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RIGHT REALISM - Coggle Diagram
RIGHT REALISM
TACKLING CRIME
- RR do not believe its worth to try and deal with the causes of crime since these cannot be easily changed
- instead they seek practical measures to make crime less attracive
- the main focus Is on control, containment and punishment offendes rather than rehabilitation
- crime prevention policies should therefore reduce the rewards and increase the costs of crime to the offender
- e.g 'target hardening'
- greater use of prison
- ensuring punishments follow soon after the offence (to maximise deterrence)
- ZERO TOLERANCE:
- Wilson and Kelling argue ist essential to maintain the orderly characteristics of neighbourhoods to prevent crime taking hold
- any signs of deterioration e.g vandalises, graffiti, should be dealt with immediately
- They advocate 'zero tolerance' policy towards undesirable behaviour e.g prostitution, begging and drunkness
- the police should focus on controlling the streets that law-abiding citizens feel safe
- YOUNG argues Zero tolerance policing's 'success' was a myth made by politicians and police keen to take credit for falling crime
- crime rates in New York had already been falling 9 years before zero tolerance policing
- Zero-tolerance deals with petty street crime and ignores corporate crime which is more costly and harmful
- zero-tolerance & target hardening leads to displacement of crime elsewhere
CAUSES OF CRIME
BIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES
- WILSON & HERNNSTEIN put forward a biosocial theory of criminal Behaviour
- in their view crime is caused by a combination of biological and social factors
- biological differences between some individuals make some people innately ore strongly predisposed to commit crime than others
- e.g personally traits such as aggressiveness, no impulse control etc
- similarly they argue the main cause of crime is low intelligence, which they see as biologically determined
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RATIONAL CHOICE THEORY
- AN important element in the right realist view of crime comes from the assumption individuals have the free will and the power of reason
- Clarke argues that the decision to commit crime is a choice based on rational calculations the likely consequences
- if rewards of crime outweigh costs, people will be likely to offend
- They are the perceived costs of crime are low and this is why crime has increases
- in their view there is little risk of being caught and punishment are in any case lenient
- ignores wider structural causes such as poverty
- doesnt explain impulsive or violent crime
- its view of criminals as rational actors with free will to choose crime conflicts with their claim behaviour is determined by biology and socialisation
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- Sees crime, especially street crime as a real and growing problem that:
- destroys communities
- undermines social cohesion
- threatens society work ethic
- this new corresponds closely with Neo-conservative governments during 70s and 80s
- e.g they took a stance that the best way ti reduce crime was through control and punishment, rather than rehabilitation
- right realism reflects this political climate
- they regard labelling theories and critical criminology as too sympathetic to the criminal and too hostile to the forces of law and order
- they are less concerned to understand the causes or crimes and more concerned with realistic solutions
- their main emphasis is on crime reduction strategies