Understanding why individuals or groups engage in deviant or criminal behavior helps better inform therapeutic interventions and public policy. No one theory of crime can explain all criminal behavior. However, each theory does offer the potential for better understanding individual criminal acts or patterns of criminal behavior that take place within specific cultural or historical contexts. Integrating multiple theories can be helpful, too, showing how biology, psychology, politics, culture, and sociology intersect.
Biological Theories of Criminal Behavior
Some of the earliest theories of criminal behavior evolved out of biological determinism and evolutionary theory, which suggested that some people have a genetic predisposition towards criminality. Biological theories of criminal behavior can be based on different perspectives, including those that focus on neurochemistry, genetic conditions, developmental disorders, and even nutritional deficiencies (The Scottish Centre for Crime & Justice Research, 2016). Although the original biological theories of crime like those of Lombroso have been widely disproven, new research in genetics and neuroscience have shed light on some predispositions towards deviance and criminality (Newsome, 2014). Just as some individuals may have a predisposition towards certain mental and physical illnesses, which can be triggered or exacerbated by environmental conditions, people may be genetically or biologically...
References
Engelen, P., Lander, M.W. & van Essen, M. (2016). What determines crime rates? The Social Science Journal 53(2): 247-262.
Hirschi, T. (2014). On the compatibility of rational choice and social control theories of crime. In Scott, M. (Ed.) The Reasoning Criminal. New York: Routledge.
Miller L. (2017) Psychological Theories of Criminal Behavior. In: Van Hasselt V., Bourke M. (eds) Handbook of Behavioral Criminology. Springer, Cham
Newsome, J. (2014). Biological theories of crime. The Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Blackwell: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118517383.wbeccj225
The Scottish Centre for Crime & Justice Research (2016). Theories and causes of crime. University of Glasgow: http://www.sccjr.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/SCCJR-Causes-of-Crime.pdf
Criminal Behavior Approaches to Understand Criminal Behavior Psychological Approaches Sociological Approaches Biological Approaches Psychosurgery Chemical Methods of Control Imagine yourself having a walk in the premises of your house and a stone come flying through the boundary wall and hits you. As a layman, one might face difficulty in defining this incident. It can be termed as an assault, an act of violence or a criminal offence. This is a layman's term to define this act but
Sociological theories of criminal behavior do not discount individual-level learning but focus more on the surrounding culture and environment. To explain criminal behavior, sociologists usually center on conflict theories, strain theories, labeling theories, and social control theories. Conflict theories have their roots in Marxist philosophy. They reveal how class conflict can create impetus for deviance and also lead to general anomie. Strain theory similarly suggests that criminal behavior can result
" These authors purport that although mood and behaviour may constitute a vital part in disorderly outcomes of drinking scenarios, other social factors can equally contribute influences. These factors, according to these authors, can be categorized by the following factors: the attitude and motivations that young binge drinkers bring to drinking, the social and peer group norms under which they operate, and features relating to the drinking environment. Reasonable Investigations In the journal
Leaders in society understand the need to resist putting unfair labels on people; this has been a positive trend over the recent past. Feminist Theory: Feminist theories suggest, "…criminal justice decisions reflect male dominance and functioning to support patriarchy"; in short, the system is bias against women (Akers, 1999). This has changed society because women's liberation, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, have made it illegal to discriminate based
On the other hand, his wife said that they dated for about nine months and then were engaged for about a year before they got married. There was some discrepancy in the Personal and Progress notes of Mr. W pertaining to the involvement of Mr. W in women during his time in high school, however, which does not have much role to play in this case. Mr. W claimed
Likewise, full-body tattoos are considered deviant behavior and people who are completely tattooed are ostracized from some elements of society, but that behavior has never been considered illegal. In contrast, most people do not consider jaywalking or speeding to be extremely deviant behavior. On the contrary, most people have probably engaged in these criminal behaviors and may even be habitual offenders, but one would be unlikely to label them
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