Left realist

• Left realism (LR)


  Developed since the 1980s, sees crime as a real problem, are socialists opposed to inequality of capitalist society
• LRs vs Marxists


  LRs are reformist not revolutionary socialists, believe gradual reforms are the only realistic way to achieve equality, while Marxists believe only a future revolution can bring a crime-free society
• LRs


  • Take crime seriously by recognising that its main victims are disadvantaged groups: the working class, minority ethnic groups and women, who are more likely to be victimised and less likely to find the police take crimes against them seriously
• LRs argue that the increase in crime is too great to be explained as just a social construction, and is real</b>
• Relative deprivation


  How deprived someone feels in relation to others, when they feel others unfairly have more, they may resort to crime to gain what they feel entitled to
• Subculture


  A group's solution to the problem of relative deprivation, criminal subcultures subscribe to society's materialistic goals but have blocked legitimate opportunities so they resort to crime
• Marginalisation


  Unemployed youth are marginalised, they have no organisation to represent them and no clear goals, just a sense of powerlessness, resentment and frustration, which they express through criminal means
• In late modern society, the problem of working-class crime is worse due to harsher welfare policies, increased unemployment, job insecurity and poverty, destabilisation of family and community life weakening informal social controls
• In late modern society, crime is now found throughout society, not just at the bottom, there is resentment at the undeservedly high rewards of some, and more hate crimes eg against asylum seekers, there is less consensus about what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour and informal controls are now less effective