Explain the reasons why left realism emerged Essay - 1

Explain the reasons why left realism emerged - Essay Example eft realism emerged as a reaction to ‘law and order’ politics and to the perceived vacuum in radical left thinking on crime and crime control (Carrabine 79). Ideally, Left realism emanates from a situation that demonstrates the need to focus the social problems in the society. However, many scholars have been questioning the capacity of this theory to address societal problems (HistoryLearningSite 1). In its emergence, the theory of Left realism sought to address the reality of crime for the working class victim and the need to elaborate a socialist alternative to conservative emphases on law and order (Carrabine 79-80). In the mid-1980s, there was a common perception that the efficiency and effectiveness of the police, and criminal justice agencies were performance indicators of maximum crime arrests (Lea 141). However, the Left realism sought to correct this perception by noting that the flow of information about crime from victims and communities to the police, which was a matter of trust, was the key factor that would address crime in the society (Lea 142). This theory achieved this by noting that crime is intra-class and is rampant on poor communities (Lea 142). Indeed, the Left realism aimed at the practical experience of victimization in the poor and working class communities (Lea 142). Notably, the Left realism sought to criticize the views of right-realism that advocated for longer sentences and additional prisons (HistoryLearningSite 1) as the solution to rising crime rates (Lea 142). Indeed, the right-realism was actually not addressing crime in an effective manner and hence the Left realism sought to encourage socialists to address crime in a serious manner (Currie 114-117). During the emergence of the Left realism criminality among the working class was worsening as radical criminologists maintained the social constructionist view of crime and hence the need for the Left realism to curb the problem (Hale et al 86-87). As such, this theory sought