THEORIES OF CRIME

AND CAUSATION
LEC. CAI DEL CASTILLO – TOP 6 DEC 2022 CLE
INTRODUCTION TO CRIMINOLOGY 3% 15
THEORIES OF CRIME CAUSATION 3% 15
HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND VICTIMOLOGY 3% 15
PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT AND ETHICAL
STANDARDS 2% 10
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY AND JUVENILE
3% 15
JUSTICE
DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND CRISIS/INCIDENT
MANAGEMENT 2% 10
CRIMINOLOGICAL RESEARCH 1 AND 2 4% 20
1. fundamentals of crime causation
(biological or medical, psychological,
psychiatric, and sociological
determinism)

2. biological and psychological

theories of crime causation.

3. sociological and economic

theories in understanding the
causes of crimes.

4. bio-psychosocial theories of the

causes of crimes.

5. Understanding theories on female

offenders.

.
 LT - crimen  crime / accusation
Etymologically
GK - Logos  to study

.
CRIME
- conduct that is prohibited and has a specific
punishment (as incarceration or fine) prescribed
by public law

- an act committed or omitted in violation of public

law forbidding or commanding it

.
CAUSATION
- the act or agency which produces an effect
- it is defined as the actus reus (an action) from which the
specific injury or other effect arose and is combined
with mens rea (a state of mind) to comprise the elements of
guilt
- refer to the relationship between a person‟s actions and the
result of those actions.

.
CRIME CAUSATION
- deals with different theories and principles that
explains how the internal and external faculties of
person affects his actions

- assume that a criminal‟s behavior is determined

biologically, sociologically, economically, etc

.
WHEN DOES CRIME EXIST?
LEGAL VIEWPOINT

crime exists the moment a person has been

proven guilty by the court

SCIENTIFIC POINT OF VIEW

crime exists the moment it is reported

.
WHY DOES CRIME EXIST?

..
CRIMINOLOGICAL APPROACHES

 SUBJECTIVE
 OBJECTIVE
 ECOLOGICAL
 ECONOMIC
 SOCIO-CULTURAL
 CONTEMPORARY

..
A. SUBJECTIVE APPROACHES
 biological explanation of crimes
 focused on identifying the forms of abnormalities that was
experienced by criminals before, during and after committing
the crime

1. Anthropological approach
2. Medical approach
3. Biological approach
4. Physiological approach
5. Psychological approach
6. Psychiatric approach
7. Psychoanalytical approach

..
B. OBJECTIVE APPROACHES

deals on the study of groups, social processes and institutions

as factors that influence human behavior.

1. Geographic Approach- (Adolph Quetelet‟s theory)

 Topography -the condition, situation of a certain

place or region
 natural resources -material source of existence of
population in one area or place
 geographical location -characteristics of the location
 climate –the seasons or weather conditions

..
C. ECOLOGICAL APPROACH
grouping of men resulting to the following (Ezra Park‟s theory):

✓migration -moving from one place to another area

✓competition -rivalry in certain things
✓social discrimination -rejection in terms of race, belief, origin,
appearance, intellect,
✓division of labor -may result to scarcity, lack of subsistence,
greed
✓social conflict area -may result to survival of the fittest

..
D. ECONOMIC APPROACH
inability to achieve the goals, objectives or wants of an individual
are important factors to criminality (Robert King Merton‟s
theory).

✓financial insecurity and inadequacy of the necessities to support

life

..
E. SOCIO-CULTURAL APPROACH
the causes of crimes can be traced from the following originating from
the environment of an individual (Albert Cohen‟s theory).

✓ effects of institutions - where a certain work or belongs (adaptation)

✓ economics -relation to goods, services, people and
capital
✓ education -lack of knowledge, wisdom for better
decisions making
✓ politics -government that have no concern for the
welfare of the whole, the nation, the people
✓ religion -the spiritual belief can make the resistance
and values of a person stronger against evil,

..
F. CONTEMPORARY APPROACHES

 emphasis on scientific explanation of crime and criminal

behavior

 these approaches focused on psychoanalytical, psychiatric

and sociological explanations of crime in an integrated
theory (an explanatory statement that combines ideas or
concepts from different sources)

..
HISTORY OF CRIME CAUSATION

Antique Philosophy (4th century BC).

 poverty as a mother of all revolutions and crime
ARISTOTLE

Medieval Philosophy (17th century).

 criminality will depend on social situations
FRANCIS BACON
 “opportunity makes a thief”

French Renaissance Philosophy (18th century)

 concept of free will
 hedonistic behavior
VOLTAIRE AND ROUSSEAU

.
THEORY
 GK: theoria which means contemplation or speculation
 set of statement that explains behavior, event, or phenomena.
 supposition or a system of ideas intended to explain something,
especially one based on general principles independent of the
thing to be explained.
 Scientifically accepted bcs of consistency of empirical
facts/relationships

.
DEVELOPMENT THEORY

SPECULATIVE

DESCRIPTIVE

CONSTRUCTIVE

.
SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT

.
DEMONOLOGICAL
THEORY
People commit crime because
they are possessed with
demons.

