Luke- realists and crime

• what is a realists criminology?

  no utopian- other theories have unrealistic solutions, take crime seriously, believe criminal behaviour cannot be completely stopped within society but can be reduced: CJS statistics, crime control methods, victims, punishments. - split into right wing and left wing
• what do realists say about crime?

  both right and left agree that... society has become individualistic-strong communities can deter crime, generally trust OCS- accept legal/normative definitions of crime, aim to increase police clear up rates, with the focus on street crime. use of victimisation surveys/ fear of crime viewed as relevant.
• Right wing:

  low taxes so rich can stay wealthy and personal gain, benefits are bad believe you should work hard for the money you want, against immigration loose british identity , believe men should stay at work and only women have maternity leave, prefer private schools
• Left wing:

  higher taxes, so gov can put money back in society, agree with benefits want to help other, immigrations is good, maternity leave should be long and is important, everyone should have access to same educations.
• causes of crime Right Wing:

  broken windows theory social control breaks down, biological differences= aggressive and low intelligence, socialisation= growing underclass who don't socialise children properly and reliant on welfare dependancy, boys without fathers, rational choice
• causes of crime- Left Wing:

  relative deprivation- subjective sense of being disadvantaged, marginalisation- lack of power or representation, subcultures- dominay values of society but are blocked off, seek alternative status/power, bulimic society- the poorest, most deprived are more desperate to consume, media- saturation and globalisation target these people
• solution to crime- Right Wing: 


  police should have more crucial part in restoring balance, of the costs outright rewards less likely to commit, focus on the crime, design out crime in the environment (fix broken windows), situational crime prevention
• solution to crime- Left Wing:

  focus on crime and offenders, look a crime on a local level, reduce inequality/deprivation/exclusion, community policing, restorative justice
• positives and negatives- right wing:

  Zero tolerance policy- stops more serious crime from occurring, military policing breed antagonism/riots and racial profiling Situational crime prevention- deters offenders from committing crime, crime is just displaced. Rational choice theory- encourage people to make law abiding decisions, irrational crime
• positives and negatives- right wing 


  Broken windows- makes an area look desirable, only short term not addressing wider structural causes of crime. Underclass- shine a light own who commits street crime, just victims of capitalism.
• positives and negatives- left wing 


  Community crime prevention- gives people controls and accountability over their local police, needs consent from the public work Reduce inequality/deprivation- sense of fairness and opportunities, not all those deprived commit crimes. Multi- agency cooperation- more efficient and effective communication between public and police, ignores the real causes of crime that live in wider capitalist society
• positive and negatives- left wing 


  Re integrative shaming- helps relieve the pressure in prison, punishments seen as soft
• reduce crime through practical methods:

  Primary crime prevention= targeted at the general public with an aim of stopping crime before it occurs. Secondary crime prevention= targeted at a particular group of individuals who are vulnerable/at risk of becoming a victim Tertiary crime prevention= targeted at known offenders in order to reduce re offending