Right realism views crime from a politically conservative perspective, focusing on inadequate social control as the cause of crime rather than social factors. It believes individuals commit crimes when social constraints are weakened. Theorists like Murray and Wilson link crime to the breakdown of social bonds and order in communities, especially the decline of the nuclear family and male role models. While right realism recognizes the real problems of crime, its theories have been criticized for oversimplifying causes and neglecting other types of crime like white-collar offenses.
2. Definition Right Realism is an extreme of the Functionalist approach, and again accepts official statistics. It considers the phenomenon of crime from the perspective of Political Conservatism and asserts that it takes a more realistic view of the causes of crime and deviance, and identifies the best mechanisms for its control. Unlike the other Schools of criminology, there is less emphasis on developing theories of causality in relation to crime and deviance. Murray is a leading right realist.He says everyone is tempted to commit crime, but what preventsis the amount of social bonds that hold us together. Murray talks about the development of the Underclass.Inadequate Socialisation: the rise of single parent families means young boys grow up without appropriate male role-models. Crime is a way of proving they are men, if employment is not a desirable option.
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5. How it links to Crime and Deviance In criminology, right realism grew out of control theory and political conservatism. It links the perceived escalation of crime and delinquency to a decline in individual responsibility and moral degeneracy. To right realists, crime and deviance are an individual pathology – a set of destructive lawless behaviors actively chosen and perpetrated by individual selfishness, a lack of self-control and morality. Right realists are dismissive of the ‘theoretical’ approaches to the study of crime.
6. Theorists Study Wilson(1975) suggests that crime is linked to a breakdown in social order in some communities. He argued that disorder in certain neighbourhoods breads more crime and deviance as sense of community and civility is lost, and with it informal social control. Murray(1990) locates the causes of contemporary crime to a growing underclass. He maintained that children from fatherless single parent families are more likely to commit crime. He argues that they are inadequate controlled as they lack a male role model and authority figure Marsland (1988) argues that crime and deviance is linked to the breakdown in the moral fabric of society. It suggests that schools and religion have become less effective agencies of social control.
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8. Right realist theories have gained practical support. Research by Flood-Page et al.for the Home Office offers partial support for Murray’s views on ‘family decline’. They found children (especially males) from lone parent backgrounds and step-families were more likely to offend than those who lived with two natural parents. This suggests there is some validity in the right realist ideas.
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10. Its Relation to Left Realism Left realists support right realists in so far as they recognise there are real crime problems to be explained, and that real practical solutions needed. However, they are critical of right realists for locating the underlying causes of crime in terms of inadequate social control. They argue that social inequality is a more significant factor. They point to factors such as marginalisation and relative deprivation, and the consequent growth of criminal and deviant subcultures.
11. Conclusion In conclusion perhaps the greatest strength of the right realist approach is that it recognises that crime and deviance cannot be explained away as a social construction. They recognise that crime and deviance is a real problem in contemporary society and demands causal explanation. Moreover, right realists put forward a complete approach to crime and deviance, as they not only consider the offender, but victims and agents of social control. However, right realism can be attacked for neglecting to study white-collar crime.
