Examining realist theories Using material from item A and elsewhere assess the value of the right realist approach to crime and deviance (21) Right realism is a conservative and extreme functionalist view of crime. They see it as a growing problem that destroys societies. Sociologists such as James Q Wilson have stressed the point that it cannot be tolerated. The right realist views closely correspond with those of the neo-conservative views in the 70s and 80s. They both argue that ‘nothing works’ right realists are more concerned with solving crime rather than understanding the causes.
Police chiefs surveyed nationwide have come to the same conclusion. They declared that the most ways to reduce violent crimes is to increase the number of police officers on the street, reduce drug abuse, and create a better economy with more jobs. Lastly, the ACLU and police officers alike believe the death penalty is a waste of taxpayers’ money and does not even deter violent crime. The FBI has found that the states using the death penalty have the highest murder
Neither model allows for the “right” or “wrong” method, but simply debates the amount of government involvement, so both are equally important to understand. What role does law enforcement play? Under the crime control model, law enforcement plays a very large role as this model is based on the theory that crime is reduced from more arrests, convictions, and harsher sentencing. This increases the amount of officers in given areas to provide a more “tough on crime” standard of policing. According to Packers theory, the crime control model also leans more toward the idea that the costs associated with providing criminals “rights” are wasteful and would be better applied towards building new prisons and hiring more police officers (Packer, 1968).
Many believe that a government without limits will turn into a government that acts in ways that will disregard the rights of all in all circumstances (Zalman, M. (2008). Those who support the crime control model, however, indicate that these protections hinder law enforcement investigation and allow defendants more privacy than victims are allowed “Crime control emphasizes an efficient criminal process through early determination of guilt by law enforcement agents” and the Fourth Amendment prevents this (Cornell,
Although theories like functionalism and Marxism focus on the causes of crime, realists also look at the ways we can prevent crime from happening. Realists trust official statistics and both left and right realists have come up with a variety of solutions to fight crime. Right realists think that situational crime prevention or SCP. They reason that intervening in the immediate situation where crime is taking place is the one of the best things to be done. Using materials like anti-climb paint or neighbourhood watch schemes they make the target harder to achieve, or more risky.
When people think about crime several things come to mind: murder, rape, drugs and assault. People should not forget that white collar and corporate crimes such as embezzlement and toxic waste dumping are equally as important. If you asks those same people, they would agree that crime hurts society and that laws where created to protect society. Unfortunately, citizens tend to forget that crime is socially constructed and how society perceives the social problem of crime determines how the problem is treated. According to the articles “Making slave Labor Fly,” and “Crime and Policy,” politicians have devised many ways to control how society believes social problems should be treated to further their own agenda.
Americans will save a lot of money from taxes, the prison population would decrease, and the government would realize how harsh and unfair their sentencing system is. Americans would much rather old drug dealers who want to improve and change their lives back on the streets rather than having a murder or a rapist back on the streets. If the drug dealers really want to change their lives and start a new life then they should be able to get out of prison. Most of the inmates have already served more than enough time then they actually deserve. Americans need to start sticking up for what’s right in their country and should stop being bullied by the government.
Control Theory Sherrie R. Muasau Department of Criminal Justice April 25, 2011 Introduction Control theories take the opposite approach from other theories in criminology. As their starting point, instead of asking “What drives people to commit crime?” they ask “Why do most people not commit crime?” Social control theories tend to demonstrate a view of human nature that reflects the beliefs of Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), a seventeenth-century English philosopher who was convinced that humans are basically evil. In Hobbes best-known work, Leviathan (1651), he argued that the desire for money and fame was part of human nature. The scholars who developed control theories see delinquency as a somewhat normal behavior emerging from unmet wants and needs (Gottfredson and Hirschi, 1990). Their focus is on the control factors that prevent people from committing criminal or delinquent acts (Gottfredson & Hirschi, 1990; Hirschi, 1969; Nye, 1958; Reckless, 1967; Reiss, 1951; and Sykes & Matza, 1957).
If the person did not count upbringing and cognition, it would be up to someone’s biology, as to whether they committed crime. After all it is a known fact that crime runs in families and so if your parents are criminals, you have a high percentage of becoming one as well. In conclusion, the biological approach does provide an explanation of criminal behaviour, to a certain extent. However, other approaches do need to be considered such as upbringing and someone’s cognition, when stating why people turn to
There are also significant costs to society to cover the expenses associated with lifetime imprisonment. The death penalty benefits society because it instills fear into a person, thereby acting as a deterrent to crime. Laws are developed in the United States to deter people from committing crimes. Criminals know that if they decide to break the law, there will be consequences for their actions. Statistics reveal that states with the death penalty have fewer murders per capita.