.
CLASSICAL THEORY

based on the assumption that individuals choose to commit crimes

after weighing the consequences of their actions. According to
classical criminologists, individuals have free will. They can choose
legal or illegal means to get what they want, fear of punishment can
deter them from committing crime and society can control behavior
by making the pain of punishment greater than the pleasure of the
criminal gains.

.
CLASSICAL THEORY
CESARE BECCARIA
JEREMY BENTHAM

.
CLASSICAL THEORY

CESARE BECCARIA
Book: On Crimes and Punishment

 Right and just punishment

 Reformed the punishment system
 Prevention of commission of crime
 Modern penal forms

.
JEREMY BENTHAM
UTILITARIANISM is a philosophy which argues that what is
right is the one that would cause the greatest
good for greatest number of people.

FELICIFIC CALCULUS theory that proposes that individuals

calculate the consequences of his actions by
weighing the pleasure (gain) and the pain
(suffering) they would derive from doing the
action.

PANOPTICAN PRISON - “observer to observe”

.
THEORIES IN CLASSICAL THEORY
1. Rational Choice Theory
2. Deterrence Theory
3. Routine Activity Theory
4. Life style Theory
5. Victim Precipitation Theory
6. Incapacitation Theory

.
RATIONAL CHOICE THEORY
William Glasser

 people make the decision that maximizes reward while

minimizing cost

 states that when determining our economic and social behavior

we undergo a cost-benefit analysis to arrive at the action that
will bring about our greatest personal benefit, which often
benefits society as a whole.

.
DETERRENCE THEORY

 prevention of crime through fear of punishment

 persons are affected by both the costs and

rewards that are consequent to their behavior

.
DETERRENCE THEORY

EFFECTIVE DETERRENCE:

 CLERITY / SWIFT – rapidly punish after

commission of crime

 SEVERITY –complex / unpleasant sanction

 CERTAINTY – likelihood of the crime to be

discovered / detected and
punished

.
ROUTINE ACTIVITY THEORY
Laurence Cohen & Marcus Felson, Criminologists

 offenders make choices about whether or not

to commit a crime based on their access to
their potential victim / situation

.
LIFE STYLE THEORY

The lifestyle theory maintains that criminals target

individuals due to their lifestyle choices.

Many victims‟ options expose them to criminal

offenders and situations where crime is likely to
occur.

.
VICTIM PRECIPITATION THEORY

People may actually initiate the confrontation that

eventually leads to their injury or death. By acting in
certain provocative ways, some individuals initiate a
chain of events that lead to their deaths.

2 types: ACTIVE VS. PASSIVE

.
INCAPACITATION THEORY

Reductions in crime rates are achieved through higher

imprisonment rates since the offender cannot commit
new crimes while incarcerated.

If more criminals are sent to prison the crime, the

crime rate should go down; keeping known criminals
out of circulation. This theory supported on the idea of
imprisonment of criminals.

.
NEO CLASSICAL THEORY

modified the doctrine of free will by stating that free will of men
may be AFFECTED BY OTHER FACTORS and crime is committed
due to some compelling reasons that prevail. These causes are
pathology, incompetence, insanity or any condition that will make
it impossible for the individual to exercise free will entirely.

.
ITALIAN / POSITIVIST THEORY

 Analysis based on observable scientific facts

 Causes of behavior can be measured and observed
 Behaviors are imposed by biological and psychological
factors
 human behavior is pre-disposed and fully determined by
individual differences and biological traits meaning it is not
freewill that drives people to commit crimes.

.
AUGUSTE COMTE

 was a French philosopher and sociologist and is

believed to be the one who reinvented the French term
sociologie.

 he was recognized as the “FATHER OF SOCIOLOGY AND

POSITIVISM”

.
HOLY 3 of ITALIAN / POSITIVIST SCHOOL OF THOUGHT

CESARE LOMBROSO RAFAELLE GARROFALO ENRICO FERRI

FOUNDER OF IST PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORY SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY
BIOLOGICAL THEORY

.
EZCHIA MARCO “CESARE” LOMBROSO

Italian criminologist, phrenologist, physician

Founder of Italian School of Thought

Father of Modern and Empirical Criminology

Wrote the book entitled THE CRIMINAL MAN (1876)

 distinct biological class of people are prone
to criminality. (atavistic)
 Atavistic derives from the LT word “avatus”
means ancestor

