Essays on Criminological Theory

This paper discusses self-control theory, which is proposed as a general theory of crime by Gottfredson and Hirschi (1990). These researchers argued that low levels of self-control explained criminal acts and criminal behavior, regardless of age, gender, race, time, or type of crime. They also argue that low levels of self-control is also the (main) explanatory variable in behaviors similar to criminal behavior, such as deviant behavior, anti-social behavior, and other risk-taking behavior including smoking and over-drinking (Gottfredson and Hirschi, 1990). Low self-control is something that is developed from childhood, at the stage at which self-control can be developed ...

About the theory

Labelling theory is a theory that proposes that society imposes certain labels on people who are perceived to commit criminal acts(Lopes et al. 2012). Criminal acts refer to actions and behaviors the society deems wrong either legally or morally(Caputo 2008). According to the labelling theory when we attach certain labels to people who have committed criminal acts such individuals may be obliged to live up to the labels thereby continuing with their crimes. Below is a case study and the integration of labelling theory in the case Ken, a 16-year-old boy, is caught taking drugs by some ...

Abstract:

Theories were developed over the years, as researchers and sociologists tried to explain the reasons why there is crime within the communities. These theories include the social bonds theory, the self-control theory, the power control theory, the control balance theory, the differential coercion theory, and the social support theory. Based on the theories, there are five realities behind the causation of crime: (1) that crime is caused by weakening bonds to the society; (2) that crime is the effect of having low self-control; (3) that crime is caused by occupational patriarchy; (4) that it is caused by the roles ...

The United States of America criminal justice system remains in state of continual change. Often, the system is ready to adopt reforms aimed at addressing pertinent issues. The overall objective, however, remains that of delivery of justice. It is on that context that this paper shall discuss the place of victimology in the American criminal justice system. It must not be lost of us that the resolution of crime entails three cardinal players. These are the victim, the state and the criminal. While the law has over the past concentrated on the latter two, it has had little time ...

Why did Sutherland play such a prominent role in discovering “white-collar crime” in the sense of defining it and making it an object of criminological study? Sutherland’s interest in “white-collar crime” was stirred by the realization that most conventional criminological theories were focused and applicable only to crimes usually perpetrated by the lower-class. He believed that his own theory of differential association was both applicable to lower-class and upper-class individuals. His interest was even more reinforced when the stock market crashed in 1929. With the country and many of the people suffering from economic depression, Sutherland became more ...

Police crime control policies

Crime control is paramount for the economic development of any civilized society. The political stability of any nation is measured by the crime rate. Countries that have low crime rates are more attractive to investors and business leaders. The crime rate in the United States of America was high in the 1990s. The cities were controlled by criminal gangs and at times the fights between criminal gangs took place in the streets. The frequency of homicides was relatively high. The residential places were not spared from crime related violence. Law enforcement officers were criticized for being weaklings. The police ...

Question one

White Collar crimes are criminal offenses whose offenders are people of high respectability in the society. White collar criminals usually occupy a position of trust and then devise a scheme to acquire wealth illegally. As Sutherland noted, white collar offenders do not see themselves as criminals. Crimes such as insider trading, Ponzi schemes, bribery, fraud, money laundering, cyber crime, copyright infringement and embezzlement fall within the definition of white collar crimes. Sutherland disagreed with substantive and procedural principles of criminal law. Edwin Sutherland was more concerned with the perpetrator of the white collar crime than the crime itself. His writings ...

Abstract

Social control theory obtained popularity across the 1960s which sociologists had different notions about crime. During the period, Travis Hirschi presented forth the innovative control theory rendering. This was a theory based on the existing social control concepts. The intent of this paper is to establish the links between school, family and other social aspects serve as ways of diminishing an individual’s propensity in deviant behavior.

Introduction

The social control theory maintains that crime happens when these bonds encounter weaknesses or lack sufficient establishment. The control theorists are for the fact that without the bonds, crime becomes an inevitable result ( ...

Introduction:

Criminological theories attempt to define crime and shed light on the criminal justice system. Moreover, the theories further shed light into the intrinsic nature of the crime and its offender, and thus enhancing the rationale in devising the preventive measures (Tibet & Craig 107). Theories envelop the making and the contravention of the law, criminal and deviant conduct, and criminal activity patterns. The principal sociological crime theories consider the immediate social environment, such as the family unit, local community, peer groups, and learning institutions. The theories explain why some individuals have higher inclination to crime unlike others (Black 89). ...

