What are Right Realist Theories of Crime and Deviance? A-Level Sociology Video

12,818
Published on 17th August 2016 by

What are Right Realist Theories of Crime and Deviance?

Video Resources

Snippet from Video:

Realist theories see crime as real problem to be solved and not simply a social construction created by the control agencies, by contrast to approaches like labelling theory and critical criminology. Realist approaches appeared in the 1970s and 1980s during a climate when politics shifted more towards the right on the political spectrum.

Both in the UK and in North America, New Right conservative governments were voted in, for example Margaret Thatcher in the UK and Ronald Reagan in the United States.

These governments believed in decreasing the welfare state and focusing on law and order, getting tough on crime with increased use of death penalty (USA) and prisons.

Realists believe that there has been a significant rise in crimes, particularly in assault, burglary and street crime. Realist theory is also concerned about the widespread fear of crime and about the impact it has on its victims.

This theory state that other approaches that explain crime and deviance such as labelling and Neo-Marxism have failed to offer realistic solutions to the issues of crime.

There are two approaches to realist theory, divided along political lines:

Right realists: they agree with the new right or neoconservative political view.

Left realists: they are socialist take a very different stance for reducing crime.

This A-Level Sociology Video explores concepts and sociologists such as left and right realists theory, new right, underclass, deviant career, welfare dependency.

Category Tag