What Are The Four Theories Of Criminology

Theories in criminology help us to understand the workings of the criminal justice system and the actors in the system. A theory can try to explain crime for a large social unit or area ,or it can attempt to explain crime at the individual or smaller unit level. Many theories have common traits, but differences among them exist. Understanding these differences is key to understanding the often contradictory views of crime.

Well the first theory is Deterrence Theory, and this theory states that crime can be controlled through the use of punishments that combine the proper degrees of certainty, severity, and celerity. Deterrence theory is at the core of the criminal justice system, and the basis for most of strict punishments and long prisons sentences.

Mednick’s theory is that the individuals who inherit a slower than normal autonomic nervous system learn to control aggressive or antisocial behavior slowly or not at all. This leads to increased violence and criminal activity.

Biosocial Theories are those theories that examine the combined effects of biology, behavior, and the environment on criminal behavior.

Biosocial Arousal Theory states that an individual’s level of arousal works in conjunction with the social environment. Those with low levels of arousal are less likely to learn appropriate ways to deal with aggression and violence and thus are more prone to commit crime.

Evolutionary Theory is a broad-based view that certain types of criminal behavior are genetic and passed down from one generation to the next through evolutionary processes of natural selection and survival.

Personality Theory believes that criminal activity is the result of a defective, deviant, or inadequate personality. Examples of deviant personality traits include hostility, impulsiveness, aggression, and