Theories of Criminal Behavior Classical Theory Classical theory
Theories of Criminal Behavior
Classical Theory Classical theory - A product of the Enlightenment, based on the assumption that people exercise free will and are thus completely responsible for their actions. In classical theory, human behavior, including criminal behavior, is motivated by a hedonistic rationality, in which actors weigh the potential pleasure of an action against the possible pain associated with it. In 1764, criminologist Cesare Beccaria wrote ' An Essay on Crimes and Punishments', which set forth classical criminological theory. He argued that the only justified rationale for laws and punishments was the principle of utility. Utility - The principle that a policy should "the greatest happiness shared by the greatest number".
Continue…. Explaining Crime Classical Theory Beccaria believed the basis of society, as well as the origin of punishments and the right to punish, is the social contract. The only legitimate purpose of punishment is special deterrence and general deterrence. The prevention of individuals from committing crime again by punishing them. social contract An imaginary agreement to sacrifice the minimum amount of liberty to prevent anarchy and chaos. The prevention of people in general or society at large from engaging in crime by punishing specific individuals and making examples of them.
Continue…. Crime is caused by the individuals free will Human beings are rational and make decisions freely and with understanding of consequences Crime is an immoral form of human behavior Such behavior weakens society Punishment is a necessary evil sometimes intended to deter criminals and serve as an example to those who would violate the law Crime prevention is possible through swift and certain punishment that counters possible gains from criminal behavior
Biological Theory The basic determinants of human behavior are to a considerable degree, determined by genetics These basic determinants of human behavior may be passed from one generations to the next Human DNA, environmental contaminants, nutrition, hormones, trauma to the brain, exposure to drugs and alcohol during pregnancy and body chemistry can all contribute to criminal behavior. Biological Explanation of Crime Following are some of the major biological explanations for deviant behavior Cesare Lombroso Theory, Y Chromosome Theory and William Sheldon Theory
Continue…. Cesare Lombroso (1835– 1909) �Cesare Lombroso, born was an Italian criminologist, physician, and founder of the Italian School of Positivist Criminology Cesare Lombroso rejected the Classical School explanation, which believed that crime was a characteristic of human nature and instead believed that criminality was inherited. From this belief, he developed a Theory of Deviance. In which a person’s bodily constitution indicates whether or not an individual is a "born criminal. These "born criminals" are a throwback to an earlier stage of human evolution with the physical makeup, mental Capabilities and instincts of primitive man.
Continue…. In developing his theory, Cesare Lombroso observed the physical characteristics of Italian prisoners and compared them to those of Italian soldiers. Characteristics of Criminal: Cesare Lombroso concluded that the criminals were physically different. The physical characteristics that he used to identify prisoners included; �An asymmetry of the face or head �Large monkey-like ears �Large lips. A twisted nose �Excessive cheekbones �Long arms �Excessive wrinkles on the skin �Large jaw �Large chin Cesare Lombroso (1835– 1909) �Lombroso declared that Males with five or more of these characteristics could be marked as born criminals. �Females, on the other hand, only needed as few as three of these characteristics to be born criminals. Lombroso also believed that tattoos were markings of born criminals because they stood as evidence of both immortality and insensitivity to physical pain.
Continue…. Y Chromosome Theory The extra Y chromosome theory is the belief that criminals have an extra Y chromosome, giving them an XYY chromosome makeup rather than an XY makeup, that creates a strong compulsion within them to commit crimes. Y Chromosome Theory This person is sometimes called the "super male. " Some studies have found that the proportion of XYY males in the prison population is higher than the general male population (1 to 3 percent versus less than 1 percent), however other studies don’t provide evidence that supports this theory. William Sheldon Theory. Sheldon believed that people could be classified into 3 body shapes, which correspond with 3 different personality types. � Endomorphic (fat and soft) �Ectomorphic (thin and fragile) �Mesomorphic (muscular and hard)
Sociological Theory The largest number of criminological theories have been developed through sociological inquiry. Social Environment as the cause of criminal behavior Weak, broken bonds with family, school, religion as catalyst to human behavior People engage in criminal behavior because they do not see the benefits of adhering to conventional social values and believe that crime is a way to improve their social, financial conditions Positive alternatives divert people’s actions away from criminal activity and create a sense of belonging, competence, and empowerment Social programs that change the cultural and social conditions that lead people to crime
Continue…. Examples of these approaches include theory of differential association, which claims that all criminal behavior is learned and that the learning process is influenced by the extent of the individual’s contact with persons who commit crimes. The more an individual associates with such persons, the more likely it becomes that he will learn and adopt. The theory of anomie, proposed by the American sociologist Robert K. Merton, suggests that criminality results from an offender’s inability to attain his goals by socially acceptable means; faced with this inability, the individual is likely to turn to other—not necessarily socially or legally acceptable— objectives or to pursue the original objectives by unacceptable means.
