Exploring Theories of Criminal Behavior

586 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Family role in juvenile delinquency

I believe that Reiss’s and Nye’s Theories of Internal and External controls are one of the better theories of why there is crime in America. Albert J Reiss provided one of the earliest applications of this concept to criminology by attributing the cause of delinquency is the failure of “personal” and “social” controls. Personal controls are internalized, whereas social controls operate through the external application of legal and informal social sanctions. Nye later expanded on this and identified and identified three main categories of social controls that prevent delinquency: 1. Direct control, by which punishment is imposed or threatened for misconduct and compliances is rewarded by parents. 2. Indirect control, by which a youth refrains from delinquency because his or her delinquent act might cause pain and disappointment for parents or others with whom shares a close relationship with. 3. Internal control, by which a youth’s conscience or sense of guilt prevents him or her from engaging in delinquent acts. I believe that if more youth were properly directed in the ...

Show More
Related

  • Youth Control Complex Case Study

    1072 Words  | 3 Pages

    The youth control complex is a form of social control in which the justice system (the prison system) and the socializing and social control institutions (school system) work together to stigmatize, criminalize, and punish inner city youth. Accordingly, these adolescents’ are regarded as deviant and incompetent to participate within U.S. society. On that note, deviance is created based on socially constructed labels of deviances; otherwise, deviance wouldn’t happen without these labels. Once an individual engages in a deviant behavior, it results in a response, often times, some type of punishment from the justice system. The youth control complex creates social incapacitation (social death) among juveniles. This ubiquitous system of social

    Read More

  • Juvenile Boot Camps Do Not Reduce Juvenile Delinquency

    2996 Words  | 6 Pages

    Wiatrowski, M.D., Griswold, D.B., & Roberts, M.K. (1981). Social control theory and delinquency. American Sociological Review, 46(5), 525-541.

    Read More

  • Laub and Sampson’s Age-Graded Theory of Informal Social Control

    1003 Words  | 3 Pages

    Plenty of children engage in rough-and-tough play and may be a little mischievous from time to time. As they grow into adolescence, they may start committing crimes and get in trouble with the law, but most of these individuals outgrow their behavior and stop offending. What makes individuals persist or desist from crime? What are the key causal factors and mechanisms that help this behavior desist? An in-depth synthesis of John Laub and Robert Sampson’s theory of age-graded informal social control will provide insight as to why individuals desist from offending.

    Read More

  • Punished Policing The Lives Of Black And Latino Boys Summary

    1849 Words  | 4 Pages

    The "youth control complex" is one of the concepts presented by the author to analyze young people 's lives. As mentioned in the book, it is "a ubiquitous system if criminalization molded by the synchronized, systematic punishment meted out by socializing and social control institutions"(p.40). It is a person 's normal daily behavior become ubiquitously treated as deviant or even criminal behaviors. For example, schools in Oakland often treat problem students as potential criminals, and some staffs and teachers act as prison guards telling students they are will never be amount to anything and threaten to call the police for misbehaviors which should be dealt with on campus. Many young men are often called a thug and frisked by police. It damages the mind and future prospects of them. They feel outcast and just want to be acknowledged

    Read More

  • Parenting And Self Control Theory

    1464 Words  | 3 Pages

    A major component in Gottfredson and Hirschi 's theory is the relationship between parenting and self-control (Gottfredson & Hirschi, 2001). As previously mentioned, Tim and Lionel receive very little parental oversight and guidance. According to low self-control theory, this absence in Tim and Lionel 's life can be seen as an essential factor in their participation in sexting. Due to the lack of parenting in childhood, the youth were unable to develop the necessary self-control to resist the easy temptations offered by crime. Accompanying the lack of parenting, Tim and Lionel 's association with equally perverse individuals at school only served to further exacerbate their impulses and guide them towards delinquency. As such, Tim and Lionel

    Read More

  • Youth Offenders in The United States

    1102 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to (Juvenile Offender) young people today are more malleable and can be easily influenced. It is mainly believed that the criminal actions by young offenders might be influenced by such external forces such as parental neglect, and inappropriate living conditions or with relations within their family. It is important to note that instead of seeing a rehab program as a form of punishment. Young people who are undergoing such a program should understand they are voluntary and should consider the program as a positive opportunity to change their lives for the better.

    Read More

  • Juvenile Corrections

    1357 Words  | 3 Pages

    The goal of deterrence has its limits because rules and former sanctions, as well anti-criminal modeling and reinforcement are met with young rebellious minds. Traditional counseling and diversion, which are integral aspects of community corrections, can sometimes be ineffective, and studies have shown that sometimes a natural self intervention can take place as the youth grows older; resulting in the youth outgrowing delinquency. 2. What is the difference between a.. What are foster homes like?

    Read More

  • Minors Being Tried As Adults

    2489 Words  | 5 Pages

    As minors commit violent crimes without being held accountable, they can grow up to be real criminals and they can be very dangerous. Without a solid foundation of what is right and wrong, these minors will grow up believing that their actions are the norm. For this reason, minors need to be held accountable. They need to be taught that they cannot get away with their crimes. In 2007, courts with juvenile jurisdiction handled an estimated 1.7 million delinquency cases. Delinquency cases include vandalism, shoplifting, robbery, and murder. These are just some of the crimes minors can commit. This was up by forty-four percent from 1985. If a minor grows up believing that crime is acceptable, they will repeat the pattern. Without interrupting the pattern and making them accountable, these minors will always have a twisted sense of right and wrong. A sense of what is right and wrong is important and can be learned at any age. Minors learn very young, what...

