THEORIES-OF-CRIME-CAUSATION (1)

Theories of Crime Causation

  • Definition of Schools of Thought

    • Refers to a group of beliefs or ideas that support a specific theory.

    • A Theory is a set of statements intended to explain behavior, events, or phenomena, typically tested and accepted widely.

Three Main Schools of Thought in Criminology

  1. Classical School

    • Founders: Cesare Beccaria, Jeremy Bentham

    • Cause of Crime: Freewill

    • Assumptions: People are rational beings.

    • Focus: Act

    • Purpose of Penalty: Retribution

  2. Neo-Classical School

    • Founders: No singular founder, but includes adaptations of classical theories.

    • Cause of Crime: Freewill, but acknowledges factors like minority, insanity, etc.

    • Assumptions: Freewill is not entirely exercised.

    • Focus: Act and Actor

    • Purpose of Penalty: Exemption and Mitigation.

  3. Positivist School

    • Founders: Cesare Lombroso, Raffaele Garofalo, Enrico Ferri

    • Cause of Crime: Scientific factors.

    • Focus: Actor

    • Purpose of Penalty: Rehabilitation/Treatment.

Key Figures in Criminology

  • Cesare Lombroso: Father of Modern and Empirical Criminology

    • Concept of Atavistic Stigmata: Criminals as biologically inferior.

    • Three Classes of Criminals:

      • Born criminals

      • Insane criminals

      • Criminaloids

  • Enrico Ferri:

    • Focused on psychological and sociological influences, believed criminals are not morally responsible due to life conditions.

  • Raffaele Garofalo:

    • Emphasized psychological factors as the root of criminal behavior and rejected the doctrine of free will.

    • Categorized criminals based on behavior tendencies.

Biological Theories of Crime

  • Biological Causes of Crimes: Physical, physiological influences on criminal behavior.

    • Physiognomy: Study of facial features correlating with character traits.

      • Johann Caspar Lavater: Character and personality inferred from appearance.

    • Phrenology: Claims personality assessed via skull shape.

      • Franz Joseph Gall: Defined specific brain regions for behavior types.

Constitutional Theories

  • Body types correlation to predisposition to crime.

    • William Herbert Sheldon: Somatotypes

      • Ectomorph: Petty crimes

      • Mesomorph: Violent crimes

      • Endomorph: Fraud and deceit.

    • Ernst Kretschmer: Podcast continues with somatotype classifications and their associated crimes.

Biochemical Theories

  • XYY Syndrome: Associated with aggressive behaviors; linked to physical traits.

  • Heredity: Crime tends to run in families, indicating genetic influences.

  • Eugenics: Study of inherited traits and potential for criminal behavior.

    • Originated by Sir Francis Galton.

  • Cheater Theory: Genetic predisposition towards sexual reproduction over parental care leads to antisocial behaviors.

  • R/K Theory: R refers to rapid reproduction; K refers to caregivers.

  • Hormonal Influence: Higher testosterone leads to aggression; PMS impacts behavior, according to Katharina Dalton’s research.

Neurological Theories

  • Prefrontal Dysfunction Theory: Damage to the prefrontal cortex leads to antisocial behavior.

  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Linked with behavioral issues.

    • Impulsivity and inattention lead to adverse outcomes.

  • Reward Dominance: Behavior is activated by reward vs. punishment systems within the brain.

Psychological Causes of Crimes

  • Psychoanalytic Theory (Freud): Considers psychosexual stages in personality development.

    • IDs (pleasure), Egos (reality), and Superegos (conscience) drive behavior.

  • Differential Reinforcement Theory: Criminal behavior is learned through consequences.

    • Reinforcement strengthens behavior (positive & negative).

    • Punishment aims to weaken undesirable behavior (positive & negative).

Sociological Causes of Crimes

  • Social Learning Theories: Crime learned through observation, imitation (Bandura).

    • Four Mediational Processes: Attention, Retention, Reproduction, Motivation.

  • Differential Association Theory (Sutherland): Crime arises from associations with others engaged in delinquency.

  • Neutralization Theory: Justifications employed by offenders to rationalize their behavior.

    • Techniques include Denial of Responsibility, Denial of Injury, etc.

  • Strain Theory (Durkheim): Crime results from societal pressures to achieve goals without legitimate means.

    • Modes of adaptation to strain: Conformity, Innovation, Ritualism, etc.

Social Control & Reaction Theories

  • Social Control Theories: Attest that opportunities for crime exist universally; societal attachment matters.

    • Containment Theory: Inner and outer containment factors prevent crime.

  • Labeling Theory (Howard Becker): Criminal careers arise from stigmatizing encounters.

Conflict and Socioeconomic Theories of Crimes

  • Social Disorganization Theory: Crime linked to neighborhood characteristics.

  • Culture Devience Theory: Suggests the creation of subcultures leads to alternative value systems.

  • Differential Opportunity Theory: Criminal opportunities differ among social classes.