REALISM in Crime

LEFT

LEA AND YOUNG

RIGHT

MURRAY

Shadow Economics

  • Young males lack motivation and resilience, according to Murray, that is provided by father figures
  • Look to earn through working in shadow economies - counterfeit goods, drug dealing, low-level security work
  • Gain status through masculinity and not conforming to social norms and values

Inadequate Socialisation

  • New Right model looks to traditional functionalist gender roles, particularly the instrumental role of father providing discipline

  • His argument suggests that in the underclass many fathers shirk responsibility and are absent - leaving their sons to be inadequately

Underclass

  • He has argued that there is an existence of an underclass in society
  • This group exists on the edge of mainstream society, and lack socialisation into norms and values of society
  • Decline of traditional family values, with lone parents, high unemployment and dependent on welfare

About

  • He is linked to the New Right perspective and has advocated privatization and personal responsibility rather than state control

  • Influenced by ideas of neo-liberal economics which suggests reduced state spending and lower taxation - provides people with more choice and greater independence

Family and Socialisation

  • He has been critical of welfare dependency - permissive policies that have promoted idleness and illegitimacy

  • Suggested that their was an underclass of 'idle young men' being inadequately socialized by lone parents - lacked male role models to discipline

EVALUATIONS:

  • Criticised for basing work on negative stereotypes of working-class and ethnic-minority groups
  • Ignores structural inequality created by neo-liberal economic policy, including the privatisation of traditional male-dominated industries
  • Existence of underclass can be seen to be reductionist view
  • blaming the victims and suggesting poverty is a lifestyle choice

Application of Murray's views

  • Influenced Conservative policy on welfare and family life
  • Media commentary on the role of working-class and black fathers
  • Application of parenting classes for parents of delinquent children

WILSON

About

  • Wilson is seen as one of the more influential right realist thinkers
  • Collaboration with Kellings on Broken Windows theory (1982) and Hernstein (1985) focusing on biological reasons for criminality
  • Also developed rational choice theory in 1975

Contemporary Examples

  • Initially fines for not adhering to COVID guidelines were £50/£100 - low risk, high reward
  • Increased to £10,000 - high risk, low reward

Broken Windows Theory

  • Alongside Kellings, Wilson developed Broken Windows Theory
  • Maintaining appearance of an area key to upholding law and order
  • Police to target undesirable behaviours

Examples

  • New York in the 1970s and 80s pursued policies of zero tolerance against undesirable behaviour

  • Led to gentrification of areas of New York - pricing low income workers out of area

Biological Differences

  • Alongside Hernstein, Wilson argued that some people were biologically predisposed to crime

  • Effective socialisation does not always work - some people, such as extroverts, those with impulsive personalities and low intelligence are more likely to commit crime

Evaluations

  • Wilson's ideas looked to tackle different approaches to criminal behaviour but mostly based upon assumptions of lower-class criminality
  • Argued both biological predisposition and agency in making decisions
  • Ignores impact of policies put forward by the political right that create conditions for crime

RATIONAL CHOICE THEORY

  • Rational Choice Theory (RCT): explains that individuals make decisions based on a rational calculation of costs and benefits.
  • When making decisions, people weigh the potential rewards against the possible punishments before engaging in a criminal act.
  • Criminal behavior is viewed as a result of conscious choices made by individuals who consider the consequences.
  • The deterrence theory suggests that increasing the perceived risks or costs associated with crime (like harsher penalties) can deter criminal activity.
  • RCT is particularly applicable to crimes that are planned and deliberate, such as theft or fraud, where the offender evaluates the risks and rewards.
  • Bounded nationality acknowledges that while individuals strive to make rational decisions, their rationality is limited by the information available and their cognitive abilities.
  • The perceived costs and benefits of crime are subjective and can vary significantly from one person to another.
  • RCT underpins strategies to prevent crime by altering the environment to make criminal activities less attractive or more difficult.

Evaluations

  • RCT oversimplifies human behavior
  • It overlooks the impact of emotions, social influences, and irrationality on decision-making

Left Realism

  • It was developed in response to the need for sociology to find real solutions to criminal behavior
  • Drawing on ideas of structural inequality and the interactions between people and the state, set out to provide realistic solutions to criminal behaviour
  • Reaction to influence of Right Realism

Multiple Aetiology

  • Young suggested that crime was a result of many factors interacting with one another - multiple aetiology
  • No single factor is the cause of crime — crime is the result of a mixture of informal and formal social controls, structural inequalities and the agency of the offender

About

They argued that there were three key factors influencing levels of crime: relative deprivation, subcultures, marginalization