realist perspectives of crime
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Realist perspective of crime, to be used in conjunction was text bookTRANSCRIPT
Realist perspectives of crimeBy Chris ThompsonSociologytwynham.wordpress.com
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
Realist perspectives of crimeBy Chris Thompsonsociologytwynham.wordpress.com