Criminological Theories And Theories Of Criminal Behavior Essay

Criminology is the scientific study of the nature, extent, cause, and control of criminal behavior (Siegel 4). Criminology is not just understanding criminal actions but also studying how to correct and prevent crime, overall. There are five major Criminological theories, (1) Classical Theory, (2) Positivist Theory, (3) Marxist / Conflict Theory, (4) Sociological Theory, and (5) Multifactor / Integrated Theory.

To begin with, one example of the theories of criminology is Subcultural Theory. In the book Criminology Today, James Schmalleger (2015) defines Subcultural Theory as “a sociological

Student Study Guide by Eric See for Criminological Theories: Introduction, Evaluation, and Application , 4th Edition

Criminology is the scientific study of knowledge in which crime is considered as a social happening. The study of Criminology includes the ways and methods of breaking laws, making laws and social/media/cultural reactions of the society to crime. There have been many theories as to why people commit crime, no one can decide on just one theory to explain this. Two popular theories as to why people commit crime are antisocial personality theory and social structure theory. The aspects behind these theories make the most reliable sense as to why people commit the crimes that they do.

Criminology is a developing field of science that the justice system and its workers use to classify and explain crime and criminals. Within the field, there are people that are extending theories that have been around for some time. If they are not continuing work on an existing theory, they are developing a new one. Our class discussed five main theories. The theories we discussed in class are Rational Choice Theory, Trait Theory, Social Structure Theory, Social Process Theory, and Developmental Theory.

Now, as far as “Criminological Theories they are “classified by the paradigm they emphasize, and the paradigms are distinctive theoretical models or perspectives” (“An Overview of”, n.d., p.4); like in the case of crime, they tend to vary based largely on differing assumptions of human

This essay will outline how crime theories are able to assist in recognizing the causes of criminal activity, as well as demonstrating two criminological theories to two particular crimes. Overviews of trends, dimensions and victim/offenders characteristics of both crime groups will be specified. The two particular crimes that will be demonstrated throughout this essay are; Violent Crime (focusing on Assault) being linked with social learning theory and White Collar crime (focusing on terrorism) being linked to General Strain theory. In criminology, determining the motive of why people commit crimes is crucial. Over the years, many theories have been developed and they continue to be studied as criminologists pursue the best answers in eventually diminishing certain types of crime including assaults and terrorism, which will be focused on.

A common theory in criminology and in sociology suggests that class and race are vital roles regional crime rates. Previous research indicates that the distribution of class and race within certain residential areas has a key role in the outcome of certain violent acts. In his study, Income Inequality, Race, and Place: Does the Distribution of Race and Class within Neighborhoods Affect Crime Rates, John R. Hipp states “Specifically, studies have tested how the distribution of economic resources across neighbor-hoods, as measured by income or poverty, affects neighborhood crime rates or the how the distribution of racial/ethnic minority members across neighborhoods, as measured by the percent nonwhite, and so on, affects neighborhood crime rates (Hipp 2007). While one may traditionally assume that minorities neighborhoods yield a more intensive crime rate, this is not necessarily true.

These theories paved the way for more modern theories that focus on biology, psychology and sociology. When Classical theorist began using scientific method to uncover the motive behind crimes, they opened the door for widening the view of criminology. Now, criminologists have various avenues of information to understand why criminals commit the crimes they do and it how to prevent them from happening

As part of human nature we seek to define and explain the unknown. When it comes to crime, we develop theories to explain why criminals do what they do. Theories like Social Structure theories, Social process theories, and social conflict theories. Each theory has its own developed ideas on what makes people tick, what causes bad thoughts, bad actions and bad people. This paper will discuss the theories listed above and the logic behind them that explain criminal behavior.

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

This paper will focus on the sociological factors of criminal behavior. This study will illustrate how society and other external influences drive an individual into committing crimes. Differential Association Theory and Strain Theory will be applied in this paper. Research by Agnew, Helfgott, Merton, Sharma, S., Sharma, G., & Barkataki and others will be examined as well. Additionally, an experiment conducted by Patenoster, McGloin, Nguyen, & Thomas and a story told by BBC will be used as an aid to a deeper understanding in the external factors of criminal behavior. The main focus centers around on how society and other external factors play a role in the development of criminal behavior.

Intro In the following report, I will discuss and critically evaluate a criminological perspective on crime and compare it to the available psychological perspectives in relation to evidential support and real life application. The criminological perspective voiced by Lonergan points to poverty as the cause of criminal behaviour, furthermore, two aspects of poverty are seen as particularly criminogenic: poor housing and poor education.

The foundation of classical criminology is its central belief that individual criminals engage in a process of rational decision making in choosing how to commit crime

Criminology is the scientific study of crime and criminals. Criminological theories have provided empirical insight into factors that explain crime. However, as research developed they noticed that not just one theory can adequately explain crime and delinquency. In the early stages of research, they found the neoclassical theory that evolved from the classical school theory that made the assumption of “free will,” and that humans acted on rational choice. It was later developed that biological theories rejected the idea of “free will” and believed that human behavior could be due to genetics or human development starting at a young age. I will be going into better detail about the theories and their underlying assumptions, and how both theories play a significant role into our current knowledge of crime today.