1. From Memory No Discussion No Prompts
Immediate Activity
Spaced Retrieval
From Memory No Discussion No Prompts
Harper argues that education is the most important reason for the fall in birth and fertility rates- why?
Marxist scholar Phillipson argues that ageism is due to “structured dependency” what does this mean?
Pilcher argues that there are significant differences in the experience of old age. Why would class and gender be important factors?
Ehrenreich & Hochschild argue that thee has been a ‘feminisation of migration’ with women now making up 50% of global migrants. What job roles do these female migrant perform in UK & why?

2. Stop and search- left or right realist solution to the problem of crime?
Using the concepts we discussed yesterday about the causes of crime how could stop and search be seen to actually increase crime?
Friday, 28 December 2018
Left realism

3. Introduction to Left Realism
Lea and Young (1984, pictured left) developed Left Realism (with Matthews and Kinsey) partly as a response to Right Realism.
And partly in response to neo-Marxist Radical Criminology which Young himself was part of and wanted to distance himself from: subsequently calling it “Left Idealism”.
Left Realism sees crime as a real problem for ordinary people and explains it through analysis social and economic relationships, and how some groups become marginalised.
Friday, 28 December 2018
Left realism

4. Crime is a Real Phenomenon
Left Realism argues the rising crime rate cannot solely be explained by the 'unreliability of official crime statistics’.
So, unusually for Sociologists, they are less critical of crime statistics than most, and argue they do reflect typical criminals: young, male, working-class and disproportionately black.
They focus on victims as well as offenders, recognising crime is concentrated in the inner-city and sink housing estates.
Friday, 28 December 2018
Left realism

5. Ethnicity and Crime
Lea and Young tackle Black criminality head on: accepting there has been a real increase in crimes committed by young Blacks. .
They accept there exists institutional racism, and a racist 'canteen culture‘ amongst the police.
But black criminality also stems from racial discrimination, material deprivation, low wages and unemployment.
They see Black youth having particularly high aspirations, but often not able to legitimately achieve these aspirations.
Friday, 28 December 2018
Left realism

6. Left Realist Origins of Crime
Left Realism sees the origins of crime as three fold:
Subculture
Relative
deprivation
Marginalisation
This explains why young Black working-class males are particularly associated with criminal activity: see next 3 slides.
Friday, 28 December 2018
Left realism

7. 1. Subcultures
Lea and Young argue the subculture of modern young Black men is distinctly different from their parents who largely accepted their marginalised position in society.
Black youth subculture has high material expectations and aspirations: money and status symbols like flash cars, etc.
So because Black youth culture is so closely connected to values of consumption, style and wealth, this is precisely why they engage in crime – because of blocked opportunities to achieve these goals
Friday, 28 December 2018
Left realism

8. Immediate activity No notes, no discussion, no text book
Outline three causes of crime according to left realists
(6 marks)
Friday, 28 December 2018
Left realism

9. 2. Relative Deprivation
Lea and Young argue that frustrated from this disparity between expectations and the reality of lifestyle leads to feelings of relative deprivation.
They argue the reality for many young Black males is a choice of unemployment, training schemes or ‘white man’s shit work’ (Stuart Hall).
They feel unfairly denied the ‘glittering prizes’ offered to others. This can develop into strategies which can involve deviant and criminal behaviour.
Friday, 28 December 2018
Left realism

10. 3. Marginalisation
Lea and Young argue that marginalisation means the process by which certain groups find themselves on the edge of society.
White and Black working-class youth often feel alienated by schools, unemployment, low-wages, the police, etc.
Young Black males face marginalisation through prejudice and harassment e.g., 'military policing‘ (stop and search).
They argue this may be the ‘straw that breaks the camel's back’: economic marginalisation is transferred into crime.
Friday, 28 December 2018
Left realism

11. Left Realism: The Policing Problem
Kinsey, Lea and Young (1984) identify a number of problems with contemporary policing.
The police too often resort to 'military policing' as a method of solving crime through 'stop and search' policies.
This alienates the community from them, recently the Muslim community.
They argue that to improve this relationship the public should have more say in shaping police policy.
Friday, 28 December 2018
Left realism

12. Left Realist’s Square of Crime
Left Realism takes us beyond the offender and shows concern for victim patterns and formal and informal factors.
They argue that crime can only be understood in terms of the interrelationships between these four elements.
Friday, 28 December 2018
Left realism

13. Immediate activity No notes, no discussion, no text books
State two advantages of using questionnaires in sociological research
2) State one practical disadvantage of using questionnaires
3) State one theoretical disadvantage of using questionnaires.
4) Explain why positivists prefer questionnaires but interpretivists reject them.
5) Suggest one reason why detachment might be a disadvantage in research
6) Suggest one way in which questionnaires may impose the researcher’s meanings on respondents

14. Left realism in action
Friday, 28 December 2018
Left realism

15. Jock Young, Social Change and Crime
Jock Young (1997) also has a generic theory to explain the recent growth in crime. He argues that late modernity is making crime worse in a number of ways:
Greater uncertainty
and instability in
most aspects of life.
Less consensus
about moral
values
People’s desire for
Immediate and
personal pleasure.
A breakdown of
informal social
controls
Friday, 28 December 2018
Left realism

16. Critique of Left Realism
It’s key strength is a recognition of multiple causes of crime.
Its focus on victims as well as offenders is good, adding another dimension to our understanding of crime.
However, Relative deprivation or marginalisation cannot explain the motive behind all offenders’ actions (e.g. white-collar or corporate crime)
Equally not all people in relative deprivation turn to crime.
It assumes that when society’s values break down crime become more likely – a return to anomie theory and a view not too distant from Right Realism after all?
Friday, 28 December 2018
Left realism