Criminology Theories Essay

1839 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Biological theory of crime

Theoretical Developments in Criminology

In criminology there are six general theories. Which include the classical school, biological theories, psychological/psychiatric theories, social structure theories, social process theories, and social conflict theories? These all focus on the reasons of crime and the criminality in criminals. In this paper I will define and explain each theory in means of the criminal world.
Theoretical Criminology is most commonly found in universities and other areas of higher education. It only serves as a component of the todays, broad field of general criminology. Unlike the old fashion way of explaining what kind of crimes exist and how often they happen, theoretical criminology was intended to give explanations and reasoning’s for criminal behavior. Simply put it helps us to understand why criminals commit the crimes they commit, or what effects the environment had on the ultimate decision in commit such crimes. The task at hand should be to differentiate what we define such behavior as either criminal or noncriminal. (Siegel 113) To understand these theories I believe one must first understand what a theory is. In ideal form a theory is propositions that are clearly presented on events, relationships or things that are under an observation of study. When we read or study theories we try to understand the situation at hand with a deeper meaning and understanding of the reason for the study being conducted. If a theory is more applicable than it is found to be then it is more generalizable it from one situation to the next.

: Psychological and psychiatric theories are more focused on individuals as the primary and main unit of ...

... middle of paper ...

...ayment hey receive to handle such large case loads.

In conclusion, there are many theoretical devilments in the criminal justice system today. Each one strives to give us a better understanding of the criminal mind, reasoning’s and environment. The six general theories that include the classical school, biological theories, psychological/psychiatric theories, social structure theories, social process theories, and social conflict theories are all a part of a lifelong study to help students, investigators and researchers reach higher understandings of the criminal justice world. Throughout our lives there will always be a new form of study, a new reason while criminals are criminals, but to me a criminal decides to be a criminal by self-choice and satisfaction say this because after all we humans do what make us happy regardless of the consequences it has on others.

Show More
Related

  • Officer to Killer

    807 Words  | 2 Pages

    Criminology is the scientific study of the causes and prevention of crimes. Criminology also uses a vast amount of theories to explain peoples’ actions, mental state, and their drive for committing crimes. Some crimes have monetary benefits, while other crime are committed in revenge or in spite of another, which would be called crimes of passion. Because it can be sometime difficult to understand why certain crime are committed, the only thing we can do is use theories to better decipher thoughts, morals, and reasons behind committing crimes.

    Read More

  • Routine Activities Theory

    1788 Words  | 4 Pages

    Akers, R, & Sellers, C. (2009). Criminological theories: introduction, evaluation, and application. New York: Oxford University Press, USA.

    Read More

  • Compare and Contrast Criminological Theories

    3235 Words  | 7 Pages

    Criminological theories interpret the competing paradigms of Human Nature, Social Order, Definition of Crime, Extent and Distribution of Crime, Causes of Crime, and Policy, differently. Even though these theories have added to societies understanding of criminal behaviour, all have been unable to explain why punishment or treatment of offenders is unable to prevent deviancy, and thus are ineffective methods of control. The new penology is a contemporary response that favours the management of criminals by predicting future harm on society. However, all criminological theories are linked as they are a product of the historical time and place, and because of their contextual history, they will continue to reappear depending on the current state of the world, and may even be reinvented.

    Read More

  • Difference Between Rational Choice Theory And Differential Association Theory

    1795 Words  | 4 Pages

    The study of criminology involves many different theories in which people attempt to explain reasoning behind criminal behavior. Although there are many different theories the focus of this paper is the comparison and contrasting sides of The Differential Association Theory (DAT) of Edwin Sutherland and the Neoclassicism Rational Choice Theory. The Differential Theory falls under Social Process Theories which focuses on sociological perspective of crime. The Rational Choice Theory falls under Neoclassicism which believes that criminal behavior is ultimately a choice.

    Read More

  • Criminological Theories

    1966 Words  | 4 Pages

    Many of the traditional criminological theories focused more on biological, psychological and sociological explanations of crime rather than on the cost and benefits of crime. More conservative approaches, including routine actives, lifestyle exposure and opportunity theories have clearly incorporated crime rate patterns as a fundamental part of analyzing the economics of crime. Crime statistics are important for the simple reason that they help put theories into a logical perspective. For example, a prospective home owner may want to look at crime rates in areas of potential occupancy. On a more complex level, it helps law enforcement and legislators create effective crime reduction programs. Furthermore, it also helps these agencies determine if crime prevention programs, that have been in effect, have been successful. There are many factors that influence the rates of crime including socio economic status, geographical location, culture and other lifestyle factors. More specifically, Messner and Blau (1987) used routine activities theory to test the relationship between the indicators of leisure activities and the rate of serious crimes. They discussed two types of leisure actives, the first being a household pastime, which primarily focused on television watching. The second type was a non-household leisure event which was consisted of attendance to sporting events, cinemas, and entertainment districts. The focus of this paper will be to study the effects that substantial amounts of leisure activities have on the offender and the victim. Leisure activities not only make a crime more opportunistic for offenders, it may also provide offenders with motivation to engage in criminal activity. On the other hand, it may also be argue...