Famous from the concept of “BORN CRIMINAL”

.
 ATAVISM
 LT atavus means ancestor
 characterized physically by a variety of inferior morphological
features reminiscent of apes and lower primates

.
EZCHIA MARCO “CESARE” LOMBROSO

4 CLASSES OF CRIMINALS:

BORN CRIMINAL
INSANE CRIMINALS
CRIMINALOIDS
PSEUDO CRIMINALS
.
BIOLOGICAL THEORIES
Theories that point to the physical, psychological, and
other natural factors the criminal behavior

.
BIOLOGICAL THEORIES
 ATAVISM

 PHYSIOGNOMY

 PHRENOLOGY / CRANIOLOGY

 PHYSIOLOGY / SOMATOTYPE

 KAROTYPE STUDIES

 BIO-CHEMICAL
.
ATAVISTIC THEORY OF CRIME (1876)
CESARE LOMBROSO

 distinct biological class of people that

were prone to criminality.
 These people exhibited „atavistic‟ (i.e.
primitive) features.
 who had biological characteristics from
an earlier stage of human development
that manifested as a tendency to
commit crimes.

.
PHYSIOGNOMY - Facial features  criminal behavior

GIAMBATTISTA JOHANN
DELLA PORTA LAVATER
 believed in Della Porta
founder of human
 persons character is revealed
physiognomy through facial features
noted for his biological
index of personality each trait of the facial
tendencies features gave clues to one's
behavior may be predicted innate goodness - or evil.
with facial features

.
PHRENOLOGY - Formation of skull  criminal behavior

FRANZ JOSEPH JOHANN KASPAR

GALL SPURZHEIM
 Developed cranioscopy  Responsible in popularizing and
(phrenology) spreading the phrenology as a
study

.
PHYSIOLOGY / - body build  criminal behavior and types of
SOMATOTYPE offenses prone to commit

ERNST KRETSCHMER –
principal types of physique

WILLIAM HERBERT SHELDON –

somatotyping theory

.
PHYSIOLOGY /SOMATOTYPE
ERNST KRETSCHMER – 4 principal types of PHYSIQUES:

ASTHENIC ATHLETIC PYKNIC DYSPLASTIC

.
PHYSIOLOGY /SOMATOTYPE

WILLIAM HERBERT SHELDON – somatotyping theory

ECTOMORPH MESOMORPH ENDOMORPH

CEREBROTONIC ROMOTONIC VISCEROTONIC
sensitive active / aggressive extrovert / relaxed

.
KAROTYPE STUDIES
- comparison and examination of chromosomes

KAROTYPE
- the general appearance of the complete set of chromosomes in
the cells of a species or in an individual organism

NATURE THEORY
NURTURE THEORY
.
 NATURE THEORY NURTURE THEORY
Intelligence is determined genetically and/or Who we are is determine with how we are
by ancestors raised, social relationships, culture, and
childhood experiences
ALFRED BINET – developed first IQ test

.
RICHARD LOUIS DUGDALE studied Jukes Family (most ancestors are
criminals)

HENRY GODDARD coined the term MORON

traced Martin Kallikak descendants
Kallikak Family: A Study in the Heredity of
Feeblemindedness (w/ Elizabeth S. Kite)

CHARLES GORING criminal traits can be passed

FRANCIS GALTON developed EUGENICS – science of improving

human population by controlled breeding

SCHULSINGER found criminality in adoptive boys if

biological father is criminal

.
.
.
BIO – CHEMICAL - chemical composition of living matter

 diet, vitamin intake, hormonal imbalance,

food allergies

 KATHARINA DALTON – MENSTRUATION

AND CRIME (PRE-MENSTRUAL SYNDROME)

 ALEXANDER SCHAUSS – NUTRITIONAL

DIFFERENCES

 HYPOGLYCEMIA – condition when blood

sugar falls below acceptable range

.
HOLY 3 of ITALIAN / POSITIVIST SCHOOL OF THOUGHT

CESARE LOMBROSO RAFAELLE GARROFALO ENRICO FERRI

FOUNDER OF ISC PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORY SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY
BIOLOGICAL THEORY

.
RAFFAELE GAROFALO

Italian jurist expert in criminology

first author to use this term criminologia

founded and suggested the criminal elimination system:

 death sentence
 partial elimination (long-term imprisonment or
isolation in agrarian colonies for young)
 forced repair (repair the damage done by the
offense committed)

combined the ideas of his teacher and with psychology

.
RAFFAELE GAROFALO
FOUR TYPES OF CRIMINALS ON THE
BASIS OF MORAL DEFICITS

MURDERER
 altruism (humanity) is lacking
 sentiments of both pity and probity are
absent
 will steal or kill as the occasion arises.

