NCJ Number
133517
Journal
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 35 Issue: 3 Dated: (Fall 1991) Pages: 248-262
Date Published
1991
Length
15 pages
Annotation
Left realism has received much attention in critical criminology both in the United Kingdom and North America in recent years.
Abstract
In Britain, left realism has emerged as a response to the law and order polities of the Conservative governments. In Britain, unlike the U.S., socialists see in the Labour Party a real possibility of victory in the class struggle through the establishment of a proletarian State. British left realism is marked by an emphasis on the problems of predatory street crime, a theory of crime control that relates macro- and microlevels of analysis, an emphasis on quantitative methodology, and the development of practical crime control strategies. U.S. left realist strategies, on the other hand, can be categorized as economic policies, social services, and community crime prevention. This analysis notes two important differences between British and U.S. left realist criminology. First, American left realists have given more attention to reconstructing social and economic policies, while British proposals have been largely limited to the criminal justice system. Secondly, U.S. strategies tend to address crime from all directions, while British proposals focus on street crime. For left realism to gain credence, realists from both countries must establish stronger relations with each other and facilitate the exchange of ideas within the criminological community. 2 notes and 64 references (Author abstract modified)