    Read More

  • Ted Bundy: The Mind of a Killer

    2059 Words  | 5 Pages

    ... middle of paper ... ... Understanding psychological theories helps criminologists to design appropriate correctional strategies to mitigate crime. Works Cited Eysenck, H.J., & Gudjonsson, G.H. d. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a The causes and cures of criminality.

    Read More

  • Understanding Conflict and Radical Theories in Criminology

    1441 Words  | 3 Pages

    Experts in the criminology field have searched for ways to comprehend criminal behavior by establishing a variety of theories. One of the most interesting theories is certainly the Conflict theory. Although, some criminologists refer to conflict theory as radical theory; there are a few differences that will be mentioned subsequently in this paper by defining both theories. It is also important to mention a summary containing a combination of the radical and conflict theory principles. The relevance and applicability of these specific theories will also be discussed as it is essential for the continuation of the same. Having a clear understanding of the conflict and radical theories’ roots, as well as its development, enhances the view of how

    Read More

  • Good Theory Vs Bad Theory Essay

    540 Words  | 2 Pages

    The field of criminology has produced multiple theories, each that shaped the perception of how crimes occur in a neighborhood and by viewing these various impressions this can help explain why crimes occur. However, four criminological theories have developed the different perspectives of researchers and outlooks of the field. These approaches have enhanced society by allowing it to analyze crime by establishing an empirical foundation that way to assess which approach is most useful and regulate the difference between a good theory and a bad theory. Every method experiences level of criticisms from either researchers or public policies, however, the focus is only based on four principles that way there can be an assessment to decide which approach is viewed as right or wrong. In order, to determine which approach can be considered a good theory versus a bad theory there needs to be essential elements that give support for each theory. There needs to be criticism, however, with enough empirical evidence that can determine which

    Read More

  • Which Trait Theory Most Explains Criminal Behavior

    1238 Words  | 3 Pages

    Winslow, R. W., & Zhang, S. (2008). Contemporary Theories of Crime. Criminology: a global perspective (). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson/Prentice Hall.

    Read More

  • The Rational Choice and Biological Trait Theories

    1763 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...ifferent crime patterns and thought processes of criminals. The reasons can only come from these theories and will help the justice systems become more prepared to react towards different crimes. However, with adding some enhancements, projects and experiments these two theories have the potential to change the criminology realm forever.

    Read More

  • Criminology: The Consensus View of Crime

    865 Words  | 2 Pages

    Criminology is the study of crime and criminals; a branch of sociology. More accurately, it is the study of crime as a social trend, and its overall origins, its many manifestations and its impact upon society as a whole. That makes it more a form of sociology than a law enforcement tool. But the trends it studies have a huge impact on the way the police do their jobs, the way society treats its criminals, and the way a given community goes about maintaining law and order. The writer will describe and give examples of the three perspectives of viewing crimes. The perspectives that will be highlighted are the consensus view, the conflict view or the interactionist view. Each perspective maintain its own interpretation of what constitutes criminal activities and what causes people to engage in criminal behaviors (Siegel, p.12).

    Read More

  • The Aspects of Criminal Justice

    1525 Words  | 4 Pages

    There are many different aspects of criminal justice policy. One in particular is the different theories of crime and how they affect the criminal justice system. The Classical School of criminology is a theory about evolving from a capital punishment type of view to more humane ways of punishing people. Positivist criminology is maintaining the control of human behavior and criminal behavior. They did this through three different categories of Biological studies, which are five methodologies of crime that were mainly focused on biological theories, Psychological theories, which contains four separate theories, and the Sociological theories, which also includes four different methods of explaining why crime exists. The last theory is about Critical criminology. Their goal was to transform society in a way that would liberate and empower subordinate groups of individuals.

    Read More

  • Cause Of Crime Essay

    1046 Words  | 3 Pages

    Crime is an in inevitable occurrence in today 's culture. Despite the best efforts of our country 's criminal justice system, crime continues to be on the rise. In an effort to reverse this rising tide, efforts are being made to understand the underlying cause of crime and factors that can lead an individual into the life of crime. From the sociological perspective, there are three theories that are used to explain the cause of crime. They are the social structure theory, the bad neighborhood theory, and the social process theory.

    Read More

  • Classical School Of Criminology Essay

    1422 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Classical School of Criminology generally refers to the work of social contract and utilitarian philosophers Cesare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham during the enlightenment in the 18th century. The contributions of these philosophers regarding punishment still influence modern corrections today. The Classical School of Criminology advocated for better methods of punishment and the reform of criminal behaviour. The belief was that for a criminal justice system to be effective, punishment must be certain, swift and in proportion to the crime committed. The focus was on the crime itself and not the individual criminal (Cullen & Wilcox, 2010). This essay will look at the key principles of the Classical School of Criminology, in particular

    Read More

  • The Causes of Criminal Behavior

    776 Words  | 2 Pages

    Different schools of thought propose varying theoretical models of criminality. It is agreeable that criminal behaviour is deep rooted in societies and screams for attention. Biological, Social ecological and psychological model theories are key to helping researchers gain deeper comprehension of criminal behaviour and ways to avert them before they become a menace to society. All these theories put forward a multitude of factors on the outlooks on crime. All these theories have valid relevancy to continuous research on criminal behaviour.

    Read More

More about Criminology Theories Essay

Open Document