realist perspectives of crime

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Realist perspectives of crime By Chris Thompson Sociologytwynham.wordpress.com

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Page 1: Realist perspectives of crime

Realist perspectives of crimeBy Chris ThompsonSociologytwynham.wordpress.com

Page 2: Realist perspectives of crime

Realist Theories of CrimeThe previous examples are all positivist in

their approach how human behaviour is determined by external forces

In contrast realist criminology maintains behaviour is a matter of free will and individual choice

The notion of determinism is challenged by Realist perspectives of crime

There are two distinct realist perspectives – Right Realists and Left-Realists

Page 3: Realist perspectives of crime

Realist Theories of CrimeRealists are primarily concerned with developing

responses to a perceived intensity in the public’s fear of crime

Realists challenge many of the ideas put forward by earlier perspectives which are seen as not addressing the real issues of crime

Realists focus on crime which is at the centre of public concern e.g. street crime, violence and burglary

Realists are also concerned with increasing measures of crime control

Page 4: Realist perspectives of crime

Right- Realism Wilson & Hernstein (1985) argued that

positivist sociology tended to look for causes external to the individual

Instead Wilson & Hernstein argue that becoming a criminal is a matter of choice of people who had never been properly socialised

Thus Wilson & Hernstein argue that as a society immediate gratification has become paramount and this combined with a lack of self-control through poor socialisation creates the criminal

Page 5: Realist perspectives of crime

Right- Realist Theories From this Wilson & Hernstein point out that a

disproportionate amount of crime is conducted by young men living in cities

Combine this with poor socialisation in schools, the family and the wider community affects their behaviour

Along with the effects of contemporary culture of immediate gratification and low impulse control causing reduced self-discipline means they’re more likely to commit crime

Page 6: Realist perspectives of crime

Right- Realist Theories Hirschi moved things on a little further with his

‘control-theory’ which examined the temptations people face

We all face temptations to commit crime and devaince said Hirschi but we don’t all succumb to this temptation

This is because most people have strong community ties to key institutions like family and school

He concluded offenders are people with poor self-control, which stems from poor socialisation

Page 7: Realist perspectives of crime

Right- Realist Theories Charles Murray also looked at poor

socialisation as causing recidivismMurray’s research into the underclass found

common characteristics of the criminalIllegitimacy, violence, and unemploymentHe especially focused on the demise of the

nuclear family and the rise of lone-parent families as creating a sub-culture of young people who are lazy, drug addicts and immoral

Page 8: Realist perspectives of crime

Right-RealistRational choice theorists like Wilson & Hernstein

argue for the need to increase the cost of crime (by this they mean the cost of getting caught) by making buildings harder to break into and having more security guards around buildings

Other Right-Realists say the police should focus more on preventing criminal damage through extensive informal social controls, such as working with local communities to prevent criminal damage

Finally more punitive measure such as more prisons and longer prison sentences need to be implemented

Page 9: Realist perspectives of crime

Left RealismLeft realism emerged in the early 1980s as a reaction to

‘law and order’ politics of Conservatism and the vacuum in radical left thinking on crime and crime control.

 Left realists are critical of perspectives which see longer sentences and more prisons as the solution to rising crime rates.

They oppose the views of ‘left-wing idealists’ such as Marxists, Neo-Marxists and radical feminists. For they see such ‘idealism’ as ignoring real victims of crime.

For example if you’re being attacked by a mugger the last thing you want to hear capitalism reduced his or her opportunity to have the latest mobile phone, so they’ll take yours

This highlights the similarity between the Left and Right Realism

Page 10: Realist perspectives of crime

Left RealismIn contrast to right-realism, left-realism was a

reaction to the dominant law and order model of right-realism

They accept crime is a problem, especially for women and working class communities

Victims need to be taken seriouslyThe fear of crime is not irrationalThe causes of crime must be given more

emphasis by politicians

Page 11: Realist perspectives of crime

Left Realism – The VictimsJock Young used victim surveys to ‘give a voice

to people’s experiences of crime’Left realists accept the data from British

Crime Surveys shows the number of victims as being small but......the chances of being a victim are greater in inner-city areas

The Islington Crime Survey found 36% of local residents saw crime as a big issue; 56% worried about being burgled; 46% had been a victim of street robbery. Therefore people living in inner cities were at greater risk

Page 12: Realist perspectives of crime

Left Realism – The OffendersLeft realists focus on relative deprivation as most

victims of crime are the most vulnerable members of society – for these people crime is very REAL

Jock Young noted how the wealthier a society got crime rates increased because people see themselves as deprived in comparison to others which breeds discontent

Jock Young argued this combination of relative deprivation and individualism is the main cause of crime in modern societies causing anti-social behaviour and widespread aggression

Page 13: Realist perspectives of crime

Left Realism – society & rising crimeChanges in the world economy has brought about

a decline in unskilled and semi-skilled occupations This has hit Afro-Caribbeans and other groups of

lower working-class males with low levels of educational attainment

This then excludes them from mainstream society through an inaccessible job market and inaccessible areas of society such as security guarded shopping centres and gated communities

While media adverts continually remind them of what they’re excluded from

Page 14: Realist perspectives of crime

Left Realism – The cureLeft Realists agree with Right Realists that

the police can only do so muchHowever inside of increasing police powers

(formal social control) they say there needs to be more informal social control

Such as jobs with futures; quality housing; quality social services; quality community areas like play areas; which all create a sense of belonging

Page 15: Realist perspectives of crime

Evaluating Realist PerspectivesRight realists ignore the fact that the rise in ‘real’

crime rates could be due to changes in recording and reporting of crime

They ignore the increasing gap between the rich and the poor creating resentment (relative deprivation)

Right Realists focus on young males and street crime yet ignore the extent of white collar crimes, domestic crimes and corporate crimes

Does building more prisons and increasing sentences reduce crime? The evidence suggests not.

Page 16: Realist perspectives of crime

Evaluating Realist PerspectivesLeft Realists rely heavily on victim studies, such

studies ignore domestic violence and also crimes where people aren’t aware they’re a victim

Left Realists focus on street crime at the expense of white-collar or corporate crime which is just as harmful

The rise in street crime could be due to an increase in property theft and the need for victims to get crime numbers for insurance and so distort the true extent of street crimes as also it’s easier to report such incidence with the proliferation of mobile phones

Page 17: Realist perspectives of crime

Realist perspectives of crimeBy Chris Thompsonsociologytwynham.wordpress.com