Right and Left Realist Theories of Crime

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How does James Q Wilson and Right Realism view crime?
Crime is a real and growing problem which destroys communities, undermines social cohesion and threatens society's work ethic
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According to Right Realism, which three factors cause crime?
Biological differences make people innately more predisposed to commit crime (extroversion, low IQ and aggression). The underclass fail to socialise their children correctly and absent fathers mean boys turn to subcultures. Rational Choice Theory
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Give two criticisms of the Right Realist explanation of crime
It ignores wider structural causes and overstates offenders rationality
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What is Broken Windows Theory and who created it?
Wilson and Killing argue local communities are important in policing public minor incivilities. If a community ignores these, it will result in a vicious cycle where crime is the fault of the community to restrict minor incivilities
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How will restoring communities tackle crime?
Target hardening will reduce physical opportunities to commit crime, increased surveillance, reinstall traditional values into communities and tackle minor incivilities
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How will zero tolerance tackle crime?
The choice of committing crime should be made harsher by introducing more severe punishments. Short, sharp, shock punishments and more prisons will act as a deterrent for potential communities
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Give two criticisms of the Right Realist Zero Tolerance solition
The solutions are over the top and expensive. Marxists argue right realism is a ruling class ideology and criminalises the w/c
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Who are the main left realist sociologists and what do they argue?
Young, Lea and Matthews argue the victims of crime are more likely to be poor and disadvantaged
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Which three factors cause crime according to left realism?
Relative deprivation, subcultures which many turn to to close the deprivation gap and marginalisation when groups lack clear goals and express their frustration through criminal means
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Why has crime worsened since the 1970s?
Modern society is a period of instability, insecurity and exclusion. More groups turn to crime as a result so their has been a rise in hate crime and/or anti-social behaviour
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What is the Left Realist's Square of Crime?
To tackle crime we must take a multi-agency approach where the CJS, informal systems of control, the offender and the victim all work together
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How will democratic policing tackle crime?
The police have lost public support in recent years and had to rely on military policing. To win back support, police must involve local communities in deciding policies and priorities through neigbourhood watch schemes and satellite police stations
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How will reducing inequality tackle crime?
Major structural changes that tackle discrimination, inequality of opportunity and unfairness of rewards will provide decent jobs and housing for all
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Give two criticisms of left realism
They are under representative because they focus on high-crime inner-city areas. It is deterministic: not all that experience relative deprivation turn to crime
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

According to Right Realism, which three factors cause crime?

Back

Biological differences make people innately more predisposed to commit crime (extroversion, low IQ and aggression). The underclass fail to socialise their children correctly and absent fathers mean boys turn to subcultures. Rational Choice Theory

Card 3

Front

Give two criticisms of the Right Realist explanation of crime

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What is Broken Windows Theory and who created it?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

How will restoring communities tackle crime?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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