...Project CRJS 105 – Theories of Crime Causation November 11th, 2010 Abstract The following will examine the differences between criminalists, criminologists and forensic psychologists. It will then transition into how what exactly is a white collar crime and a blue collar crime. Lastly the paper will discuss the differences between index-one and index-two crimes as defined by the UCR. Media Portrayal of Crime Introduction With the prevalence of crime being portrayed in the media world, it can be difficult for the modern American to decipher all the aspects of crime. Criminology, the study of crime and its causes, is a excellent way to find out just what makes a criminals mind tick. Although it may be hard to know just what makes a person commit a crime, having a better understanding of the base of criminal justice aspects may be of assistance. Criminologists, Criminalists, and Forensic Psychologists With a plethora of jobs out there relating to the field of criminal justice, it may become overwhelming to try and decide who does what and how they do it. To have a better understanding of such fields one must know exactly what each field does separately from the other. A criminologist uses sociological theories and methods to study criminal behavior and how societies respond to crime (Hall, 2010). This means the criminologist seeks to find out the mentality behind a crime and how that thinking affects the society as a whole. By creating theories as to why of how...
Words: 1634 - Pages: 7
...The theory of crime causation ELAINE WILSON 11/25/2011 D. COOPER UNIT 3 INDIVIDUAL PROJECT The social control theory is just what the name says; it is theory that a person is controlled by social circumstances, control of individual behavior by society. Social control theory stresses the idea that people in a society commit criminal acts because of the weaknesses within society, not because of the strength of forces driving them to do so. Crime is a strain on an otherwise stable system; social control is an attempt to stabilize the functioning of a society. The reasoning of social control is to fulfill society’s moral needs in the societal community. Criminal behavior is a strong indicator of the weakening bonds within society. As a function of social control, conversely, society offers restraints on people. The strain theory attempts to prove that your economic status determines crime. The lower classes are the most vulnerable to this pressure, or strain, and will maintain their dreams and desires though the economic means are not available. Frustration due to lower status would appear to be associated with more serious, repetitive offending. Incidence of crime among a low status group was found to be explained by low expectations in spite of the drive some people of lower status carry. Differential association theory is a learning theory that concentrations on why a person comes to commit a crime. A criminal and deviant act is learned through close and frequent association...
Words: 986 - Pages: 4
...Criminological Theories of Crime Causation: Biological, Sociological, and Psychological Carrie Siewert, CJ499 Kaplan University Author Note October 5, 2015 Criminological Theories of Crime Causation: Biological, Sociological, and Psychological For centuries, documentation of criminal cases filled the inboxes of the numerous police officers’, investigators’, and forensic laboratory analysists’ exceeding the limits of caseloads possible for any given criminal justice professional responsible for solving criminal cases. Each giving everything they have to catch the guilty and thus, providing justice to the victims who suffered because of someone’s criminal behaviors and actions. Each with the same or similar inquiries; why do people commit the crimes they commit? Why do they behave this way? What is their purpose? Were the born this way? What, if anything, happen to them to make them behave in such a heinous manner? Are they a victim of their own environment and/or social status? Of course, these inquiries cover only a minute number of possible indications as to answering the “Why?” people commit these criminal behaviors and actions. Criminology identifies ascertains three amalgamations of theories, each of which attempt to justify inquiries by working exuberantly to establish a high level of credibility and reliability; the following will address how these biological, sociological, and psychological theories of crime causation affect human behavior and/or actions. ...
Words: 1163 - Pages: 5
... CRJS105 –1103b-04 Theories of Crime Causation October 26, 2011 Abstract In this paper I will describe 4 different sociological theories in some depth while looking at how each of them in some cases overlap and strengthen one another, and at the same time many of them are in direct conflict with each other. These theories are Neutralization theory by Sykes and Matza where criminal behavior is justified ., Differential Association by Donald Sutherland where it talks about pressure that cause different types of behavior, Strain theory by Robert Agnew where the strain of outside factors are the cause of this abnormal behavior,. And finally the social control theory by Travis Hirschi along with many other who have over time helped to further this theory. Along with these theories I have also talked about a man convicted of theft by taking here in the Atlanta area and what I believe to be the best theory that would apply to him. In my conclusion I will Point the one true weakness in all the theories that I have covered in this paper. Routine Activity Theory”: I have chosen the “Routine Activity Theory” It shows a meaningful view on the causes of crime and the problems surrounding it. The basic point to this theory is that these offenders many times don’t have any effective controls and they will act out on targets that are very easy. One of the points of Routine Act ivy theory is that the offender and the target...
