Essay on Theories of Crime and Criminal Activity - 1488 Words

Theories of Crime and Criminal Activity Every theory of crime has at least 2-3 meta-theoretical levels above it. The fundamental issues are usually addressed at the approach level, and are often called the assumptions, or starting points, of a theory, although the term assumptions more strictly refers to the background or domain boundaries one can draw generalizations about. Above the approach level is the Perspective level, the largest unit of agreement within a scientific community, and in fact, the names for the scientific disciplines. Perspectives are sometimes called paradigms or viewpoints, although some people use the term paradigm to refer to untestable ideologies such as: (1) rational choice; (2) pathogenesis; (3) labeling;†¦show more content†¦The theorists creativity is based on what are called constructs (images, ideas, or new words in the theorists head), and the art of theory onstruction is the translation of constructs into concepts. The notion that concepts always deal with something observable or something that can be experimented upon is called empiricism. Criminological Theories of Crime General Classical Rational Choice Deterrence Positivist Routine Activities Individual Trait Labeling Reintegrative Shaming Social Disorganization Critical Differential Association Social Learning Subcultural Peacemaking Anomie Institutional-Anomie Feminism General Strain Developmental Life Course Control General Theory of Crime Control Balance Power Control Integrated The Classical and Neo-Classical theories are based upon the ideation of free will and rational choice. This theory occurs when the benefits outweigh the costs—when people pursue self-interest in the absence of effective punishments. They are simplex modules to follow when applying them to the role of individual responsibility. This theory further states that crime is a free-willed choice, that a person is aware of their actions, they are aware of their choice to commit crime. This is the theory of free will and rational thought. For instance, if a man robs a bank with complete mental awareness, he is aware of his actions.Show MoreRelatedRoutine Activity And Situational Crime Prevention Theory1082 Words   |  5 PagesRoutine activity theory states that for a crime to be committed, three important factors need to be present including: a motivated offender, an accessible target, and the absence of a capable guardian against a violation. Marcus Felson and Lawrence E. Cohen intro duced the routine activity theory in 1979, where they believed that an individual who has these three characteristics gives them a greater possibility of committing a crime. Moreover, situational crime prevention is known as strategies ofRead MoreCriminial Acts and Choices848 Words   |  4 PagesCriminal Acts and Choices Victoria Hopkins University of Phoenix Society uses common models to determine what a criminal act is. The Justice System has two models: Consensus Model and Conflict Model. The consensus model is used by the Criminal Justice System (CJS) and it shows that the majority of society shares the same values and beliefs. This model works on the assumption that when people form as a society they will have the same morals and beliefs. They come to an agreement of what areRead MoreSocial Disorganization Theory And Differential Association Theory1380 Words   |  6 Pagesare a variety of theories that have been proposed both at a macro and micro level in order to explain juvenile crime. The different theories that have been proposed are Social Disorganization theory, Differential Social Organization theory, Social Control theory and Differential Association theory. In order for people to determine which of the proposed theory is more valid, one must be able to answer the question of what inspires the juveniles to be involved in c riminal activities . One must seekRead MoreTheory And Practice Of Crime Prevention1565 Words   |  7 Pages Activity Space Michael Pace University of Cincinnati Theory and Practice of Crime Prevention CJ 7070 Dr. Pamela Wilcox October 21, 2015â€Æ' Introduction Crime events have the propensity of occurring in our daily routine activities. In order for a crime event to occur there must be three elements: a motivated offender, a potential target or victim, and lack of guardianship (Wilcox, 2015). Evaluating my own activity space, I was able to determine my nodes and paths. By analyzing my nodes andRead MoreCrime Thoeries Essay716 Words   |  3 PagesCrime Theories Kristyn Irene Hope Seiler Information Technology in Criminal Justice – CIS170 Strayer University Professor Carmen J. Flores November 5, 2012 There are many different theories when it comes to digital crime. Some of the theories are the choice theory, the deterrence theory, the psychological theory, the strain theory and the routine activities theory. In this paper I will discuss the one theory to be the cause of digital crime, why the theory chosen could be recognizedRead MoreDigital Crime Theory And The Psychoanalytic Theory1017 Words   |  5 PagesDigital Crime Theories The society of today has reached the verge of a technological revolution with nearly all individuals and most businesses becoming very dependent on computers and networks, due to the advances in telecommunications and computers, to perform daily activities. (Hafner, K. et.al., 1995). The haste to clasp this new technology has led to unveiling of a new line of criminals and criminal activities, commonly referred as hackers and hacking respectively. For us to understand the criminalRead MoreTheories on Crime1253 Words   |  5 PagesTheories on Crime: The field of criminology is basically described as the study of crime through which the causes, prevention, and correction of offenses are examined. While this process can be extremely difficult, especially for students, the analysis of the causes of crime is significant to sociology and criminology. The difficulties associated with the study of crime originate from the numerous challenges in developing theories that explain human behavior. In relation to crime, human behaviorRead MoreI.What Is A Theory?. 1.Criminology Is The Scientific Study1600 Words   |  7 PagesWhat is a theory? 1. Criminology is the scientific study of crime and the causes of criminal behavior. a. Correlation and Cause: Correlation is the relationship between two variables that tend to move in the same direction. Causation is the relationship in which a change in one variable creates a recognizable change in another variable. For example, many criminals are drug abusers but drug abuse does not cause crime because not everyone who abuses drugs is a criminal. b. The Role of Theory: CriminologistsRead MoreContemporary Utilization Of Classical Perspective1575 Words   |  7 PagesDeterrence theory, rational choice theory, routine activities theory, and lifestyle theory will be explained and defined thoroughly detailing each theory and provide a historical background, theorist(s) involved, prior literature, scientific methods, results, personal opinions, and policy implications for each theory. These theories are still being utilized in law enforcement in present day enforcement of laws and policies and this paper will describe an in-depth explanation of the theories. CrimeRead MoreThe Classical School Of Thought889 Words   |  4 Pagesreasons behind criminal behavior. Theorists during the Enlightenment Period dismissed the preconceived notions that deviant behavior was the result of supernatural causes and ushered in an era that highlighted criminality as a rational choice decided by a person’s own free will. The idea of rational choice led to the development of the Classical school of thought, which sought to deter and prevent crime by making the fear of punishment worse than the gratification attained from crime. However, while