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Crime Theories
Different Theories of Crime
29
Criminology
Undergraduate 4
02/09/2015

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Cards

Term
Labeling Theory
Definition
people become criminals when labelled as such and they accept the label as a personal identity
Term
Techniques of Neutralization
Definition
theoretical series of methods by which those who commit illegitimate acts temporarily neutralize certain values within themselves which would normally prohibit them from carrying out such acts, such as morality, obligation to abide by the law, and so on.
Term
Containment theory
Definition

states that human beings are subject to criminal behavior but can resist it because of inner and outer containment. Inner control: Self-control- individual can save himself from crime by control his impulses. Inner control more strong. Outer control: Families peers.

Term
Differential Association Theory
Definition

Sutherland 1) Criminal behavior is learned 2) individuals learns criminal behavior through interaction with others

Term
Biological Theory
Definition

Lombroso - concept of atavistic anomalies- Lombroso's theory of anthropological criminology essentially stated that criminality was inherited, and that someone "born criminal" could be identified by physical (congenital) defects, which confirmed a criminal as savage or atavistic. Atavism is the recurrence in an organism of a trait or character typical of an ancestral form and usually due to genetic recombination or the recurrence of or reversion to a past style, manner, outlook, approach, or activity

Term
Italian School of Criminology
Definition

was founded at the end of the 19th century by Cesare Lombroso (1835–1909) and two of his disciples, Enrico Ferri (1856–1929) and Raffaele Garofalo (1851–1934). 

 

was the first school of criminology that tried to scientifically explain crime causation using scientific methods.

Term
XYY Theory
Definition

some social scientists proposed a link between the abnormality and aggressive and impulsive behavior. This "supermale" syndrome seemed confirmed when studies of prison populations showed the presence of the abnormality to be significantly higher than in the general population.

Term
Classical School/Rational Choice Theory
Definition

refers to the 18th-century work during the Enlightenment by the utilitarian and social-contract philosophers Jeremy Bentham and Cesare Beccaria. Their interests lay in the system of criminal justice and penology and, indirectly, through the proposition that "man is a calculating animal", in the causes of criminal behavior.

 

was premised on the idea that people have free will in making decisions, and that punishment can be a deterrent for crime, so long as the punishment is proportional, fits the crime, and is carried out promptly.

Term
concept of utilitarianism
Definition

The punishment for crimes has to be harsh enough to slightly outweigh the benefits of the crime.

Term
positivists-
Definition

attempted to find scientific objectivity for the measurement and quantification of criminal behavior such as physical characteristics, intelligence, testosterone or adrenaline.

Term
symbolic interactionism
Definition

the brain-child of famous sociologist George Herbert Mead. The theory can be most simply described as the exchange of ideas or thoughts between two persons, in which both parties change their verbal or behavioral patterns based upon how they believe the other person will react or does react.

Term
functionalism
Definition

Durkheim said that crime is inevitable in society. This is because not everyone will buy into the collective sentiments of society, and will deviate from these norms and beliefs.

Term
Wilson's & Herrnstein's Integrated Theory
Definition

concentrated on predatory street behavior using a social learning-behavioral choice model that relies on both positivist determinism and classical free will as it considers possible links between criminality and heredity, impulsivity, low intelligence, family practices, school experiences, and the effects of mass media on the individual.

Term
Travis Hirschi's Social Control Theory
Definition

theory people commit crime when the forces that bind them to society are broken or weakened

Term
Sheldon's three body-type theory
Definition

endomorphs (fat) appear gut dominant, while mesomorphs generally are more muscular, and finally the ectomorphs (skinny) are highly invested in nervous and cerebral features. Sheldon classified or implied that the mesomorphic body type individuals (those of the big bone and muscular shape), were more prone to committing violent and aggressive acts, and therefore criminality is rooted in biology, when compared to the other two body types and their crime patterns and tendencies. 

Term
Conflict theory/Marxist Philosophy
Definition

Crime is a function of class conflict and power relations. Laws are created and enforced by those in power to protect their own interests. Marxist theory (Radical criminology) states that Crime is a product of the capitalist system. 

Term
Richard Quinney's Theory
Definition

followed a Marxist approach in citing social inequities as the root of crime. Criminal behavior, he asserted, is a natural occurrence in a society that favors the wealthy over the poor and the powerful over the weak.

Term
Social Learning theory
Definition
people learn to be aggressive by observing others acting aggressively to achieve some goal or being rewarded for violent acts
Term
Psychological theory
Definition
theories of deviance use a deviant's psychology to explain his motivation or compulsion to violate social norms. 
Term
Biosocial theory
Definition

is an emerging perspective that highlights the interdependence between genetic and environmental factors in the etiology of antisocial behaviors.

Term
Edwin Lemert's secondary deviance
Definition

When someone commits an offense of a more serious nature, then one is likely to be labeled, internalize the label, and act out accordingly in future criminal behavior.

Term
Howard becker's moral entrepreneurs
Definition
an individual, group, or formal organization that takes on the responsibility of persuading society to develop or to enforce rules that are consistent with its own ardently held moral beliefs.
Term
David Matza's drift and neutralization
Definition

Neutralization techniques allow the person to occasionally ‘drift’ out of orthodox behavior and get into criminal behaviors.

Term
Albert Cohen's middle-class measuring rod
Definition

the delinquent conduct is right by the standards of his subculture precisely because it is wrong by the norms and values of the larger culture’.

Term
consensus view
Definition

  majority of citizens in a society share common ideas and work toward a common good and that crimes are acts that are outlawed because they conflict with the rules of the majority and are harmful to society... the law defines a crime; laws apply to all citizens equally

Term
conflict view
Definition

the law is controlled by the rich and powerful who shape its content to ensure their continued economic domination of society. CJS is an instrument of social and economic repression; law is a tool of ruling class; crime is a politically defined concept; real crimes are not outlawed; the law is used to control the underclass

Term
Interactionist View
Definition

 criminal law reflects the values of people who use their social and political power to shape the legal system. moral entrepreneurs define crime; definition of crime is subjective and reflects contemporary values and morals; criminal labels are life-transforming events

Term
Social process theories
Definition

focus on the socialization of the youth and their developmental factors

Term
social structure theories
Definition

view criminal behavior as a result of forces operating in deteriorated and depressed lower class areas

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