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Right Realism: Criminological Theory

1332 Words6 Pages

Right Realism is a criminological theory which has emerged in the 1970s and 1980s and it is considered as a phenomenon from the Political Conservatism perspective, there has been a major shift in economical and political debate, which occurred due to the change in the global economic climate. This had an impact on the crime control strategies as social problems were dealt with differently. Right Realism looks at a more realistic view on crime and the causes and they identify the mechanisms which are best for its control. Right Realism looked at a variety of factors which could cause people to commit crimes, however they disagree with the economic factors for example, poverty or unemployment being the reasons for people offending (Jones, 2009). …show more content…

They also believe that official statistics should not be rejected as they show the basic factors of crime rates however, they believe that there is a problem in relation to biased policing and underreporting. Right Realism believe that crime is committed by lower working class black males living in inner cities and they tend to keep their focus on crimes such as street crime and burglary as these crimes are seen as 'visible' (Hopkins Burke, 2005). They argue that crime is destroying communities and it is threatening the work ethic, therefore this is why they agree with imprisonment as a form of rehabilitation and they believe that longer prison sentences will deter people from committing crimes and those who may want to …show more content…

This theory describes how people in the underclass chose the lifestyle of a criminal and that it has led them to the culture of crime due to the Government's views on the unemployed. Murray believes that this group has the ability to teach their children their norms and values which therefore passes them on to the lifestyle of crime. This idea was supported by Lewis in 1961 as he believed that if children from an early age learn certain mechanisms in surviving such as stealing, they are less likely to succeed in the future as this has potentially led them into the criminal career. However, not all individuals from a poor background turn into criminals as there has been no evidence found in suggesting that cultures of families who choose a criminal lifestyle are passed down onto their children (Shildrick et al. 2012). Murray's theory has had huge impact on the Government and Criminal Justice policies as he proposed that harsher treatment such as sentencing will deter the 'underclass' from committing crimes and it may change their views on crime. He also believes that one of the main causes of crime is due to low intelligence which was seen as biologically determined by him and the support of Hernstein. They argue that those of lower intelligence especially those who are 'cognitively disadvantaged' will struggle. Murray also believes that

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