Continue…. Social Learning Theory Aggression �Is learned, not innate. �Requires personal observation of aggression or rewards for aggression. �Involves behaviour modelling of family members, community members and mass media. Three types of learning ���Classical conditioning initially described by Ivan Pavlov, occur when a particular response to stimulus becomes conditioned to response to another associated stimulus. Operant conditioning defined by B. F Skinner , is the learning process by which a response is strengthen or extinguished through reinforcement or punishment of behavior. Observational (vicarious) learning initially described by Al. Bert Bandura. Occurs through observing the bevahavior of others and imitating those behavior, even there is no reinforcement at the time.
Continue…. Principles of Learning Positive reinforcement: increases the target behavior by rewarding the individual �Negative reinforcement: increases the target behavior by removing an unpleasant stimulus � Punishment: reduces the odds of the target behavior being repeated
Psychologists approach the task of explaining delinquent and criminal behavior by focusing on an individual’s personality. They examine the processes by which behavior and restraints on behavior are learned. These processes often are conceived as being the result of the interaction of biological predispositions and social experiences. Earliest psychological theories of crime were those based on the work of Sigmund Freud (1856– 1939). Freud argued that human nature includes a great reservoir of instinctual drives (the “id”) that demand gratification. These drives are restrained by moral and ethical codes (the “superego”) that children internalize as a result of their great love for and attachment to their parents.
Continue…. Later psychological theories of crime were based on behavior theory, such as that of the American psychologist B. F. Skinner (1904– 90), who viewed all human behavior—criminal and otherwise—as learned and thus manipulable by the use of reinforcement and punishment. It is sometimes argued that crime is associated with certain mental conditions. Mental illness is generally the cause of a relatively small proportion of crimes, but its perceived importance may be exaggerated by the seriousness of some of the crimes committed by persons with mental disorders. One particular personality configuration—antisocial personality disorder—is thought to be strongly associated with criminality.
Labelling Theory Labeling theory states that people come to identify and behave in ways that reflect how others label them. This theory is most commonly associated with the sociology of crime since labeling someone unlawfully deviant can lead to poor conduct. Howard Becker (1928 -) Labelling Theory - Actions are not intrinsically deviant, but rather they become deviant through the application of a label Becker believed that once a label has been applied to an individual, it may be granted master status. �All other aspects of the individual’s life are no longer regarded as important as the label of deviant, and deviancy becomes a central activity. �A deviant career usually follows. Primary Deviance Secondary Deviance
Continue…. Primary Deviance �A behavior that violates a social norm but that does not effect one’s sense of self. Example of primary deviance �Tommy is five years old and his mother has taking him to WH Smith. Now everyone knows that WH Smith has a pick and mix stand Tommy loves his chocolate. So when mummy isn’t looking, Tommy takes some chocolate mice and carries on like nothing happened. Unfortunately, the clerk saw him eat the chocolate and he gets into trouble with mummy. This is primary deviance. The clerk doesn’t call the police because it’s justified as childhood behavior. When Tommy gets older, he would describe it as a “moment of madness”. No one has labelled Tommy as a thief. It is not affected his status or how society views Tommy, therefore according to Lemert primary deviance is pointless to study as it has no effect on the individual or society.
Continue…. Secondary Deviance �In secondary deviance the person is already labelled as a deviant but still he/she continues to engage in that particular act. Example of secondary deviance �However, as Tommy gets older, he continues to steal and at the age of 18 Tommy steals a car from the local Mercedes dealership. Tommy gets caught and sent to prison for 10 years but when he comes out, he is still viewed as “that thief”. This makes it hard Tommy to get a job and because he needs money to survive, Tommy joins the neighborhood gang and once again reverts to crime. This is what we call secondary deviance – crime caused by a societal reaction. Society viewed Tommy as nothing more than a thief, so “thief” became Tommy’s master status. This puts Tommy in a self-concept crisis because he doesn’t know he fits into society anymore – no one likes him, he cannot get a job – therefore self-fulfilling prophecy occurs, and Tommy fulfils his label. He joins neighborhood gang in order to be around people who accept his master status. Therefore, Tommy reverts to crime because of his label.
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