Right realist theories

Wilson- Thinking about crime
1. Wilson sees crime as being the result of rational calculations. People will commit crime if the likely benefits exceed the likely costs.
2. Certain and swift penalties are likely to be an effective answer to crime, but, until they can be assured by the criminal justice system, other types of measures are also needed.
3. There are other ways of changing the balance between the gains and losses of committing crimes. For example giving heroin addicts the less destructive drug methadone, helps to reduce the side effects of giving up heroin.
4. Another effective way of dealing with crime is to try to prevent the disintegration of communities. Where strong communities exist, they can deter crime, because people who are disgraced by being found to be involved in crime will lose their standing in the community. Where a community is strong, this loss will be important to people and they will try to avoid it. The problem is that crime itself undermines communities.
5. Wilson argued that predatory street crime does not just victimise individuals, it can also prevent the formation and maintenance of community.
'Broken windows' theory
1. Wilson and Kelling (1982) believe that it is crucial to try to maintain the character of neighbourhoods and prevent them from deteriorating. If a single window, broken by vandals, goes unmended, then problems will quickly grow. More windows will be broken, unruly youths will start hanging around on the streets, and law-abiding citizens will become afraid to go out. Freed from close observation by respectable members of the community, those inclined to criminality will commit more and more street crimes.
2. On the other hand, if attempts are made to maintain law and order, residents will be more likely to report and discourage incivilities and anti-social behaviour in public places. Therefore, the role of the police is to stop an area from deteriorating by clamping down on the first signs of undesirable behaviour.
Right Realists and social policy
1. The social policies arising from Right Realism involve more strict socialisation of young people into the differences between right and wrong, stricter control in communities and heavier policing to increase the risk of offenders being detected. However, Right Realists particularly emphasise the importance of reducing opportunities for crime to be committed in particular settings, through situational crime prevention and 'target hardening'.
Evaluation of Right Realism
1. Strengths
  1. It addresses the immediate causes of crime, and provides policies for reducing the opportunities for crime.
  2. It recognises that if minor problems like anti-social behaviour aren't nipped in the bud, they may grow into more serious crime, destroying the sense of community.
  3. It recognises, like left realists, the importance of community control and community responses to crime in affecting crime levels.
2. Weaknesses
  1. It suggests a strong police presence in local communities and zero tolerance which may lead to resentment towards the police within communities, also leading to offecers being labelled.
  2. Zero tolerance policing (broken windows theory) can involve an over-emphasis on minor and trivial offences, diverting resources away from more serious offences which cause greater harm to people and property.
  3. It doesn't pay any attention to white-collar and corporate crime, and other 'hidden crimes' like domestic violence and child abuse.
  4. It assumes that offenders act rationally, weighing up costs and benefits, but some crimes are impulsive and do not involve any obvious gain, like vandalism or violence.

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Right realist theories

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	Created by hannahmcgrath199 almost 11 years ago