Ways of Theorising Crime

What is the Subcultural theory?

Idea that we our influenced by our peers into committing crime.

Who created the Subcultural theory and when?

Albert Cohen (1955)

What is the origin of the Rational Actor Model? What is it linked to?

• Age of Enlightenment - 1700s-1800s

• French Revolution

Why was there a revival in the Rational Actor Model?

Margaret Thatcher and New Right policies

Which two theorists aligned with the Rational Actor Model?

• Cesare Beccaria

• Jeremy Bentham

What were the beliefs of Beccaria and Bentham surrounding the Rational Actor Model?

• Beccaria - proportionality and deterrence

• Bentham - utalitarianism

What legal terms does the Rational Actor Model incorporate into its theory?

Acteus Reus (guilty act) and Mens Rea (guilty mind)

What modern concepts came about as a result of the RAM?

‘Criminal responsibility’ and ‘culpability’ 

What assumption does Rational Actor Model take? What other theory does this link to?

• under assumption that offenders take some sort of cognitive ‘cost-benefit’ analysis.

• Rational choice theory

What concept was created as a result of Situational Crime Prevention, and who created it?

• ‘Defensible spaces’

• Oscar Newman (1972)

What type of theory is the Pre-Determined Actor Model?

Biological positivism

Which pseudoscientific theories does PDAM link to?