Criminology Essay

889 Words2 Pages

Criminology in the contemporary society has grown to be a widely accepted concept of interdisciplinary subjects. There are several questions that have, however, been levelled on theories that are attached to criminology and how efficiently and effectively they can be supported. Criminology as a study focuses on a specific realm of the society or sets of topics which are crime and responses to criminal activities in the society. This makes the study not to focus on a particular domain of inquiry like other studies existing in the contemporary society. It is important, therefore, for criminologists to create an understanding to members of the society regarding the root cause of crime and what dictates the behaviour of individuals who are considered to be criminals (Tierney 2009).
Criminology has often been defined as a field of study where scholars from different disciplines in the society come together to find answers to problems identified in the society. Sociological approaches, however, have influenced theoretical conclusions in criminology. That however has not limited other factors like biological factors as explained by Walsh (2000) and Wright and Boisvert (2009). Psychological theories in criminology have also determined a given level of perception developed by the society states Durrant and Ward (2012).
Biological theories that have been developed in the society which explain the causes of crime focus their idea on the composition of the human body. The physical body, evolutionary factors, inherited genes, brain structures and hormones influences the ability of individuals to engage in criminal activities. It means that there are certain biological compositions that when an individual has them, they cannot resist committin...

... middle of paper ...

...e has been a search for biological markers which differentiate such individuals from the rest of the society. Biological theories can be divided into two categories which include the early biological theories and modern biological theories (Archer 2009).
Early biological theories developed in the society and started dominating criminology in 1870s. The assumption that characterized the early biological theories was that crime was not a behaviour that was rationally reasoned by individuals when they consider the punishment that is attached to committing them, but it is a result of inborn abnormalities. That meant that individuals were considered not to have control of the criminal behaviours they engaged in by were controlled by the strong urge to perform them. They derived some level of satisfaction out of committing the crimes as it made them normal (Barclay 2006).

Open Document