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Left Realists

Left Realists

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Section 1

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Conclusion

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Last updated

7 years ago

Date created

Mar 1, 2020

Cards (6)

Section 1

(6 cards)

Conclusion

Front

- They are aware that crime and deviance is a real problem in contemporary society and demands causal explanation. - they not only consider the offender but the victims - however, realists can be attacked for neglecting to explain white-collar crime, which can be much more harmful & costly than street crime.

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Marginalisation

Front

Young: - argues in late modern society (late modernity) growing numbers of working class and black youths are finding themselves marginalised or economically/socially excluded because of insecurity (recessions, unemployment, temporary low paid jobs, cuts in welfare benefits etc) and family instability (e.g. divorce). - Marginalisation (not able to take an active part in society due to unemployment, lack of money etc.) is seen as an underlying pressure for crime and deviance amongst the powerless :( - . Marxists argue that realists fail to explain how the extent of crime and deviance is socially constructed. Marxists claim that selective law enforcement against the powerless working class creates the distorted crime patterns seen in OCS and directs attention away from crimes committed by the powerful middle class. Marxists also argue that realists fail to consider the real underlying structural causes of crime and deviance. Marxists blame criminogenic capitalism (economic inequality and capitalist values) rather than marginalisation etc. This suggests that realist theories only offer a partial view of how crime functions in today's society.

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Intro

Front

- They largely accept official statistics on crime - They reject approaches that explain crime and deviance away as a social construction (e.g. Interactionist & partially Marxist).

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Practical solutions

Front

- The police rely on the public providing them with information about crimes (90% of crime known to the police is provided by the public). However, because the police are losing the support of the public (especially in inner city and ethnic minority areas), the flow of information dries up. - As a result the policy rely on 'military policing' e.g. swamping an area using random stop and search tactics. This alienates and produces a vicious cycle. SOLUTION - Policing must be made accountable to local communities and deal with local concerns. Police need to improve their relationships with the local community (e.g. neighbourhood watch) by spending more time investigating crime, changing their priorities (e.g. they over-police minor drug crime, but under-police racist attacks and domestic violence) and involve the public in making policing policy. - Agencies such as local councils' social services, housing departments, schools and leisure services, as well as the public, need to get involved.

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Relative depreivation

Front

Young: - argues that crime is most likely to follow when individuals or groups feel relatively deprived. - feelings of relative deprivation have increased in late modern society because expectations regarding consumption/cultural inclusion (e.g. ipods, latest mobiles etc.) have increased due to media pressures. - leads to the marginalised feel worse off than other groups and feel social injustice. - 'relative deprivation downwards' where the middle classes (who see themselves as hardworking and disciplined) feel resentful of the underclass (who they view as idle and irresponsible). - creates feelings of exclusion and explains the increase in 'hate crimes' e.g. racist attacks against asylum seekers :( - Young also stresses that relative deprivation alone does not necessarily lead to crime. Relative deprivation is most likely to cause crime when coupled with a strong sense of individualism (concern for oneself rather than others)

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Subcultures

Front

- Criminal and deviant subcultures emerge as a group response to marginalisation and relative deprivation - Young suggests that an increasing variety of subcultures exist (e.g. religious, criminal, conflict and retreatist etc.) and shape the type of deviant activity engaged in. For example, criminal subcultures may deal in drugs to close the 'deprivation gap'. - criminal behaviour becomes normalised within these subcultures :) - Left realist theories have gained empirical support. Jones et al.'s (1986) local Islington crime survey shows that crime is real problem for inner city residents. They found that levels of victimisation and fear of crime were high, especially amongst women. In these areas levels of deprivation are high thus levels of relative deprivation and marginalisation are likely to be high. This suggests there is some validity in the left realist ideas.

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