The Family On Sorghum Mill Drive: Criminological Theories Of Crime

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Summary
In the afternoon of July 2007 Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her daughter Michaela were followed to their home in Cheshire, Connecticut while returning from the store. Unfortunately, the duo caught the eyes of Joshua Komisarjevsky and his partner Steven Hayes. Originally, the two assailants planned to “rob the family”, but unsatisfied with their findings, decided to escalate the situation (“The Family on Sorghum Mill Drive”, hereafter referred to as TFSMD).
Finding entry in the unlocked basement doors around 2am, Komisarjevsky silently made his way into the home and found William, the father, asleep on the porch. William was immediately struck by a baseball bat and restrained in the family’s basement at gunpoint (HBO). Meanwhile, Hayes confined …show more content…

For example, there is no distinct presence of social disorganization, as the two men grew up in CT towns that are not terribly crime-filled and impoverished (Fernandez). Yet, certain aspects, such as Komisarjevsky’s childhood development or Hayes’ lack of father figure (Fernandez), correspond with Born Criminal theory, and Komisarjevsky’s assumption that they would not be caught corresponds with Rational Choice theory.
Rational choice theory has a definitive prevalence in the Cheshire case. According to Gaines, rational choice theory is “a school of criminology that holds that wrongdoers act as if they weigh the possible benefits of criminal… activity against the expected costs of being apprehended. When the benefits are greater than the expected costs, the offender will make a rational choice to commit a crime or delinquent act” (37). Both Hayes and Komisarjevsky had years of criminal history under their belts. Komisarjevsky was a skilled burglar, slipping in and out of dark houses while families slept soundly. He was often described as “cold and calculating” (TFSMD). Hayes was a petty thief and cocaine addict, that had a long criminal record of minor crimes dating back to the 1980s, but no violent crimes in his history

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