LASCIVIOUS CRIMINAL
 sexual offenders
 absence of the sentiment of pity
.
RAFFAELE GAROFALO
VIOLENT CRIMINAL
 the lack of pity
 (may also commit crimes of passion,
sometimes under the influence of
alcohol; such crimes are indicative of
inferior innate moral capacities)

THIEF
 Those thieves who lacks probity
(such offenses are
 committed by a small minority of the
population).
.
PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORIES
Fact-based ideas that describe a phenomenon of human
behavior and theories that attributes criminal behavior to
psychological factors

.
PSYCHOLOGY
scientific discipline that studies mental states and processes and
behavior in humans and other animals.

includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena,

including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of
immense scope, crossing the boundaries between the natural and
social sciences.

basis for many forms of mental health treatment, particularly

psychotherapy

.
MENTAL DISORDER
any illness with significant psychological or behavioral
manifestations that is associated with either a painful or
distressing symptom or an impairment in one or more
important areas of functioning.

patterns of behavioral or psychological symptoms that

impact multiple areas of life.

.
4 TYPES OF CRIMINALS BASED ON MORAL DEFICIT

1. MURDER
2. THIEF
3. VIOLENT CRIMINAL
4. LASCIVIOUS CRIMINAL

.
CLASSES OF MORAL DEFECIENCY

IDIOTS unable to guard themselves with physical

dangers

IMBECILES incapable of managing themselves and

their affairs

FEEBLE – MINDEDNESS require care, supervision and control

.
INSANITY a severely disordered state of mind; unsoundness of
mind or lack of the ability to understand

COMMON TYPES OF INSANITY

1. DEMENTIA PRAECOX collective term of mental disorders (after puberty)

and the general failure of mental faculties

2. MANIC DEPRESSIVE is a mental disorder characterized by wide mood

swings from high (manic) to low (depressed).
Periods of high or irritable mood are called manic
episodes.

.
3. PARALYSIS temporary or permanent loss of movement
(inability to act) in one or more parts of the
body

4. SENILE mental deterioration (old age)

.
 HALLUCINATION DELLUSION
false perception without external object false belief
Visual, auditory, sensations Firmly maintained despite contradicted

.
 PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORY
human personality is the result of three fundamental
structures – the id, the ego, and the superego. It concentrates
on awareness levels combined with our experiences in early
childhood that together can form the basis of certain mental
disorders.
.
 PSYHOANALYSIS
type of therapy that aims to release pent-up or repressed
emotions and memories in or to lead the client to catharsis,
or healing. the goal is to bring what exists at the unconscious
or subconscious level up to consciousness.
.
SIGMUND FREUD
Austrian neurologist and the father of
Psychoanalysis

revolutionized how we think about and treat

mental health conditions. Freud founded
psychoanalysis as a way of listening to patients
and better understanding how their minds work.

“criminality is caused by the imbalance of 3

components of personality – id, ego, superego”

“human behavior is influenced by unconscious

memories, thoughts, and urges.”

.
FREUD’S MODEL OF MIND

Conscious current thoughts,

feelings, and focus live;

Preconscious home of everything we

can recall or retrieve
from our memory;

Unconscious the deepest level of our

mind

.
 COMPONENT OF HUMAN PERSONALITY
ID SUPEREGO
morality and
operates at an
higher principles
unconscious level
reside
Two biological
encouraging us
instincts make up
to act in socially
the id, according
and morally
to Freud:
acceptable ways
EROS EGO
THANATOS
conduit for and a check on the id, working to meet
the id‟s needs in a socially appropriate way.
It is the most tied to reality and begins to develop in
infancy .
.
 ID SUPEREGO

when the conflict is too much for a person to handle, his or

her ego may engage in one or many defense mechanisms to
protect the individual.

.
DEFENSE MECHANISM
REPRESSION pushes disturbing or threatening thoughts out of
one‟s consciousness;

DENIAL blocks upsetting or overwhelming experiences

from awareness, causing the individual to refuse to
acknowledge or believe what is happening;

PROJECTION attempts to solve discomfort by attributing the

individual‟s unacceptable thoughts, feelings, and
motives to another person;

.
DEFENSE MECHANISM

DISPLACEMENT satisfies an impulse by acting on a substitute

object or person in a socially unacceptable way

REGRESSION the individual moves backward in development

in order to cope with stress (adult acting like a
child);

SUBLIMATION satisfying an impulse by acting on a substitute

but in a socially acceptable way

.
 PSYCHOSEXUAL DEVELOPMENT
It is the central element of the psychoanalytic sexual drive
theory. Freud believed that personality developed through a
series of childhood stages in which pleasure seeking energies
from the child. psychosexual energy, or libido, was described as
the driving force behind behavior.
.
PSYCHOSEXUAL STAGES OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

ORAL STAGE
infant's primary source of interaction
occurs through the mouth.

infant derives pleasure from oral

stimulation through gratifying activities
such as tasting and sucking.