Words: 1733 - Pages: 7
...CRJS 105 Crime Causation Unit 4 DB There are some cities and neighborhoods that have higher crime rates than others. I believe this is due to the social disorganization theory. This theory suggests that structural characteristics may impact the areas level of social control. An example of this is that people who reside in a high poverty are usually divided by both racial and ethic differences. Also people generally do not live in these areas for very long. This factor of high turnover in the neighborhood breaks down any neighbor relationships’ that would form and in turn lower the crime rate for the area. (Ruth Triplett, Randy Gainy,2007) Why do some people in low crime areas commit crimes and others in high crime area refrain from committing crimes? It is my belief that this is due to with a person’s internal control. In general people believe that crime is wrong. At what extent that these people do believe crime is wrong is partly a function of their internal control. Is these people were not taught that crime was neither bad or good there believes neither restrains them from committing crime nor push them to commit crimes. They have developed an amoral orientation to crime. The fact that these people have amoral beliefs frees them to pursue their desires and needs in the most expedient way. (Crime Causation 2011) On the other hand there are people that have a personality trait that can cause them to be less responsive to internal control, thus rendering them less able...
Words: 467 - Pages: 2
...criminal behavior is a question that continues to puzzle and intrigue scholars of criminology even after centuries of study. Many theories of crime exist. A couple of these concepts are the Classical, whose supporters insist that humans freely choose to commit crimes, and those which maintain that biological, psychological, and social characteristics influence criminal behavior. All philosophies attempt to explain the causation of criminal behavior, in different ways. Classical Theory The classical school of crime causation came about in the eighteenth century as a result of the Enlightenment and emphasized free will and reasonable punishments. Classical thinkers from this time period strongly believed that in order for punishment to be effective, it must outweigh the pleasure that may be derived from crime. There are certain basic assumptions associated with the Classical school. Among them are the individual action of free will, and most human behavior comes from the process of rational thought coupled with the ability to act freely. Another one of these assumptions were that punishment defined as a necessary evil required to deter law violators from repeating their crime as well as to present an example to potential criminals. Cesare Beccaria ( 1738-1794) was one of the first classical thinkers i noted in my studies. His publication of “Essays on crime and punishment” was an immediate success in it’s release in 1764, and stirred up controversy about the treatment of criminals...
Words: 2171 - Pages: 9
...Crime Causation Essay Case Study: Richard Ramirez Adriana Owens El Camino College AJ 100 Spring 2015 Born in El Paso Texas on February 28, 1960 Richard Ramirez, AKA the Night Stalker terrorized the city of Los Angeles during a two year period committing multiple murders, sexual assaults, and burglaries. This case study of Ramirez focuses on the possible motives and factors that may have contributed to his brutal crimes. Ramirez was convicted for 13 murders, five attempted murders, 11 sexual assaults, and 14 burglaries. He was known to engage in satanic rituals and showed no empathy for the victims he demonically murdered. This case study will examine three possible reasons that may have influenced such behavior using the social process theory, social disorganization theory, and rational choice theory. Crime Causation Theory The Social Process Theory Ramirez childhood was spent In El Paso Texas with his family where he experienced constant physical abuse from his father. At the age of twelve Ramirez became heavily influenced by his older cousin Miguel “Mike” Ramirez. Ramirez viewed his cousin as somewhat of a role model and had been exposed to extremely violent events at a very early...
