Left realism

Criminology and penology
Theory Anomie Biosocial criminology Broken windows Collective efficacy Crime analysis Criminalization Differential association Deviance Expressive function of law Labeling theory Psychopathy Rational choice Risk and actuarial criminology Social control Social learning Strain Subculture Symbolic interactionism Victimology Secondary victimisation Victim blaming
Types of crime Against Humanity Person State Class Blue-collar White-collar Cold case Perfect Corporate Hate Immigrant International Juvenile Organized Political Public-order State State-corporate Transnational Victimless War
Methods Comparative Profiling Ethnography Uniform Crime Reports Crime mapping reform sentencing Crime statistics Positivist school Qualitative Quantitative BJS NIBRS
Penology Crime prevention Corrections Denunciation Deterrence Incapacitation Sentence Trial Prison Prisoner Solitary confinement Punishment Rehabilitation Recidivism Zero tolerance Criminal justice Participatory Restorative Retributive Right to an effective remedy Utilitarian Transformative Prison reform abolition open Prisoner abuse Prisoners' rights Victims' rights
Schools Anarchist Chicago Classical Conflict Critical Environmental Feminist Integrative Italian Law and order Marxist Neo-classical Populist Positivist Postmodernist Realism Left Right
Subfields American Anthropological Biosocial criminology Conflict Criminology Culture Cyber Demography Development Environmental Experimental Organizational Political Public Radical criminology
Browse Index Journals Organizations People
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Left realism emerged in criminology from critical criminology as a reaction against what was perceived to be the left's failure to take a practical interest in everyday crime, allowing right realism to monopolize the political agenda on law and order. Left realism argues that crime disproportionately affects working-class people, but that solutions that only increase repression serve to make the crime problem worse. Instead they argue that the root causes of crime lie in relative deprivation, and that although preventive measures and policing are necessary, they should be placed under democratic control.