Political Ideas Underpinning Criminological Theory

In the past 30 years the impact of political ideas underpinning criminological theories and crime control has marked a significant shift from early criminological thinking of crime as socially constructed by seeing crime as legally defined and fear of crime as rational, but perspectives on victims of crime remain distinct. This essay will look at emergence of right and left realism and its effect on crime control in the 1970s to explore the impact of political ideas, but at the same time explore the influence of public opinion as means for driving forward political agendas. Political ideas have significantly underpinning criminological theory and crime control in the past 30 years and this is shown in the discussion in this essay.

The 1970s

Clarke and Cornish argue that the decision to commit a crime is based on rational calculation, in that that individuals attaches a purpose to their act usually a reward. If they perceive that the rewards for carrying out the crime outweighs the possible consequences, then the individual will be more likely to carry it out. This view is reiterated in the routine activity theory, in which Cohen and Felson argue is based on three elements that allow for the individual to offend and these are; a motivated offender, a suitable target and absence of capable guardian or guardians. Whether opportunity provides the basis for the offender to commit a crime, is debatable but what those on the right argue is that “all offenders think before they act even if this is only momentary”, meaning that the individual is responsible for their actions and the community should take measures to reduce opportunities for individuals to offend by making offending unappealing. Wilson and Kelling through the concept of ‘broken windows’ argue crime control should focus on a zero-tolerance rather than focusing on underlying causes and rehabilitating the offender, to deal immediately with behaviour that threaten communities. It was argued that measures like welfare neglected the victim by sympathising with the offender, and it was this when combined with the occurrence of disorder allowed for “an image of a

The right, over the past 30 years, have significantly impacted on these debates by providing a new way of thinking that focuses on the individual and their responsibility, thus breaking away from liberal ideas that focused on the welfare state. Central to the criminal justice system was deterrence which characterised the use of prisons and toughening of laws and extension of powers of the police, by appealing to the fear of crime. This has resorted in conflict with those on the left who argue that the right fail to address social conditions in which crime arises, and by extending the powers of the police, it marginalises disadvantaged individuals further. The impact of political ideas on criminological theories and crime control stem from public opinion, which inform political tactics that determine who has influence in the political