’s Conservative Government it has recently continued with some New Labour policies eg. ASBO’s, Curfews, Electronic tagging and Parenting orders.

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Sentences in the 80’s were lengthened, more recently it has been suggested that parole is to be made more difficult to obtain and the Conservative government introduced a massive programme of prison building through the 1980’s. The law is essentially seen as a back up to social control via the community e.g. ‘Neighbourhood Watch’

Thus Right Realists believe that state must tackle crime by making the costs to the criminal outweigh the benefits rather than tackle the causes of crime.

Activity – complete the grid below to identify key strengths and limitations of this approach:

Strengths of Right Realism Limitations of Right Realism

Left Realism:

Left realism became strong around the 80’s as a reaction to the extreme policies that Right Realism was influencing, and to deal with the rising crime rate with practical solutions.

Left Realists share in Marxist idea’s that society is unfair for the poor, but they are more interested in gradual social change rather than a revolution. They are bothered about working within the current society, capitalist and exploitative as they believe it is, to explain and reduce crime. For Marxists the only solution to crime is a revolution to get rid of the capitalist system. Left realists are being realistic (hence their name) and working on reducing crime in the here and now.

They accuse other sociologists of not taking crime seriously:

Traditional Marxists – have concentrated on crimes of the powerful, such as corporate crime. Left Realists agree that this is important, but they also argue it neglects working class crime and its effects

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Neo-Marxists – romanticise working-class criminals as latter-day Robin Hoods, stealing from the rich as an act of political resistance to capitalism. Left Realists point out that in fact working-class criminals mainly victimise other working-class people not the rich

Labelling theorists – see working-class criminals as the victims of discriminatory labelling by social control agents. Left Realists argue that this approach neglects the real victims – working class people who suffer at the hands of criminals

The causes of crime

Lea and Young (1984) identify three related causes of crime; relative deprivation, subculture and marginalisation

1. Relative deprivation

Crime rates were low when poverty was rife in the 1930’s, so Lea and Young argue it’s more than poverty that leads to crime, it’s relative poverty as people want the consumer goods they see other people with.

Lea and Young argue that it is not relative deprivation alone that causes crime, but ‘the lethal combination is relative deprivation and individualism’ (1999). Individualism is people’s concern with their own rights and benefits, rather than for those of the group. The decline of family, communities and mutual support networks is identified as the cause of individualism by Left Realists.

Activity – why would Malay kids from a small village not feel relatively deprived without a mobile phone, but you would?

2. Subcultures

These are created when opportunities are blocked and goals cannot be reached through mainstream means and methods. Left Realists therefore see subcultures as a collective solution to relative deprivation.

Subcultures vary, and not all turn to crime as a reaction to not being able to meet society’s mainstream goals through ‘normal’ means. Some turn to religion, we will look at this in later depth this year.

Left realists claim that sub-cultures still subscribe to and follow the values and goals of mainstream society; they are still aiming for the same goals. Young (2002) notes that in ghettos in the USA there is ‘full immersion into the American Dream; a culture hooked on Gucci, BMW, Nikes’. However, opportunities to achieve these goals legitimately (through the normal channels) are blocked. They resort to street crime instead.

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3. Marginalisation

With no clears goals or organisation the marginalised turn to crime. Whereas workers may have Unions and pay increases to fight for the young unemployed are marginalised. Powerless to find political means to express their interests they turn to crime to get what’s right for them.

Activity – answer the questions below:

1. What is Left Realism?

2. How does it differ from Right Realism?

3. Why does it dislike labelling theory?

4. What is relative deprivation?

5. Why does marginalisation cause crime?

Late Modernity and a Bulimic Society

Young (1999, 2003) argues that late modern society we are now media saturated where everyone is included in consumer culture through constant exposure to advertising.

The media shows everyone what their life should be like.

This inclusion as part of the target audience is accompanied with exclusion for those that can’t buy consumer goods.

He argues this creates a bulimic society – this is where people gorge themselves on media images of an expensive consumer lifestyle but then are forced by their economic circumstance to vomit out their raised expectations.

Stretch yourself – How are the London Riots of 2011 evidence of a bulimic society?

Young argues that relative deprivation is intensified by 3 features of late modernity and he calls this a toxic mix:

Growing individualism – there is a growing focus on self-seeking, individual freedom and less community spirit and concern for others

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The weakening of informal social control - traditional family structures and communities are breaking down therefore there is a lack of informal support on the behaviour of those within a community

Growing economic inequality and economic change - globalisation has meant that the gap between the wealthiest and the poorest has grown massively.

Left Realist crime prevention strategies

Part of the reason Left Realism was created was as a reaction to the harsh law enforcement policies that Right Realism was introducing in the 1980’s. Left Realism is strongly against cutting spending on the poor. They argue that we must both improve policing and control and tackle the deeper structural causes of crime.

Policing and control – policing must be more accountable to local communities and must deal with local concerns. Routine beat patrols are ineffective in detecting or preventing crime and stop and search tactics cause conflict. The police need to improve their relationship with the public and change their priorities.

Tackling structural concerns – the causes of crime lie in the unequal structure of society. Major structural changes are needed if we want to reduce levels of offending. We need to tackle discrimination, provide decent jobs for everyone and improve housing.

Activity – complete the grid below to identify key strengths and limitations of this approach:

Strengths of Left Realism Limitations of Left Realism

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Glossary of Key Terms:

Realism

Right Realism

Underclass

Broken Windows

Rational Choice

Left Realism

Relative Deprivation

Marginalisation

Subculture

Bullimic Society

Crime prevention strategies

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Exam technique:

Outline two realist solutions to the problem of crime (4 marks)

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Outline three explanations of the causes of crime according to right realism (6 marks)

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Item A

Left realists try to explain the causes of crime and provide realistic solutions to crime.

They argue that crime is influenced by media saturation in the late modern society, where the media shows us what our life should be like.

The decline of manual jobs and people feeling powerless could contribute to crime levels.

Applying material from Item A, analyse two explanations of the causes of crime put forward by left realists (10)

Point one –

Point two –

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Item B

Left realists see crime as a real problem, especially for the disadvantaged groups who are its victims. They see the causes of crime as located in the structure of late modern society, with its high levels of exclusion and insecurity. Their views on how to tackle the problem of crime have had some influence on official policy, particularly under New Labour governments.

However, critics claim that left realists focus too narrowly on inner-city crim and ignore the crimes of the powerful.

Applying material from Item B and your knowledge, evaluate the contribution of left realism to our understanding of crime and deviance (30 marks)

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