Right Realist

• background


  Right realist views correspond closely with the neo Conservative government of the 1970s and early 1980s they see Street crime as a real and growing problem that destroys communities and undermine social cohesion. Right realists are less concerned with the causes of crime and more concerned with the practical and realistic solutions to crime despite this they do offer some explanations for the causes of crime.
• biological differences


  Wilson and Hernstein 1985 put forward a biosocial theory of crime they believe that crime is caused by a combination of biological and social factors. They believe that some people are more predisposed to crime through personality traits such as aggressiveness extra version and risktaking along with low impulse control this mixed with poor socialisation or the lack of role models leads to criminal behaviour.
• socialisation and the underclass

  Charles Murray believes that crime rates are increasing due to the growing underclass of people who are dependent upon the welfare state. He believes that this underclass fails to adequately socialise their children. Murray suggest that the glorious revolution of the 1960s led to the increase of loan parent families which adequate agents of socialisation and teach children to not take responsibility for themselves.
• rational choice theory


  Clark 1980 assumes that individuals have free well and the power of reason therefore criminals have made a choice to commit a crime. Clark argues that if the perceived cost of committing the crime is outweighed by the benefit people will more likely to offend right realist believe that the current cost of crime are too low, which is why the crime rate has increased.
• View of tackling crime

  Right realist do not believe that it’s beneficial to tackle the causes of crime as they are difficult to change. Instead we should be looking at making criminal behaviour less attractive to people. This includes target Harding and Wilson and Kelly zero tolerance theory target Harding focus on making it harder for criminals to commit crimes in the first place where is zero tolerance means all criminal behaviour must be dealt with immediately
• evaluation

  Ignores the west structural causes of crime.Ignores the west structural causes of crime Overstates rationality of the criminals – this doesn’t explain violent or impulsive crimes

  Contradictory between rationality and biosocial causes of crime Ignores corporate and white collar crime