Preview

Causes of Crime

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
978 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Causes of Crime
What Causes Crime?
It is difficult to control or reduce crime without knowing what causes it.

Criminology: The scientific study of the nature, extent, cause and control of criminal behavior.

There are various theories about what causes crime.
Theories About The Causes Of Crime
Choice Theory
Biological Theories
Psychological Theories
Sociological Theories
Conflict Theories
Integrated Theories
Victimization Theories

Choice Theory
Belief that people commit crime when they perceive benefits of law violation outweigh the threat and pain of punishment.
Belief that criminals use Rational Choice in deciding to commit crime.

Choice Theory Responses To Crime:
1. General Deterrence
2. Specific Deterrence
3. Situational Crime Prevention

Choice Theory Practical Implications
Philosophical cornerstone of the crime control perspective.
“Get Tough On Crime” approach
Belief that increasing the severity of punishment deters and lowers lower crime rate

Biological Theories
Belief that crime is caused not so much by human choice but by inherited and uncontrollable biological and psychological traits.
Intelligence
Diet
Personality
Body Build

Psychological Theories
1. Psychoanalytic Theory
2. Behavioral Theory
3. Cognitive Theory

1. Psychoanalytic Theory
Belief that the development of personality in early life influences behavior for the rest of a person’s life.
Belief that criminals have weak egos and damaged personalities.

2. Behavioral Theory
Belief that people commit crimes when they model behavior after others they see being rewarded for the same acts.
Belief that behavior is enforced by rewards and extinguished by punishments.

3. Cognitive Theory
Belief that individual reasoning processes influence behavior.
Reasoning is influenced by the the way people perceive their environment, and by their moral and intellectual development.
Emphasis on Information Processing
Emphasis on Moral
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Essay On Criminal Justice Career
    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Essay On Criminal Justice Career

    Other psychology perspective used is intelligence because crime does involve some sort of intelligence to be achieved or even low intelligence can cause criminality to be risen. Such As kids that are brought up with parents teaching them to read books and art while there are some parents that spend no quality time with their children and that can make them perform bad in school causing them to be stressed. Other's are the groups that a person hangs out with such as a person that has a lot of friends and can communicate well, compared to somebody that has no friends, low self esteem and that can lead to distress and make them drop out of school and do other criminal activities.…

    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Rational Choice vs. Trait Theory
    • 1487 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Rational Choice vs. Trait Theory

    In this essay I will be comparing and contrasting the Rational Choice Theory(s) and the Trait Theory(s). We will start with the history of the two theories and progress toward some of the individual principles in the theories. Next step will be explaining how each theory contributes to criminal behavior. My closing paragraph will conclude the essay as well as give detailed information on how society punishes the crimes committed.…

    • 1487 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Criminal Acts and Choice Theories
    • 263 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Criminal Acts and Choice Theories

    Choice theories are based on a perspective on crime causation that holds that criminality is the result of…

    • 263 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Chapter 5 Quiz Answers Part 1
    • 615 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Chapter 5 Quiz Answers Part 1

    ________ theories suggest that crime is the end product of factors such as inappropriate socialization and social learning.…

    • 615 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Biological Theories of Crime 1

    • 399 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Biological Theories of Crime 1

    What are the central assumptions of biological theories of crime? How do such theories differ from other perspectives that attempt to explain the same phenomena?…

    • 399 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Criminal Act and Choice Theory Cja/204
    • 884 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Criminal Act and Choice Theory Cja/204

    Different choice theories and models exist that relate to crime. Some of the choice theories that mention in the book Criminal Justice Today an introductory text for the 21st Century, 10th edition are as followed: Choice theory, the classical school, biological theory, psychological theory, and the labeling theory. Each has its own way to explain how and why a person commits a crime. Two models in the text are the crime controlled model and the due process model.…

    • 884 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Essay
    • 5411 Words
    • 22 Pages

    Essay

    Williams, F. P., III, & McShane, M. D. (1988). Criminological Theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Wilson, J. Q., & Hernstein, R. (1985). Crime and Human Nature:…

    • 5411 Words
    • 22 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Choice and Trait Theory
    • 1885 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Choice and Trait Theory

    criminal in aspects to the crime. So the choice theory is that the criminals choose to…

