Realist views on crime:
Intro:
Realists see crime as a real problem that needs to be tackled, not
just a social construction
There has been a significant increase in crime and they are
concerned about the widespread fear of crime and its impact on
victims
They argue that other theories have failed to offer realistic solutions
to the problem of crime and they propose what they regard as
“practical policies” to reduce it. We have reached a theory bottle-
neck
There are two Realist approaches: Left Realism, which looks for
reasons why people commit crimes and explores way in which crime
can be prevented. Right Realism sees the problem of crime as being
caused by a soft approach and the development of the Welfare State
Both Realist approaches differ in their explanations and other
theoretical perspectives too have alternative viewpoints on the issue
of crime
Point 1: The Underclass
AO2:
Charles Murray is particularly associated with underclass theory
because he suggests that poor people are inadequately socialised
In particular, he blames the rise in single parenthood, which he
associates young single mothers with, as being the cause of rising
crime
He claims the underclass consists of the very poorest people in
society, those for whom crime has become a way of life, creating a
shadow economy, where people make a living off illegitimate money
Murray believes that benefits are too generous, and this means that
people prefer to survive on benefits rather than getting work
Murray says that to break the cycle of crime, it is necessary to
prevent the rise of the criminal underclass way of life by cutting
benefits and making punishment harsher
He also believes that poor people are inadequately socialised. Males
specifically are not socialised into gender norms as young single
mothers are on the rise
There is a connection between young males joining gangs and not
having a significant male role model within the family
Alongside Murray, Ron Clarke assumes that individuals have free will
and the power of reason, and that the decision to commit crime is a
choice based on rational calculation of the likely consequences
He believed that if the perceived awards of crime outweigh the
perceived costs, then people will be more likely to offend
AO3:
However, Right Realism ignores the evidence of middle class and
corporate crime, not seeing this as problematic for society
There is prejudice and bias in the assumption that the poor commit
more crime than other social groups
, Right Realists have little to say about the idea of white collar and
corporate crime, ideas put forward by Edwin Sutherland
Flood-page et al suggest that it is not the structure of the family that
results in poor socialisation, but the quality of family life and the
amount of parental supervision
Crime is not just a working-class phenomenon and there is a strong
argument that middle-class crime, such as fraud, is more hurtful to
victims than much street crime
The national audit office (2015) suggested approximately £14 billion
was lost to tax evasion in 2013/14, whereas the loss to benefit fraud
was closer to £1.3 billion
Murray doesn’t acknowledge white collar crimes in his analysis. He
uses the underclass as scapegoats to blame for all the ills in society
Point 2: Biosocial Theory
AO2:
Wilson and Hernstein believe that crime is caused by a combination
of biological and social factors
Biological differences make some people innately more strongly
predisposed to commit crime
Similarly, they argue that the main cause of crime is low
intelligence, which they also see as biologically determined
Primary socialisation teaches us self-control, we internalise moral
values of right and wrong: the best place for this development of
self-control and moral guidance is in the nuclear family
The way young men are socialised in the family, school and wider
community has an effect on their behaviour
Lone mothers in particular are ineffective socialisation agents.
Absent fathers means that boys lack suitable paternal discipline and
role models, this turns males to other more delinquent role models -
status is gained through crime
AO3:
Wilson and Hernstein blame parents for poor socialisation,
particularly single parent female headed families, or low-income
unemployed families
However, Left Realists believe that crime is caused by structural
inequality, rather than genetics and poor socialisation
Lea and Young believe that crime is caused by relative deprivation,
marginalisation and subcultures
Relative deprivation refers to how deprived someone feels in
relation to others and this creates a gap between expectations and
reality. People turn to criminal or deviant behaviour when they feel
resentful. Frustrated from the disparity between expectations and
the reality of lifestyle leads to feelings of relative deprivation.