.
PSYCHOSEXUAL STAGES OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

ANAL STAGE
the primary focus of the libido was on
controlling bladder and bowel
movements.

toilet training — the child has to learn to

control their bodily needs. Developing
this control leads to a sense of
accomplishment and independence.

.
PSYCHOSEXUAL STAGES OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

PHALLIC STAGE
the primary focus of the libido is on the
genitals.

 OEDIPUS COMPLEX
 ELECTRA COMPLEX

.
PSYCHOSEXUAL STAGES OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

LATENCY
ego and superego contribute to this period

begins around the time that children enter

into school and become more concerned
with peer relationships, hobbies, and other
interests.

.
PSYCHOSEXUAL STAGES OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

GENITAL
develops a strong sexual interest in the
opposite sex.

interest in the welfare of others grows

during this stage

.
IF PSYCHOSEXUAL STAGES AREN’T GRATIFIED?

FIXATED PERSON
exhibits behavior, traits, characteristics of
those encounter during the stages

arrested in development or adjustment

fastened or held in one place

.
STAGE YEAR EROGONEOUS IF NOT SATISFIED,
ZONE (WHERE) RESULTS TO
WHAT
BIRTH TO 1ST YR MOUTH SMOKING
ORAL DRINKING

1ST YR TO 3 YRS BLADDER AND BOWEL MESSY

ANAL DESTRUCTIVE
WASTEFUL
3RD YR TO 6TH YEAR OWN GENITAL MAY NOT DEVELOP
PHALLIC AFFECTIONS

6 YRS TO PUBERTY FEELINGS OF immaturity

LATENCY SEXUALITY / inability to form
ATTENTION SEEKING fulfilling relationships
BEGINS DURING SOCIAL RELATIONSHIP AGGRESSIVE
GENITAL PUBERTY INFERIOR

.
 PSYCHOPATH / ANTI – SOCIAL PEROSNALITY
persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse,
and bold, disinhibited, and egotistical traits

a broader mental health condition used to describe people who

chronically act out and break rules
.
PSYCHOPATH / ANTI – SOCIAL PEROSNALITY

PHILIPPE PINEL manie sans delire

(madness without confusion)

JAMES PRICHARD moral insanity

GINA LOMBROSO-FERRERO irresistible atavistic impulses

.
BEHAVIORAL THEORY
Albert Bandura

Human behavior is developed through gaining

and learning experiences while growing up.

The children learn violence from others, it is

seen that the children learn most of the acts
from movies and try to apply them in real world

.
.
COGNITIVE THEORY
focuses on how people perceive the
world and how this perception governs
their actions, thoughts and emotions.

break down the process into three

levels of what is called “moral
development.”

.
PRE-CONVENTIONAL LEVEL
how they learn the external consequences of
their actions.

CONVENTIONAL LEVEL.
begin to base behavior on society‟s views and
expectations.

POST-CONVENTIONAL LEVEL.
judging the moral worth of societal values and
rules and how they relate to values of liberty,
human welfare and human rights (law)

.
COGNITIVE THEORY
Jean William Fritz Piaget

hypothesized that a child‟s reasoning

processes develop in an orderly manner,
beginning at birth and continuing until age 12
and older and it has 4 stages.

.
 STAGE AGE RANGE DESCRIPTION

Coordination of sense, sensory curiosity, language is used

SENSORIMOTOR 0-2 years
for demands and cataloging

Symbolic thinking, use of proper grammar to express full

PREOPERATIONAL 2-7 years
concepts, Imagination and intuition are strong

CONCRETE
7-11 years Concepts attached to concrete situations
OPERATIONAL

FORMAL Abstract logic and reasoning. Strategy and planning

11+ years
OPERATIONS become possible.

.
INTEGRATED THEORY
James Q. Wilson and Richard Julius Herrnstein

how human nature develops from the interplay of

psychological, biological, and social factors. Its main concept
is the interaction of genes with the environment that some
individuals form the kind of personality likely to commit
crimes.

factors that pushed the individuals to commit crimes are

intelligence quotient, body build, genetic makeup,
impulsiveness, ability to delay gratification, aggressiveness,
and even those mothers who drink and smoke while
pregnant.
.
INTERGENERATIONAL THEORY

Intergenerational transmission refers to the

socialization and social learning that helps to
explain the ways in which children growing up in a
violent family learn violent roles and subsequently,
may play out the roles of victim or victimizer in
their own adult families.

