right realist theory

• how do realists see crime?

  they see crime as a big problem in many communities and as well as trying to tackle why crime happens, it focuses more on solutions and the victims of crime
• when did right realism emerge?

  1970s-80s
• what did right realist wilson argue?

  we need a zero tolerance approach to street crime and disorder
• what do right realists argue marxists and interactionists are?

  too sympathetic to the criminal and too critical of the CJS
• murray


  liked to the new right and has advocated privatisation of personal responsibility

  - influenced by ideas of neo-liberal economies which suggests reduced state spending and lower taxation- provides people with more choice and greater independence
• underclass - murray


  - murray argued there's an existence of an underclass in society

  - this group exists on edge of mainstream society and lack of socialisation into n+vs of society

  - decline of traditional family values with lone parents, high unemployment and dependent on benefits
• family and socialisation


  - right realists believe the best agency of socialisation is the family

  - effective socialisation decreases the risk of crime

  -Murray is critical of welfare dependency- permissive policies that have promoted idleness and illegitimacy

  - suggested there was an underclass of 'idle young men' being inadequately socialised by lone parents - lacked male role models to discipline them
• inadequate socialisation


  - new right model looks to traditional functionalist gender roles

  - argues in underclass many fathers lack responsibility and are absent - leaving sons to be inadequately socialised
• shadow economies


  - young men lack motivation and resilience that is provided by father figures

  - earn through shadow economies - drug dealing, low level security work etc

  - gains status through masculinity and not conforming to social n+vs
• 3 evaluations of Murray

  1. criticised for basing work on negative stereotypes of WC and ethnic minority groups

  2. ignores structural inequality created by neo liberal economic policy including the privatisation of traditional male dominated industries

  3. existence of underclass can be seen as reductionist
• 3 things crime is the product of according to right realists

  1. individual biological differences

  2. inadequate socialisation and the 'underclass'

  3. rational choice to offend
• wilson's rational choice theory

  - he suggested crime was a rational choice that people made after weighing up risks and rewards of actions

  - if rewards outweigh risks = people more likely to commit crime

  - linked to harsher sentencing and limiting rewards offered by criminal behaviour
• broken windows theory - wilson and kellings

  - zero tolerance

  -maintaining appearance of an area key to upholding law and order

  - police to target undesirable behaviours immediately
• biological differences - wilson

  - some people are biologically predisposed to crime

  - effective socialisation does not always work - some personalities are more likely to commit crime
• 3 evaluations of wilson

  - his 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 impacts of policies put forward by political right that create conditions for crime
• felson's idea


  he argues that for crime to occur, there must be a motivated offender, a suitable target and the absence of a capable guardian (e.g police officer)

  - offenders are assumed to act rationally, so that the presence of a guardian is likely to deter them
• what do right realists think or argue about tackling crime?

  do not believe it is beneficial to try to deal with the causes of crime since these cannot easily be changed

  - instead, they seek practical measures to make crime less attractive

  - their main focus is on control, containment and punishment of offenders rather than eliminating the underlying causes
• what type of policing does right realists advocate for?

  military policing