Relative deprivation combined with individualism (the pursuit of self-
interest, made worse by late modernity) are likely to lead to criminal
responses
Marginalised groups lack both clear goals and organisations to
represent their interests. Workers have clear goals and organisations
Intro:
Realists see crime as a real problem that needs to be tackled, not
just a social construction
There has been a significant increase in crime and they are
concerned about the widespread fear of crime and its impact on
victims
They argue that other theories have failed to offer realistic solutions
to the problem of crime and they propose what they regard as
“practical policies” to reduce it. We have reached a theory bottle-
neck
There are two Realist approaches: Left Realism, which looks for
reasons why people commit crimes and explores way in which crime
can be prevented. Right Realism sees the problem of crime as being
caused by a soft approach and the development of the Welfare State
Both Realist approaches differ in their explanations and other
theoretical perspectives too have alternative viewpoints on the issue
of crime
Point 1: The Underclass
AO2:
Charles Murray is particularly associated with underclass theory
because he suggests that poor people are inadequately socialised
In particular, he blames the rise in single parenthood, which he
associates young single mothers with, as being the cause of rising
crime
He claims the underclass consists of the very poorest people in
society, those for whom crime has become a way of life, creating a
shadow economy, where people make a living off illegitimate money
Murray believes that benefits are too generous, and this means that
people prefer to survive on benefits rather than getting work
Murray says that to break the cycle of crime, it is necessary to
prevent the rise of the criminal underclass way of life by cutting
benefits and making punishment harsher
He also believes that poor people are inadequately socialised. Males
specifically are not socialised into gender norms as young single
mothers are on the rise
There is a connection between young males joining gangs and not
having a significant male role model within the family
Alongside Murray, Ron Clarke assumes that individuals have free will
and the power of reason, and that the decision to commit crime is a
choice based on rational calculation of the likely consequences
He believed that if the perceived awards of crime outweigh the
perceived costs, then people will be more likely to offend
AO3:
However, Right Realism ignores the evidence of middle class and
corporate crime, not seeing this as problematic for society
There is prejudice and bias in the assumption that the poor commit
more crime than other social groups
, Right Realists have little to say about the idea of white collar and
corporate crime, ideas put forward by Edwin Sutherland
Flood-page et al suggest that it is not the structure of the family that
results in poor socialisation, but the quality of family life and the
amount of parental supervision
Crime is not just a working-class phenomenon and there is a strong
argument that middle-class crime, such as fraud, is more hurtful to
victims than much street crime
The national audit office (2015) suggested approximately £14 billion
was lost to tax evasion in 2013/14, whereas the loss to benefit fraud
was closer to £1.3 billion
Murray doesn’t acknowledge white collar crimes in his analysis. He
uses the underclass as scapegoats to blame for all the ills in society
Point 2: Biosocial Theory
AO2:
Wilson and Hernstein believe that crime is caused by a combination
of biological and social factors
Biological differences make some people innately more strongly
predisposed to commit crime
Similarly, they argue that the main cause of crime is low
intelligence, which they also see as biologically determined
Primary socialisation teaches us self-control, we internalise moral
values of right and wrong: the best place for this development of
self-control and moral guidance is in the nuclear family
The way young men are socialised in the family, school and wider
community has an effect on their behaviour
Lone mothers in particular are ineffective socialisation agents.
Absent fathers means that boys lack suitable paternal discipline and
role models, this turns males to other more delinquent role models -
status is gained through crime
AO3:
Wilson and Hernstein blame parents for poor socialisation,
particularly single parent female headed families, or low-income
unemployed families
However, Left Realists believe that crime is caused by structural
inequality, rather than genetics and poor socialisation
Lea and Young believe that crime is caused by relative deprivation,
marginalisation and subcultures
Relative deprivation refers to how deprived someone feels in
relation to others and this creates a gap between expectations and
reality. People turn to criminal or deviant behaviour when they feel
resentful. Frustrated from the disparity between expectations and
the reality of lifestyle leads to feelings of relative deprivation.
Relative deprivation combined with individualism (the pursuit of self-
interest, made worse by late modernity) are likely to lead to criminal
responses
Marginalised groups lack both clear goals and organisations to
represent their interests. Workers have clear goals and organisations