    • 1885 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Prison Models
    • 861 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Prison Models

    Theory: Classical, belief that humans operate under free will and an offender makes a choice to engage in criminal behavior believing benefits outweigh the costs.…

    • 861 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Criminal Acts and Choice Theories Response
    • 257 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Criminal Acts and Choice Theories Response

    Common crime models are the neoclassical perspective is that people make their own decision to break the law without any influence. Rational choice theory supports one makes a choice to benefit from criminal activity; outweighing the penalty. Biological theories are based on ones inherent tendencies. Psychological theories lean toward mental illness or chemical imbalance that may cause one to commit a crime. Routine activities theory attribute ones lifestyle to their criminal activity. Social standing as well as indifference to law and social welfare is also attributing theories to understanding the criminal mind.…

    • 257 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Rational Choice Theory versus The Trait Theory on the Issue of the Reduction or Control of Crime.
    • 807 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Rational Choice Theory versus The Trait Theory on the Issue of the Reduction or Control of Crime.

    Theoretical schools have long been used in the study of criminal behavior and as guidelines for determining ways to effectively reduce crimes. Two popular theories used in today 's society are the Rational Choice Theory and the Trait Theory. Some argue that the Choice Theory is a more effective way of reducing and controlling crime while others argue in favor of the Trait Theory. After researching both theories, I have come to the conclusion that there are obvious problems with both theories. However, in weighing both theories ' possible effectiveness on the reduction or control of criminal activity, I concluded that the Rational Choice Theory would be more effective.…

    • 807 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Personal Criminological Theory Review
    • 962 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Personal Criminological Theory Review

    Today many reasons can be identified to show why individuals commit certain crimes. Often the environment an individual comes from can play an active part, as well as learned behavior from others can play apart. Identifying theories is important when dealing with why an individual may act the way he or she chooses to act, along with criminal acts that make them a participant in an illegal activity. Criminologists play an important part in conducting research for the purposes of introducing a theory into why an individual has participated in certain criminal activity. Although there maybe several theories out there in place, it is the criminologists job to find a main theory that relates to the criminal act that is in question. Criminologists must also discover a way to forecast avenues the offender may choose to carry out his or hers criminal activities (Andrews & Bonta, 2010).…

    • 962 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Classical vs. Positivist Perspectives
    • 1110 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Classical vs. Positivist Perspectives

    For hundreds of years, people have been trying to understand criminals and what causes people to act criminally. Many theories were created and some became more widely accepted than others. In the 1700s, a new perspective into criminality rose; the classical perspective. Father of the classical perspective, Cesare Beccaria, provided theories much different from the previous ideas about why people commit crimes. He and others who believed in the classical perspective focused on the idea of free will, and how people weigh the cost and benefits before committing a crime. Beccaria was also a big promoter of deterrence and how it plays a key role in helping reduce crime in societies. After the age of the classical perspective, the father of a new perspective came about, Cesare Lombroso and the positivist perspective. Backed up by theories posed by Charles Darwin, the positivist perspective quickly became widely popular. This perspective rejected the classical ideas and in turn said people do not have free will and do not rationally decide to commit a crime. Their criminal actions were based off of many outside biological, sociological, and psychological factors. Given these widely different beliefs, it is easy to set apart these two perspectives. The opposing views of free will and rational choice, the ways in which positivists think they can identify criminals, and the method for stopping crime are all major aspects that differ a lot between these viewpoints.…

    • 1110 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Sociological and Psychological Theories of Crime Causation
    • 1985 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Sociological and Psychological Theories of Crime Causation

    The aim of this essay is to compare, contrast and evaluate two sociological theories of crime causation and two psychological theories of crime causation.…

    • 1985 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Crime Affecting Society
    • 980 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Crime Affecting Society

    Crime is a worldwide issue that people try to fight and find ways to prevent. Even though police and prisons do exist, crime continues to happen every day and every minute of the day world wide. Crime is in existence from the beginning of humanity. Individuals around the world may have various definitions of crime and may consider different actions as crime. However, overall, crime is a violation of law; a breach of rules or laws.…

    • 980 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics