ABSTRACT
Right realism (or neo-conservative criminology) is founded on four assumptions: people make rational decisions, crime is a product of poor or inconsistent parenting, people can be deterred from offending and those which cannot be deterred should be incarcerated and social welfare contributes to increased crime. The right realists championed free-market economics, individual responsibility and tough on crime policies. The chapter discusses the early work of James Q. Wilson before moving onto underclass and broken window theories. The chapter concludes that, while right realism has received little support within Irish criminology, the rhetoric has commonly been used by Irish politicians.