    Read More

  • Explanation for Criminality from a Sociological Perspective

    4015 Words  | 9 Pages

    From a sociological perspective, explanation for criminality is found in two levels which are the subculture and the structural explanations. The sociological explanations emphasize aspects of societal arrangements that are external to the actor and compelling. A sociological explanation is concerned with how the structure of a society, institutional practices or its persisting cultural themes affect the conduct of its members. Individual differences are denied or ignored, and the explanation of the overall collective behavior is sought in the patterning of social arrangements that is considered to be both outside the actor and prior to him (Sampson, 1985).

    Read More

  • Juvenule Crime Models

    1121 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are many issues with crime and violence in the United States, but very few are more controversial than the issue of juveniles in crime. How are juveniles getting involved in crime? What is causing America’s youth to do things that their parents should’ve instilled as morally wrong? What are ways to control and possibly eliminate these issues that affect the way we live? For the past century, criminologists have been studying juvenile related crime and a few theories have come up. These theories have, in the mid to late 20th century, been shaped into models. There are three main models dealing with juvenile crime and violence that will be gone over in pages to follow of this paper: Noninterventionist Model, Rehabilitation Model, and Crime Control Model. In this paper, the reader will see what each model discusses, and how they apply to today’s youth. At the end each model’s description, the reader will learn what I personally think about how the specific model would work. Being a recently turned 20 year-old, I feel I can give an accurate view of how, or if, the crime model would work. Living in both extremely rural(Mokane Missouri), and very urban(St Louis) has taught me a great deal about what really goes on in a juvenile’s head, and what sorts of actions would truly help to decrease crime rates among juveniles. I will give examples from the readings of chapter 13 of Making Sense of Criminal Justice: Policies and Practices, and I’ll conclude with my opinion of which model I believe works best to cope with juvenile crime.

    Read More

  • Biological Approach To Criminal Behavior

    1267 Words  | 3 Pages

    1. Cesare Lombroso applied the methods of natural science (observation, measurement, experimentation, statistical analysis) to the study of criminal behavior. Lombroso rejected the classical theory of crime, associated with Cesare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham, which explained criminal activity as freely chosen behavior based on the rational calculation of benefit and loss, pleasure and pain. Critically analyze both schools of thought and provide an opinion as to what theory you believe is more relevant.

    Read More

  • Social Control Theories

    1422 Words  | 3 Pages

    Social control theory is established on logical values that individuals naturally commit crime if they are left alone. In other words, we, all are born with some criminal characteristics. We learn social norms as we grow. The recent research suggested that obedience and self-control in early age is important before their personality deviate. Policies have been implemented based on control theories to control crime and delinquency (Bernard et al., 2010, p. 219). As a criminologist, this is our duty to do more research to strengthen the control theory and stop

    Read More

  • Advantages And Disadvantages Of Criminal Behavior Theory

    1050 Words  | 3 Pages

    In order to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the criminal behavior theories, the word theory needs to be defined. “A theory is an explanation. It tells why or how things are related to each other. A theory of crime explains why or how a certain thing or certain things are related to criminal behavior.” (Bohn and Vogel)

    Read More

  • The Causes Of Juvenile Delinquency

    1408 Words  | 3 Pages

    There has been a mass increase of juvenile delinquency in the United States, which has made a notable change in our society as a whole. It also directly affects parents, teachers, families, the perpetrators themselves, and of course, the victims. Law enforcement agencies in the United States have made an estimated 2.11 million arrests of minors. These perpetrators who were arrested have either been placed in confinement or they are under court supervision. Juvenile delinquency is described as illegal or immoral behavior, generally among young people under the legal age of eighteen. In order to reduce these high rates of delinquency, parents, and other adult figures, must first ask themselves, what is causing this? What external and internal

    Read More

  • Strain Theory And Strain Theory

    995 Words  | 2 Pages

    SLT examines the learned behavior and attitudes as a result of having relationships with deviants and Strain Theory explores how strains pressure juveniles into committing acts as a coping mechanism. Strain theory highlights why youths engage in more crimes than adults do and clarifies the causations of delinquency by taking a social approach, clarifying how strains trigger delinquency. Strain Theory provides an answer for delinquent causation, not an excuse. Strain Theory reveals how strains often resulting in delinquency as a result of wanting to change a situation. The pressure a child faces between their aspirations and the actuality of a situation is what creates a strain. Therefore, juvenile delinquency is one way to cope with feelings of frustration or unpleasant situations. Juveniles have far less behavioral control over themselves, which leads to impulsivity. Responsible adults have far much more to lose (job, assets, relationships, etc.) and as a result of their strong morals, values, and self-disciple do not engage in acts of crimes. Strains are defined as dissatisfied relationships one finds him or herself

    Read More

More about Exploring Theories of Criminal Behavior

Open Document