Right wing policy on crime

Right-Wing Approach to Crime

Right-wing approaches to crime, also referred to as conservative or New Right criminology, view crime as a product of individual decision-making.
Fundamental beliefs of the Right-wing approach include the commitment to the free market, strong law and order emphasis, and a focus on individual responsibilities over societal issues.

Key Theories

Rational Choice Theory: This theory posits that individuals commit crimes based on rational calculations of potential rewards and risks.
Broken Windows Theory: This theory suggests that maintaining and monitoring urban environments may prevent small crimes such as vandalism, thereby preventing more serious crimes from happening.
Self-Control Theory: This suggests that individuals with low self-control are more likely to engage in instant gratification behaviours, including criminal activity.

Key Policies

Zero Tolerance Policing: This involves the police strictly clamping down on minor offences in order to prevent more serious ones. A key example is the New York City’s zero tolerance approach in the 1990s.
Incapacitation: To keep potential re-offenders off the streets, right-wing perspectives support harsh sentences including long-term imprisonment and “Three-Strikes Laws”.
Deterrence: Severe punishments such as monetary fines or even the death penalty are supported as a method to discourage potential criminals.

Critiques of Right-Wing Approach

The right-wing approach’s stress on individual responsibility can overlook societal or structural factors leading to crime, such as poverty or inequality.
It may lead to increased social inequality through harsh treatment of lower-class offenders, while often overlooking white-collar and corporate crime.
Critics also argue that policies like zero tolerance policing and long-term imprisonment can create a prison-industrial complex, where people are incarcerated for profit rather than rehabilitation.

Remember, understanding the right-wing approach to crime is crucial, as these beliefs can significantly impact policing, legal policies, and the treatment of offenders. It’s always worth analysing its strategies and weaknesses, especially when compared to the left-wing approach to crime.