.
EYSENCK’S CONDITIONING THEORY
Hans J. Eysenck

human personality may be seen in three dimensions such as

psychoticism, extroversion, and neuroticism.

A. PSYCHOTICISM  are aggressive, egocentric and impulsive.

B. EXTROVERSION are sensation-seeking, dominant and
assertive.
C. NEUROTICISM  are those with low self-esteem, excessive
anxiety and wide mood swings.

.
MATERNAL DEPRIVATION AND ATTACHMENT THEORY
Edward John M. Bowlby

social development takes place after the birth of any

mammal and that is the construction of an emotional bond
between the infant and his mother. his attachment affects
the capacity to be affectionate and to develop intimate
relationships with others.

.
HOLY 3 of ITALIAN / POSITIVIST SCHOOL OF THOUGHT

CESARE LOMBROSO RAFAELLE GARROFALO ENRICO FERRI

FOUNDER OF ISC PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORY SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY
BIOLOGICAL THEORY

.
ENRICO FERRI
Italian criminologist and socialist

Lombroso researched the

purported physiological factors that
motivated criminals, Ferri focused on
social and economic influences on the
criminal and crime rates.

crime prevention methods to be the

mainstay of law enforcement, as opposed
to punishment of criminals after their
crimes had taken place
.
SOCIOLOGY
a social science that studies human societies, their
interactions, and the processes that preserve and
change them. It does this by examining the dynamics of
constituent parts of societies such as institutions,
communities , populations, and gender, racial, or age
groups.

A group of people who live in a defined geographic area,

who interact with one another, and who share a common
culture is what sociologists call a society.

.
SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES
ANOMIE
THEORY OF IMITATION
THERMIC LAW
CONCENTRIC ZONE THEORY

MODERN SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES

SOCIAL STRUCTURE THEORIES
SOCIAL PROCESS THEORIES
SOCIAL REACTION THEORY
SOCIAL CONTROL THEORY

.
 SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES
attempts to explain socialization and its effect on the
development of the self. It looks at the individual learning
process, the formation of self, and the influence of society in
socializing individuals
.
ANOMIE EMILE DURKHEIM
a social condition defined by an uprooting or
breakdown of any moral values, standards or
guidance for individuals to follow.

crime is normal part of the society like birth and

death

 Lack of common shared values

 Lack of respect
 Lack of appreciation to what is acceptable
or not
 lack of social regulation
.
IMITATION THEORY
GABRIEL TARDE
believed that the origins of deviance
were similar to the origins of fads and
fashions

individual imitate others based on the

degree of their association

Criminal behavior is socially learned

behavior

.
ADOLPHE QUETELET
AND ANDRE GUERRY
Founder of cartographic school
(uses statistical data, geographical location,
and season to explain criminality)

Father of modern sociological and psychological

statistics

Founder of moral statistics

Thermic law
(uses climate to explain crimes)
.
 PROPONENT THEORY

EMILE DURKHEIM ANOMIE absence of social norms

individual imitate others

GABRIEL TARDE IMITATION THEORY based on the degree of their
association

cartographic school uses statistical data,

geographical location, and
ADOLPHE QUETELET AND season to explain
ANDRE GUERRY criminality

Thermic law uses climate to explain

crimes
Interrelationship of people
ROBERT EZRA PARK HUMAN ECOLOGY THEORY and environment
.
 MODERN SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES
gives readers a comprehensive overview of the major
theories. Environmental factors as believed to be
contributing to the criminal behavior
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MODERN SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES

SOCIAL STRUCTURE THEORIES SOCIAL REACTION THEORY

 social disorg  labelling
 strain
 cultural deviance
 DOT
 Concentric Zone
SOCIAL CONTROL THEORY
SOCIAL PROCESS THEORIES  containment
 DAT  social bond
 DRT
 Neutralization

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SOCIAL STRUCTURE THEORIES

developed by the Chicago School,

not only refer to the physical feature but how the

society is organized

shifted criminological scholarship from a focus on the

pathology of people to the pathology of places.

 level of poverty
 unemployment
 amount of crowded housing
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 SOCIAL STRUCTURE THEORIES

SOCIAL DISORGANIZATION THEORY

by CLIFFORD SHAW AND HENRY MCKAY

theory directly links crime rates to neighborhood ecological

characteristics; a core principle of social disorganization theory that
states location matters.