Words: 615 - Pages: 3
...Justice System The future of the juvenile justice system is uncertain. There is a struggle to try a find a way to serve the needs of the juvenile delinquents and issue them a punishment for violating the law. In order to improve the direction of the juvenile justice system, recommendations are needed regarding community involvement, law enforcement, courts, corrections, and the private sector. These recommendations address issues that the system is currently facing and offers solutions for the future. A justification of the system is also offered based on the histories, trends and causation theories. Community Involvement Community involvement is an important aspect of the juvenile justice system. Police form communities ties through their involvement and contact with those in the community. Juvenile attitudes and perceptions of police are based on several issues. Weakened community ties, fear of crime, and higher levels of strain contribute and create negative juvenile attitudes towards law enforcement. Individuals that do not have contact with the police tend to have the highest perception of law enforcement. In an analysis of juvenile attitudes, it was found that juveniles that had contact with police through prevention programs had similar attitudes towards the police as those that had no contact with law enforcement (Brick, Taylor, & Esbensen, 2009, p. 493). Adjudicated youth with disabilities transitioning back into the community are also facing issues. This transition...
Words: 1280 - Pages: 6
...Juvenile Justice System Lashanna Banks-Augustus Bryan Knight Samantha Mathis Barbara Minish Jenny Sutton CJA 374 July 2, 2012 Mecca Brown The Future of the Juvenile Justice System In 1899 the first separate Juvenile Court system opened in the United Sates. The Juvenile Justice system design was to separate juvenile delinquents from adult criminals. Documentation proves that juveniles do not have the maturity level or the responsibility level of an adult to receive the same punishment as adults should. Juvenile Justice System main focus is rehabilitation as a replacement for punishment in which the adult court system focuses on punishment. The juvenile system methods are based on causation theories throughout history. However, with new trends comes new theories and with new theories comes a new wave of both rehabilitation techniques and designing those techniques to fit each juvenile personal needs; proving that change is in need throughout the different areas of the juvenile justice system. Community Community helps juveniles in different ways. Juvenile law will place them accountable for their actions. The community can help to hold the youths accountable for each of their delinquent actions. The community could help intervene by providing an effective intervention for the offender and to have the child protection protect the neglect or abused juveniles (The future of children). Each community should help develop different programs that will help with juveniles. Detention...
Words: 2199 - Pages: 9
...criminals who committed the same type of crimes did so for similar reasons. While I still agree that there is a correlation, through the semester I have changed my view a bit. There are many different theories that can explain the possibilities of why two criminals who have committed the same crime have done so. There isn’t one theory that can explain the causation of any particular crime, but instead each crime and each criminal differs on a case by case basis. Without realizing it I believed heavily in the strain theory as the best explanation for the causation of crime, mainly the belief that people in poverty would overlook the consequences in order to attain what others in their community have. Now I see this was an extremely narrow view point and believe each crime and each criminal can be explained through a diverse and often multiple groups of theories. I underestimated the impact of biological issues that contribute to crime explained by trait theorists. They argue the individual is not the only one responsible for crime in society, but that we must look at their environment, neighborhood, economic opportunities, and family life. The focus is on how different biological factors like high testosterone levels and a person’s diet combined with their environment effects crime (Siegel, 2000). I would have agreed that higher testosterone levels could make someone more aggressive therefor more likely to commit antagonistic crimes, but I would have never believed that...
Words: 1544 - Pages: 7
...Social Learning Theory (Week 2: Assignment) The Social Learning Theory (Week 2 Assignment) There are several theories that have been developed in order for man to explain social development and the social concepts created by these developments. The many different theories that “explain how people become socialized, including the psychoanalytic theory, the functionalism theory, the conflict theory, and the symbolic interaction theory look at the individual learning process of man” (Vissing, 2011). They dive into the formation of one’s self, and they explain how the influence of society within socialization affects individuals. The social learning theory is one of these theories that attempt to explain the details of socialization and the effects of one’s own development. The social learning theory has been noted and acknowledged within the psychology community for some time now and was greatly shaped by psychologist, Albert Bandura. Overall, the social learning theory has several aspects and elements that make it a formidable and studied theory by many psychologists and it is used by many while attempting to explain how exactly people become socialized. To begin with, the social learning theory takes in to account the formation of one’s identity. The identity is considered to be a learned response to social encounters. The theory “emphasizes the societal context of socialization rather than the individual mind” (Anderson, 2009) and it “postulates that an individual’s identity...
