causes of crime

Anonmie/strain theory

Anomie is a concept developed by one of the founding fathers of sociology, Emile Durkheim, to explain the breakdown of social norms that often accompanies rapid social change

American sociologist Robert Merton (1957) drew on this idea to explain criminality and deviance in the USA. His theory argues that crime occurs when there is a gap between the cultural goals of a society (e.g. material wealth, status) and the structural means to achieve these (e.g. education, employment).

This strain between means and goals results in frustration and resentment, and encourages some people to use illegitimate or illegal means to secure success. In short, strain theory posits that the cultural values and social structures of society put pressure on individual citizens to commit crime

 

Social Control Theory

Strictly speaking control theory does not address the causes of crime, but rather focuses on why people obey the law.

It is primarily associated with the work of Travis Hirschi (1969), an America social scientist who proposed that people general conform to social norms due to strong social bonds. Conversely, they engage in delinquent acts when these bonds are broken or weak.

The key components of social bonds are

Attachment: How strong or weak is an individual’s relationship with others? Do these others expect certain kinds of behaviour (such as obeying the law) from this individual? The stronger the attachment and the stronger the expectations, the more likely it is that the individual will conform.

•Commitment: The more an individual commits his/herself to a particular lifestyle (for example, being married, being a parent, having a job), the more he/she has to lose if he/she becomes involved in crime (and so deviate from the lifestyle

Involvement: this component comes down to time the more time a person spends engaging in abiding behaviour the less time they have to engage in law breaking behaviour

Belief: this relates to upbringing if an individual has been brought up to be law abiding they are less likely to become involved in crime

Labelling theory

that crime isn't about who you are or where you come from.

Instead, it's about how people in power (like the police) label certain people as criminals.

They might do this based on stereotypes or assumptions.

When someone gets labeled as a criminal, it can start a chain reaction. They might start to see themselves that way (self-fulfilling prophecy), get stuck in a criminal lifestyle (criminal career), and even become more involved in crime (deviancy amplification). So, it's not just about the act itself, but how society reacts to it.