Left realism: A radical criminology for the current crisis

Abstract

The renewal of the Left realist tradition in criminology is vital for a critical understanding o crime and criminal justice in the context of a dominant neoliberalism. Left Realism presente two core components: The local democratic community control of policing and crim prevention and the analytical 'square of crime'. Two strategies for renewing the tradition ar contrasted: The re-elaboration and updating of the core concepts or the incorporation of ne themes - specifically critical realist philosophy - from outside the original paradigm. Whil these two are not mutually exclusive I argue that most of the proposed critical realis innovations are already present in the core concepts of Left Realism and that it is here, in th focus on struggles for local democracy and in the deconstructive tradition of the 'square of crime', that the future for Left Realism lies.