Left Realism (brief) Flashcards Preview

Sociology: Crime and Deviance > Left Realism (brief) > Flashcards

Flashcards in Left Realism (brief) Deck (22)
Loading flashcards...
1
Q

In late modernity, how has the marginalisation and exclusion of those at the bottom increased?

A
  • instability, exclusion, insecurity has increased
  • de-industrialisation and loss of unskilled manual jobs -increased unemployment and poverty
  • destabilised family and community life and contributed to rising divorce rates due to New Right cutting back on welfare spending
2
Q

In late modernity, how has a sense of relative deprivation increased?

A
  • greater inequality between rich and poor
  • spread of free market values encouraging individualism
  • cultural inclusion and economic exclusion
3
Q

How has relative deprivation become more generalised throughout society?

A
  • widespread resentment at undeservedly high rewards of some
  • ‘relative deprivation downwards’ where the middle class resent stereotypical underclass as idle and irresponsible, living off the state
4
Q

How has late modern society become a high crime society with a low tolerance of crime?

A
  • informal social controls have become less effective as families and communities disintegrate
  • this, along with rising crime, makes the public more intolerant to crime
5
Q

What do Kinsey, Lea and Young argue about policing and control within ‘tackling crime’?

A
  • police clear-up rates are too low to act as a deterrent
  • the public have to be more involved in determining police priorities and style
  • but police are losing public support and information is ‘drying up’
  • police then turn to military tactics which alienates communities
  • policing must deal with local concerns
  • mulit-agency approach is needed (including social services, housing departments, schools etc.)
6
Q

What do left realists say about tackling the structural causes within ‘tackling crime’?

A
  • improved policing and control is not the main solution
  • causes of crime lie in unequal structure of society and major structural changes are needed if levels of offending are to be reduced
7
Q

How have left realists influenced government policy?

A
  • labour’s firmer approach to policing hate crimes, sexual assault, domestic violence and introduction of ASBOs echoes left realist concerns about protecting vulnerable groups
8
Q

How does Young criticise the record of governments?

A
  • largely only addressed the symptoms rather than tackling the underlying causes such as insecurity, inequality and discrimination
9
Q

How do left realists feel about OS?

A
  • they’re not an objective indicator of the true nature and extent of crime
  • they do accurately reflect the higher rate of criminality in the working class
10
Q

How do Lea and Young criticise Gilroy and his ‘myth of black criminality’?

A
  • seriously question view that police racism accounts for statistics which suggest blacks are more prone to crime
  • 92% of crimes known to police are brought to their attention via the public
11
Q

How do left realists criticise Marxism?

A
  • critical of what they view as ‘left idealism’
  • left realists believe wc crime is higher whereas Marxists interpret that it appears as such due to harsher policing and selective law enforcement
12
Q

How do left realists question Gilroy?

A
  • they question why he has difficulty accepting that racial discrimination and higher unemployment rates might result in higher rates of black criminality
13
Q

Why do left realists focus more on street crime?

A
  • believe it is a serious problem
  • acknowledge that white collar and corporate crime rates are significantly higher than the OS suggests but the crime that worries people the most is street crime - just happens to be committed mostly by the wc
14
Q

As part of left realists desire to take crime seriously in a realistic way, what do they recognise and what do they believe emerged?

A
  • from 1950s+ there was a real increase in crime

- led to an aetiological crisis in which there was collective denial that the increase was real

15
Q

How do left realists believe relative deprivation is a cause of crime?

A
  • ‘the lethal combination is relative deprivation and individualism’
  • causes crime by encouraging self-interest at expense of others
  • causing the disintegration of families/ communities by undermining values of mutual support/ selflessness
  • weakens informal controls that these groups exercise
16
Q

How do left realists believe marginalisation is a cause of crime?

A
  • groups lack clear goals and organisations to represent their interests in political life
  • lead to increased hostility and resentment against the establishment
  • groups are prone to violence + rioting as political action
17
Q

How do left realists believe subcultures are a cause of crime?

A
  • if a group suffer relative deprivation and marginalisation they may develop lifestyles to help them cope
  • subcultures still subscribe to mainstream goals but often emphasise antagonism towards police + authority
18
Q

How is the theory too generalised?

A
  • relative deprivation could lead to crime but not always
19
Q

Left realists perpetuate the myth that crime is a wc problem. How?

A
  • solely focus on street crime which ignores crimes of powerful
20
Q

Is military policing always used?

A
  • no, policing was vary from time to time and place to place
21
Q

Left realists assume all families/ communities are fractured. Are they?

A
  • no
22
Q

In what way could they be said to victimise the criminals?

A
  • ignore the real victims of crime