Right realism

• People are free-thinking individuals and choose to commit crime so must be held responsible for their actions
• Someone who has a right realist view asserts that criminals make a choice to commit crime.
• Right realists criticise other approaches for not offering any practical solutions to crime, they offer both explanations of crime and practical solutions to tackle it.
• Key theorist


  James Wilson
• Key concept

  Zero tolerance.
• Right wing, conservative (same ideas as New right)


  -Concerned about the growing numbers of people on benefits and want people to take responsibility for their own lives. Welfare dependency has contributed to the growing crime rate.

  -The best way to reduce crime is through control and punishment (e.g longer prison sentences) rather than rehabilitating offenders or tackling causes such as poverty.
• Right realists reject Marxists ideas that economic or structural factors are the cause of crime but instead believe crime is a product of 3 factors:


  1-Biological differences between individuals

  2-Inadequate socialisation

  3-Offending is a rational choice
• Biological differences


  -Wilson and Herrnstein (1985) suggest a bio-social theory about criminality, arguing that crime is caused by a mixture of biological and social factors

  -Biological factors make some people more likely to commit crimes than others, e.g. certain hormones and personality traits can lead to increased aggression, impulsivity and risk taking.

  -They also argue that one of the main causes of crime is low intelligence levels.
• Inadequate socialisation


  -Effective socialisation (primarily from family) reduces the risk of criminality, is ensures transference of norms, values, right and wrong and self-control.

  -When children are not brought up properly (neglect, abuse etc.) this is called inadequate socialisation.

  -Children who are not adequately socialised have more risk of becoming offenders. Murray (1990) argues that crime is increasing because of a growing underclass who are failing to socialise their children properly.
• Offending is a rational choice 


  Routine activity theory.

  There are 3 core components in the commission os crime (Cohen and Felson, 1979)

  1.Suitable targets (things worth stealing/attacking)

  2.A motivated offender

  3.The absence of a 'capable guardian' (someone or something that might ordinarily deter the crime)
• Strengths of right realism 


  -Has helped to produce and shape government research into crime (e.g. victim surveys)

  -Is more practical in tackling crime, not too theoretical

  -Flood-page (2000) supports the view of the decline of the family, children from lone parent families (especially males), are more likely to offend.
• Weaknesses of right realism

  -Ignores wider structural causes of crime, like poverty

  -Ignores the increasing gap between the rich and poor and the resentment this may cause

  -Too focused on young males and street crime statistics- misses other crimes such as WCC (white collar crime)