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Right Realism - Coggle Diagram
Right Realism
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Broken Window Thesis
Wilson and Kelling (1982) believe that avoiding the collapse of community and maintaining the character of neighbourhoods prevents deterioration and criminality.
If a single window, broken by vandals, goes unamended; if incivilities such as rowdiness on the streets go unchallenged; then problems will quickly grow. Unruly youths start hanging around on the streets and law-abiding citizens become afraid to go out.
Freed from close observation by respectable members of the community, those inclined to criminality will commit more and more street crimes. If residents believe attempts were being made to maintain law and order, they may be more likely to report time and discourage incivilities and anti-social behaviour.
The crucial role of police is to stop an area from deteriorating by clamping down on the first signs of undesirable behaviour- maintain law and order in places where it is yet to break down.
Controversially, Wilson and Kelling believe it is a waste of resources to put much effort into the worst inner-city areas. The police are unlikely to be able to restore law and order in such places by arresting people.
Evaluation
This thinking has been effective in some parts of the USA and Britain in the form of 'Zero Tolerance' policing- proceeding against minor offences discourages people in a locality from moving on to more serious crime.
Matthews (1992) however, found little evidence that tolerating broken windows and public incivilities led to an increase in crime. He argued the level of incivilities was determined by the levels of crime, and not the other way around.
Jones (2001) believes factors such as lack of investment are far more important in determining whether a neighbourhood declines. He argues that the approach advocated by Wilson and Kelling would lead to an unfair criminal justice system, with police concentrating their attention on minor offenders, and that more serious offenders would be given less police attention and therefore more likely to get away with offences.
Jones (2001) is also critical of the work of Wilson and Hernstein because the biological elements of their theory are based on outdated and already discredited theories. He argues that they ignore issues of class, gender and ethnicity- role of inequality and unemployment. They also ignore white-collar and corporate crime.
Jones also points out issues with consequent schemes like '3 strikes and you're out' in some (automatically get a life sentence) US states because of the resultant rapid increase in incarceration, particularly of young African males. Alexander (2012) echoes this and classes it as a 'well-disguised system of racialised social control', contributing to the marginalisation of African-Americans.
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