Causes of Crime Unit 1: Chapter 2. Bell Work How is it possible to have a consensus about what should or should not be illegal in country with several

Causes of CrimeCauses of Crime

Unit 1: Chapter 2Unit 1: Chapter 2

Bell Work

• How is it possible to have a consensus about what should or should not be illegal in country with several hundred million adults from all races, religions, and walks of life?

• Although DNA profiling has been a boon for law enforcement, why are some observers concerned about its widespread use?

Criminology and Correlation vs. Causation• Criminology:

– “The scientific study of crime and the causes of criminal behavior”

• Correlation:– Correlation between two variables means that they tend to vary

together– Ice Cream Sales and Crime in the Summer?

• Causation:– Causation means that one variable is responsible for the

change in the other

Exploring the Causes of Crime

• Crime and Free Will: Choice Theories of Crime– Classical Criminology

• People have free will to choose their behavior• Crime as a choice, is more attractive to some than

abiding by the law• People may refrain from crime if the punishment or

pain for it may be greater than the gain from it• Threat of punishment is the primary deterrent to

crime


Positivism

– “A school of social science that sees criminal and

delinquent behavior as the result of biological,

psychological, and social forces.”

– Because wrongdoers are driven to deviancy by

external factors, they should not be punished but

treated to lessen the influence of those factors.


• Biological and Psychological

Theories of Crime

– Biological Theories• Biochemical Conditions and

Crime

• Genetics and Crime

– Behavioral Genes

– Twin Studies• Brain Activity and Crime

– Psychological Theories• Psychoanalytic Theory – id,

ego, superego

• Psychopaths


Psychological Theories

– Psychological Theories• Psychoanalytic Theory

– Id- controls sexual urges

– Ego- controls behavior that

leads to the fulfillment of id

– Superego- directly related to

the conscience and

determines which actions are

right and wrong, with person’s

environment

– Psychopath/Sociopath,

Antisocial Personality

Disorder (ASPD)

Psychopath/Sociopath, Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)1. Repeat unlawful behavior2. Deceitfulness, persistent lying for

profit or pleasure3. Impulsiveness or failure to plan for

future4. Reckless disregard for safety5. Irresponsibility, unemployment or

indebtedness6. Lack remorse 7. Aggressiveness in form of

repeated fights or assaults

Substance Abuse Disorders

• Drug Abuse- the use of any drug- licit or illicit- that causes either psychological or physiological harm to the abuser or to third parties– Dopamine– Medical Model of Addiction-

addicts are not criminals, ill individuals, rehabilitate

– Criminal Model of Addiction- endanger society and should be treated the same as other criminals

• Sociological Theories of Crime– Social and Physical Environmental Factors

• The Chicago School- human behavior reflects their environment

• Social Disorganization Theory- crime is largely a product of unfavorable conditions in certain communities

• Strain Theory- crime is a result of frustration felt by individuals who cannot reach their financial and personal goals through legitimate means

• Cultural Deviance Theory- people adapt o the values of the subculture to which they belong


Figure 2.1 The Stages of Disorganization Theory

• Family, Friends, and the Media: Social Processes of Crime

– Social Process Theories

• “A school of criminology that considers criminal behavior to be the

predictable result of a person’s interaction with his or her environment.”

• Learning Theory

– Criminal behavior is learned

• Control Theory

– Social bonds promote conformity to social norms

• Labeling Theory

– Society creates crime by labeling certain behavior and individuals as

deviant


• Social Conflict Theories– Criminal behavior is the result of class

conflict– Certain behavior is labeled illegal because

the ruling class has an economic or social interest in restricting such behavior in order to protect the status quo.

–Marxism vs. Capitalism– The Social Reality of Crime


• Life Course Theories– “The study of crime based

on the belief that behavioral patterns developed in childhood can predict delinquent and criminal behavior later in life”

– Self-Control Theory– Continuity Theory of Crime– The Possibility of Change

• Moffitt believed there were two groups of youthful offenders: Those that age out of crime (their life of crime pertains to childhood), and those that continue to commit crime as adults


• Emerging Theories in Criminology

– Biosocial Theory

• Combines aspects of biological and sociological theories

• Racial Threat Theory

– Focuses on the relationship between modern racism and the

amount of control the criminal justice system exerts on African

Americans

– Differential Coercion Theory

• Focuses on the types of force that compel a person to commit

crime

– Convict Criminology

• Involves the unique input of ex-inmates who offer experiential

views of corrections


• Victimology– “A school of criminology

that studies why certain people are the victims of crime and the optimal role for victims in the criminal justice system”

– The growing emphasis on the victim has had a profound impact on criminal justice administrators

Victimology and Victims of Crime

• Repeat Victimization- certain people and places are more likely to be subject to criminal activity and that past victimization is a strong indicator of future victimization

• Domestic Violence- willful neglect or physical violence within familial or intimate relationships


• Factors of Victimization– Aspects of an individual’s life,

including gender, lifestyle, and environment affect the possibility of being a crime victim

– Examples of the factors associated with victimization are:

• Alcohol

– At greatest risk are frequent and heavy drinkers

• Gender

– More consistent clues as to actual threat of violence toward women


• Chronic Offenders- career criminals– Earlier research

suggested that a small group of juvenile offenders was responsible for a disproportionate amount of violent crime

Criminology from Theory to Practice

Documents

Causes of Crime Unit 1: Chapter 2. Bell Work How is it possible to have a consensus about what should or should not be illegal in country with several