crime in a neighborhood is a result of the weakening of traditional social

bonds. This weakening of bonds results in social disorganization

 impersonal relationship among urban community

 broken families
 single parenthood
 poor living condition
 high unemployment rates
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 SOCIAL STRUCTURE THEORIES

SOCIAL DISORGANIZATION THEORY

by CLIFFORD SHAW AND HENRY MCKAY

Characteristics of Communities where crime is more likely to happen:

a. economically deprived
b. large in size
c. high in multiunit housing like apartments
d. high in residential mobility (people frequently move into and out of
the community)
e. high in family disruption (high rates of divorce, single parent
families)

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SOCIAL STRUCTURE THEORIES

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 SOCIAL STRUCTURE THEORIES

STRAIN THEORY
by ROBERT MERTON

strains or stressors increase the likelihood of crime. These

strains lead to negative emotions, such as frustration and anger.
These emotions create pressure for corrective action, and crime
is one possible response.

Strain:

 Unable to achieve a goal because of social class standing

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 SOCIAL STRUCTURE THEORIES

STRAIN THEORY
by ROBERT MERTON

FOUR POSSIBLE WAYS TO ADOPT TO STRAIN

INNOVATION approved goals unacceptable means

RITUALISM abandon goals embrace acceptable means

not resort to illegitimate

RETREATISM withdraws to goals means

REBELLION Pursue alternative oppose / alternative to

cultural goal accepted means
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 SOCIAL STRUCTURE THEORIES

CULTURAL DEVIANCE THEORY

by CLIFFORD SHAW AND HENRY MCKAY

crime is correlated strongly to the cultural values and

norms prevalent in a society.

individuals may turn to crime not on account of any innate

character traits, but because they are influenced by:

 place they live in,

 people they are surrounded by, and
 socio-economic conditions of their micro-
environment
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 SOCIAL STRUCTURE THEORIES

CULTURAL DEVIANCE THEORY

2 SUB – THEORIES:

 CULTURE CONFLICT THEORY

different groups - different conduct and norms - clash

 SUB CULTURE THEORY (ALBERT COHEN)

lower class can‟t socialize to upper class  creates their own culture

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 SOCIAL STRUCTURE THEORIES

THREE TYPES OF GANGS:

1. CRIMINAL GANG. Exist in stable lower-class areas in which close

connections among adolescent, young adult, and adult offenders create an
environment for successful criminal enterprise such as joining gang.

2. CONFLICT GANG. tough adolescents who fight with weapons to win

respect from rivals and engage in destructive assaults on people and property.
They are willing to fight to protect their own and their gang‟s integrity and honor.

3. RETREATIST GANG. double failures because they are unable to gain

success through legitimate means and unwilling to do so through illegal ones.
They have tried crime or violence but are either too weak or scared

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 SOCIAL STRUCTURE THEORIES

DIFFERENTIAL OPPORTUNITY THEORY

by LLOYD OHLIN

idea that people (usually teens) from low

socioeconomic backgrounds who have few
opportunities for success, will use any
means at their disposal to achieve success.

Society leads the lower class to want things

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 SOCIAL STRUCTURE THEORIES

CONCENTRIC ZONE THEORY

by ERNEST W. BURGESS AND ROBERT E. PARK

Distinct ecological area had developed in the city of

Chicago, comprising a series of 5 concentric zones,
and that there were stable and significant
differences in interzone crime rates.

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 SOCIAL STRUCTURE THEORIES

CONCENTRIC ZONE THEORY

by ERNEST W. BURGESS AND ROBERT E. PARK

Zone I (Central Business District):

it is where hotels, offices, businesses, other commercial
activities) are in.
Zone II (Zone of Transition):
Gray zone, Tendency to convention of land uses.
Zone III (Lower Income working People): Homes/slums.
Zone IV (High Income Residences): White Collar/middle class families.
Zone V (Commuter Zone): People who work in the center choose to live
in the suburbs.
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SOCIAL PROCESS (LEARNING) THEORIES

things that leads to criminality:

 social interaction
 experiences
 diverse environment
3 sub – theories:

 DAT
 DRT
 Neutralization theory .
 SOCIAL PROCESS (LEARNING) THEORIES

DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION THEORY

by EDWIN SUTHERLAND

people learn values, attitudes, techniques, and

motives for criminal behavior through their
interactions with others

It explains that people learn to become offenders

from their environment.

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 SOCIAL PROCESS (LEARNING) THEORIES

9 PRINCIPLES OF DAT

1. criminal behavior is learned

2. people learn criminal behavior by interacting with other people

3. people learn criminal behavior in intimate personal groups.

4. learning criminal behavior includes learning the techniques of

committing crime as well as the motives, drives, rationalizations,
and attitudes.