Words: 1052 - Pages: 5
... Criminal Acts and Choices “Choice theories state that the decision to commit (or refrain from) crime is an exercise of free will based on the offender’s efforts to maximize pleasure and minimize pain.” Choice theories are perspectives on crime causation that states that criminality is the aftermath of conscious choices made by people. There are four basic theories that are considered: Psychological positivism, biological, positivism, rational choice, and sociological positivism. These theories rely on logic to explain why people commit crimes and whether a criminal act is the result of a rational decision, internal predisposition or external aspects. A multitude of factors are considered to play roles in criminal activity. Social, political, and economic inequities, for instance, may create conflict within society. Human development, an absence of “normal” opportunities, failed self-direction, and inadequate social roles, association with defective individuals, or social organization and disorganization may also pave the road to criminal activity. Some theorists say that criminal behavior derives from psychobiological factors such as human DNA or hormones; others say inappropriate behavioral conditioning or a diseased mind contributes to criminal activity. Regardless of the reasons behind crime, this is a very real issue faced on a regular basis, all over the world (Criminological Theory, 2009). For most of the late eighteenth and...
Words: 1030 - Pages: 5
...in the class. You need to make reasonable attempt at this assessment every week to pass the course. If you fail to do it your final mark will be withheld. 1. Essay Question: After more than a century of criminological theory, why does crime still exist? Illustrate your answer by drawing on at least two theories studied thus far in the semester and consider how they define crime and what policy ( rulem strategy, procedure) responses (replies) they advocate (support). What are the strengths and weaknesses of these theories and why related policy responses failed to rid society ( culture of crime? Use Australian or international examples to support your arguments. a. Thesis Statement: * Crime attributes an individual to a particularly undesirable group. It is based upon an event; some sort of wrong - doing or deviance from the norm which results in social, physical, mental, property or financial harm. * Theories come into play and provide a perspective and embody certain assumptions. * * There is no longer a singular definition of crime, there are multiple views and opinions yet non stand as a concrete definition. * Classical Theory * Positivism Of particular interest is the classical approach to crime and the idea of positivism nad individualist behaviour. b. tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion. c. is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells...
Words: 1572 - Pages: 7
...The term organized crime has become well known during recent years. Primarily through movies, television shows, and news reports. When a person hears the term organized crime, they think of the mob from movies like godfather, goodfellas, and scarface. However; those movies are just a glorified representation of what organized crime actually is and the reality of organized crime and its impact of society is much more disturbing than anything Hollywood or story writers can develop. The purpose of this paper is to define and discuss what organized crime is, why it develops and why members of society are drawn to engage in it. This paper will also discuss the problems related to organized crime’s impact on society and the limitations the government faces when trying to eradicate this type of criminal activity. In addition, the laws and tools law enforcement uses to combat organized criminal activity will be explored and how those laws and tools can be expanded on to offer a viable solution in controlling organized crime. Organized Crime Described The simplest definition of organized crime can be 1. Widespread criminal activities, such as prostitution, interstate theft, or illegal gambling, that occur within a centrally controlled formal structure. 2. The people and the groups involved in such criminal activities. (thefreedictionary.com). This definition is what makes the difference between criminal activity conducted by an individual and criminal activity conducted by a group...
Words: 2854 - Pages: 12
... Understanding the Criminal Understanding the Criminal Crime is an activity that societies around the globe have had to experience from close to the beginning of manhood. Crime is nothing new to us but the extent of criminal behavior has evolved over the centuries. We will probably never live in a world that is free of crime, but learning more about the criminal aspects in our society may one day make our world a much better place to live. To help resolve criminal behavior becoming more familiar with the biological and psychological explanations of crime, the way criminals learn to commit crimes and the criminal justice system in place to deal with criminals must be understood. Understanding the explanations of crime is a controversial issue by many researchers. What is understood is that the crime rate over the last century has increased and that this is largely due to the criminals in our society. If the criminal could be understood then perhaps that would be a large step in the combat against crime. Criminologists study factors to explain why and individual would commit crimes. Although one explanation does not supersede the other when considering the causes of crime, research has shown evidence of biological and psychological factors resulting in the criminal characteristics. Often people experience both contributing factors that drive them into the world of criminal behavior. Biological causation of crimes used to be an instrumental tool for criminologists interested...
Words: 2313 - Pages: 10
