Left
What is Left Wing Realism?
A sociological theory of crime that emerged in the 1980s which acknowledges that crime is a real problem, particularly for disadvantaged groups and seeks to find practical reformist solutions.
What are Reformist solutions?
Refers to the idea that social problems can be resolved through gradual changes within existing social political and economic systems.
Crime must be understood through the interactions between…
- Offender
- Victim
- State/Police
- Public/Community
What does this key concept mean: Relative deprivation?
Feeling deprived compared to others, leads to resentment which leads to crime.
What does this key concept mean: Marignalisation?
Groups lacking power or representation may express frustration through crime.
What does this key concept mean: Subculture?
Group response to shared deprivation; may encourage criminal values.
What is Lee & Young’s theory?
They say youth crime happens when young people feel unfairly deprived and pushed out of society.
Why do young people commit crimes according to Lee & Young?
Deprived young people compare themselves to richer groups leading to frustration which leads to crime.
How many stop and searches were there in England and Wales in the year ending March 2024?
103, 100
What are two strengths?
Any two:
- Recognises real victims of crime (often working class)
- Offers practical solutions (community policing)
- Highlights structural inequalities and socioeconomic causes
What are two limitations?
Any two:
- May overemphasise street crime and ignore corporate/white collar crime
- Critics argue it offers reform, not radical structural change
- Some evidence on relative deprivation is correlational, not casual
Give a real life example.
Over representation in stop and search - black children accounted for 19% of searches despite being a smaller proportion of 10-17 population.