Deviance directly relates to the norms of the society. For sociologists that study crime and deviance, cultural norms are examined thoroughly on how they change with time, their enforcement and what suffices when those norms are broken. When formally written laws governing the society are broken, this amounts to a crime (Burke). In this case, if a crime is committed, the perpetrator will be detained and prosecuted. Deviance, on the other hand, refers to a situation where one goes against the prevailing norms of the society. Deviant people are more often ridiculed or send away from the society. Such kind of behavior ...

Abstract

Crime is a common occurrence in the society. As different people with different ideas and views about life live together in the same setting, they are bound to get into conflicts. The criminal justice system is responsible for handling such cases and ensuring that the rule of law is upheld. It consists of different structures such as the police, whose work is to maintain law and order, the prosecutors, courts and correctional institutions. As the way of life and the world in general changes, crime becomes more rampant and diverse. Criminals are designing new ways of committing their acts without ...

Social disorganization indicates the failure of a social institution or the social organization such as schools, real estate, business, policing, and the group networking in certain neighborhoods or communities. Social disorganization, however, has its origin in ecology, which is the study of the relations between the environment and organism. In criminology, the social disorganization is considered as the perspective as well as the theory, but ecology is considered as an approach or the school. The social disorganization theory has, however, emerged from the research that is conducted by Shaw and Mckay in Chicago. They have discovered that the crime ...

Theories of crime and criminology are developed to enable people to understand the various aspects of crime. They may be based on the causes of crime, the majorly affected and predisposed groups to crime and the possible solutions to crime. These theories may conflict, depending with the observations and opinions of those who developed them. Emile in his Anomie theory describes crime as a normal part of a society. This is due to lack of clear cut norms and at times the inability of people to adjust to changing social norms. In Reckless’ theory of containment, it states that in ...

Question one

The main rationale, which explains the emergence of the Chicago school of criminology was to provide a different meaning of how crime and related behavior. Notably, the earlier theories of crime only focused on a few reasons that explain criminal actions; the school was for an idea of providing a socialization aspect, which would improve on the past explanation of crime. Categorically, the Chicago school of criminal thought formulated various theories, some of which emphasized that people are not born bad or good; instead, the environment around them, and the social situation influence their behavior (Vito & Maahs, 2012). Apart from that, ...

1. Is aggression an innate and deterministic quality from birth, or is it something that one or all can control, as a matter of free will and choice, to be used when we need it in a calculated manner? There are different views that are given with regards to the origin of aggression among humans. Theorists like Lorenz and Freud view aggression as an innate quality of human beings but the more recent social theories tend to point out that aggression in humans are social in origin and coming from frustration and environmental influences (Hayes, 2013). Behaviorist scientists impugn Freud’ ...

- Discuss the relationship between crime and demography (i.e. gender, age, race, social class, education, employment). In answering the question, pay careful consideration to the measurement of demography and crime. Be sure to highlight and discuss reciprocal relationships between crime and demography (i.e. race increases the risk of victimization and crime increases the risk of White Flight). Draw on Criminological theory and empirical research in outlining your response. Draw on required reading and class presentations. 917 On a national average, the Blacks are nearly four times as likely to be arrested for possession of marijuana as compared to the ...

Prepared and submitted for the partial fulfillment of the requirements for the:

The subject of death penalty unnerves us as we recall the tragic Colorado shooting. In this movie theater shooting, the criminal, James Holmes, killed many people without impunity. He killed twelve innocent, moviegoers and wounded more than 50 (Ferguson, p. 1). Mr. Holmes may be psychologically ill or a social deviant but this does not justify the killings and the social trauma it caused the nation. The more we try to understand why people kill innocent people, the more we begin to justify a severe punishment. Is the death penalty the answer to such violent incidents? Strong public support for ...

Introduction

The social learning theory seeks to explain the development of antisocial behavior. Akers’ social learning theory is composed of four major concepts. They include differential association, reinforcement, imitation (modeling) and definitions. It postulates that people learn criminal or rather offensive behaviors in the same way they learn noncriminal/offensive behaviors. According to Akers’ theory, reinforcement learning involves getting rewards or punishments for criminal behaviors over time. As far as pro-criminal definitions are concerned, it posits that people who have definitions that favor crime or any other antisocial behavior have a high probability of getting involved in the crime(s) or antisocial ...