Control Theory Of Crime Essay

Unlike the other theories of criminology, the control theories have a primary focus on the reason individuals choose to not commit crime. In other words, the overall point of this theory is to explain what elements and factors prevent individuals from becoming criminals. The thinkers behind this theory faction advocate the idea that crime is present and, rather then focus on why crime occurs (which is a very hard thing to pinpoint the answer to, they concentrate on the idea that criminals, simply, have their own needs and wishes that can be solved in an easier way by simply committing crime to reach those goals, instead of earning it in a legal, fair way. These theorists see criminal behavior as the fastest way of reaching their goals, so why follow the rule (What about rational choice??). Examples of this include the
(Possibly similar to the idea of social contract?) (e.g., “My religion does not allow me to steal”),
• Internal control: a person refrains from committing crime or falling victim of their criminal urges due to their conscience stopping them (e.g., “my conscience told me I should not kill that person”).
• Stake in conformity: this involves how much the individual has to lose if they choose to commit the crime (Symmetrical to the idea of the “cost” factor involved in theory of Rational Choice). This idea is very prominent in the younger cohorts, especially in the school environment. As mentioned in the textbook, young students who do well in school will have higher stakes in conformity, since they have much more to lose (e.g., their future careers; they have a promising future to work legally for). Students who do poorly in school, or simply do not care, will have a lower stake in conformity level, since they have nothing to strive for, and are more likely to commit crime, since they have “nothing to lose.” (pg.