Criminology Study Guide

classical school theory

18C notions of free will, hedonism, and utilitarianism. Advocated for fairness and due process. Focused on deterrence. Beccaria

Positivist school

scientific method. Crime as caused by biological factors beyond one’s control. Lombroso

Beccaria

concerned with humanitarian issues with punishment

Lombroso

criminals as less evolved

enlightenment

scientific explanation based on reason and observation. Humans as free and rational

Sheldon’s somatotype theory 

body type classifications as links to crime

psychological theories

examine criminology through theories of personality or learning that accept for a person’s behaviour in a specific situation

herrnstein and murray

linked intelligence to genetics, thought crime was hereditary

psychoanalytic theory 

criminality is caused by a person’s failure to progress through early stages of development. Inadequate superego

Theorists of moral development

Piaget and Kohlberg

Classical conditioning

Pavlov. deviant behaviour must be negatively reinforced

Dimensions of Personality

Hare. Extroversion vs. introversion, neuroticism vs. stability, psychoticism

Operant conditioning

Skinner. People operate in an environment, learning what works through reward and punishment 

social learning theory 

Bandura. Bobo doll experiment

consensus perspective

the law is a codification of societal values

conflict perspective 

criminal law reflects the interests of the powerful groups that create and enforce those laws

Durkheim

society is based on shared norms, values, and beliefs. Anomie. Crime as having a function. Social solidarity as essential

Chicago school

thought criminality was caused by the nature of the neighbourhood, not the individual. Techniques of neutralization.

Anomie-Strain Theory

by Merton. There is a dysfunction between the cultural goals of society and access to the institutional means to achieve these goals. 5 Modes of adaptation

Cloward and Ohlin

illegitimate opportunity structures

Cohen

“culture of the gang”. tried to explain how subcultures formed with their own values

General strain theory

Agnew. Teens have immediate sources they cant escape which leads to frustration, aggression, and juvenile deliquency

Theories of institutional anomie

messier and rosenfeld. the American dream emphasizes monetary success but places less emphasis on legitimate means of getting it, which encourages people to use illegal means

Social disorganization theory

park and burgess. concentric zone model

Shaw and Mckay

deviance originates in the social organization of the community. focus on the lack of neighbourhood institutions

Differential association theory

Sutherland. Criminal behaviour is learned in a process of interactions

sociology of deviance and labelling theory

argues deviance is relative to society

erikson

stigmatization takes place at status degradation ceremonies

Becker

Certain groups/behaviours come to be viewed as social problems because of the social reaction

Social learning theory

akers. Individuals learn both positive and neutralizing definitions of crime. Combines previous theories

social control theory

social bonds and informal social controls retain teen deliquency

social bond theory

hirschi. argues if 4 main elements of the social bond are working, individuals are less likely to choose crime

life-course developmental theory

sampon and laub. Social capital prevents people from engaging in crime

liberation hypothesis

Simon and Adler. as women gain more social power and freedom, they are subject to less informal social controls and have more opportunity for crime

economic marginalization hypothesis

the economic circumstances for women have worsened in comparison to that of their male counterparts, causing more crime

social learning theory on feminine crime

higher crime rate for boys can be explained by the differences in supervision and care. Girls are taught to be more socially conforming

leonard

females are socialized to aspire to different cultural goals. They can more easily realize these goals

critical criminology

challenges inquality and oppression in the CJS. Sees crime as a political concept

neo-marxist criminology

rigakos argued that policing serves the capital. the criminalization of poverty

critical race theory

race as a social construction. Blocked opportunities

post-colonial theory

developed from struggles for political freedom. Focuses on systemic racism and racialized assumptions of criminology

left realism

crime as a serious problem, rooted in social conditions and capitalism. thinks sociologists should offer practical solutions

post-structuralism

Foucault. power and prospects for oppression permeate all levels of society. It is impossible to be an objective, neutral observer

governmentality

Foucault. any attempt to shape behaviour according to some norms. draws attention to non-state constructions of criminality

Derrida

deconstruction: words having silent, background suppositions. Underlying all language is a trace. Ex justice=punishment

peace-making criminology

the best way to eradicate crime is to create social policies which tackles the social problems that create crime. Crime impacts entire communities

Farrel and Hodgkinson

everyone breaks the law

choice theory

crime is caused by the deliberate choices offenders make

utility maximization

how we make decisions based on the perceived benefits outweighing the costs 

bounded rationality

situations where the costs and benefits are not properly analyzed