Realist Criminology: Crime Control and Policing in the 1990sJohn Lowman, Brian MacLean In the 1980s in Britain a new school of critical criminology arose to challenge the political and philosophical idealism that characterized its critical predecessors, and to offer an alternative to the crime control policies of the 'New Right.' Arguing that by overemphasizing the crimes of the powerful, much of critical criminology had virtually ignored the impact of street crime on its victims, a 'left realism' emerged to reassert the centrality of the victim in the development of a progressive criminology. Critical realism recognizes the seriousness of street crime for those people victimized by it (particularly women), acknowledges that a consensus as to the desireability of a core group of laws does exist, and advocates various kinds of criminal justice reform and crime prevention strategies. In this respect, there are important parallels with debates in feminism concerning the role of the state in the problem of violence against women. One of the most important contributions critical realism has made to criminological research is the development of local crime surveys which attempt to measure patterns of victimization and policing and how these are perceived by the general public. Such research remains largely undeveloped in North America, and it is the purpose of this book to begin to take stock of these developments, and examine their relevance for North America. This is the first text to include a critical examination of left realism, examine its relationship to feminism, and comment on its relevance outside Britain. |
Contents
Left Realism Crime Control and Policing in the 1990s | 3 |
Realist Research as a Basis for Local Criminal Justice Policy | 33 |
Developing a Realist Approach to Penal Reform | 73 |
Three Styles of Reasoning | 88 |
What Can Left Realists Learn? | 115 |
Beyond Realist Criminology | 139 |
Why Company Law Is Important to Left Realists | 177 |
Women Crime Feminism and Realism | 203 |
Feminism and Realism in the Canadian Context | 221 |
The Study of Womens Fear of Crime | 246 |
A LeftRealist Approach | 264 |
Critical Victimology | 285 |
Pitfalls and Possibilities | 303 |
A Program of Local Crime Survey Research for Canada | 336 |
Notes on Contributors367 | 367 |
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Common terms and phrases
abolitionism academic agencies agenda alternatives analysis argues assault behaviour British Crime Survey burglary Canada Canadian Carlen cent Centre for Criminology company law concern context corporate crime crime and policing crime control crime rate criminal justice criminal victimization Critical Criminology critique Cuba Cuban Currie decriminalization DeKeseredy discourse economic effective example experience fear of crime feminism feminist gender groups ideological impact intervention interviews involved Islington Crime Survey issues Jock Young Jones Journal Kinsey lawbreaking Lea and Young left realism London Lowman MacLean Matthews measures Middlesex Polytechnic Milton Keynes multi-agency national surveys offenders particular perspective political post-modern potential practices prison progressive question radical criminology realist criminology relations relationship response role sexual socialist society Sociology specific statistics strategies street crime street prostitution studies suggests survey research theoretical theory tion victimization survey victimology violence against women Walklate white-collar crime woman abuse