5. the motivation to commit crime comes from whether we view legal

codes as favorable or unfavorable
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 SOCIAL PROCESS (LEARNING) THEORIES

9 PRINCIPLES OF DAT

5. a person becomes delinquent because of an excess of definitions

favorable of breaking the law over definitions favorable of obeying
the law.

6. differential association may vary in frequency, duration, priority,

and intensity

7. learning criminal behavior involves all of the mechanisms that

are involved in other types of learning.

9. criminal behavior is not explained by general needs and values,

because noncriminal behavior is an expression of the same needs
and values.
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 SOCIAL PROCESS (LEARNING) THEORIES

DIFFERENTIAL REINFORCEMENT THEORY

by EDWIN SUTHERLAND

reinforcing a target behavior while

withholding reinforcement from an unwanted
behavior. The goal is to replace unwanted
behaviors with desirable behaviors.

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 SOCIAL PROCESS (LEARNING) THEORIES

NEUTRALIZATION THEORY

by DAVID MATZA AND GRESHAM SYKES

also known as drift theory

a delinquent is able to justify his own delinquent

behavior through a process of “neutralization,”
whereby the behavior is redefined to make it
morally acceptable

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NEUTRALIZATION THEORY
by DAVID MATZA AND GRESHAM SYKES
5 ways of neutralization:
DENIAL OF RESPONSIBILITY
DENIAL OF INJURY
DENIAL OF VICTIM
CONDEMNATION OF CONDEMNERS
APPEAL TO HIGHER LOYALTIES
SOCIAL PROCESS (LEARNING) THEORIES
-shifts blame of the act away from the
actor
-offender claims that no real offense
occurred as no one is harmed
-implies victim deserves the result of the
act of the offender
-offenders shares the guilt to the
condemners asserting that his behavior
is just same as other
-elevates moral integrity by claiming
altruistic motive
SOCIAL REACTION THEORIES

by ERWIN LEMERT

commonly known as LABELLING THEORY

 people become criminals as mush as the society tags

them to be criminals

 the negative reaction of others to a particular

behavior is what causes that behavior to be labeled
as “criminal” or “deviant.”

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SOCIAL REACTION THEORIES

EFFECTS OF LABELLING

1. THE CREATION OF A STIGMA.

People who have been negatively labeled because of
their participation or alleged participation in deviant or
outlawed behaviors

2. SELF-IMAGE / SELF-LABELLING.
Stigmatized offenders may begin to reevaluate their own
identities around the label.

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SOCIAL REACTION THEORIES

EFFECTS OF LABELLING

3. SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY
Deviant behavior patterns that are in response to an earlier
labeling experience, a person act out these social roles
even if they were falsely bestowed.

4. DRAMATIZATION OF EVIL
Transforms the offender‟s identity from a “doer of evil” to
“an evil person”.

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TWO STAGES OF DEVIANCE

1. PRIMARY DEVIANCE
These are crimes that have little influence on the actor and
can quickly be forgotten (little bearing in the future)

2. SECONDARY DEVIANCE
It arises when a deviant comes to the attention of
significant others or social control agencies who apply a
negative label (has bearing in the future)

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SOCIAL CONTROL THEORIES

everyone has potential to become criminal, it‟s the

bond in our society that keeps us on becoming one

people's relationships, commitments, values, norms,

and beliefs encourage them not to break the law.

if moral codes are internalized and individuals are

tied into and have a stake in their wider community,
they will voluntarily limit their propensity to commit
deviant acts.

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 SOCIAL CONTROL THEORIES

CONTAINMENT THEORY

by WALTER RECKLESS

Containment  forces that has the power to influence

one‟s actions

inner and outer containments keeps juvenile offending ;

restrain a person from committing a crime

series of internal and external qualities effectively insulate

certain individuals from criminal involvement even when
ecological variables induce others to engage in crime.

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 SOCIAL CONTROL THEORIES

CONTAINMENT THEORY
Reckless noted some of the crime-producing forces
that a strong self-image counteracts (Hagan, 2017):

Internal Pushes
External Pressures
External Pulls

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 SOCIAL CONTROL THEORIES

SOCIAL BOND THEORY

by TRAVIS HIRSCHI

criminality is the result of weakened or broken

bond in a society

all people, from the time we are born, are basically

bad apples that must be controlled by laws, rules and
regulations in order to keep society in check.

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 SOCIAL CONTROL THEORIES
SOCIAL BOND THEORY

by TRAVIS HIRSCHI

4 SOCIAL BONDS

BELIEF  acceptance of norms in the society

INVOLVEMENT  amount of time spent for the conventional

pursuit

ATTACHMENT degree to which a person care about the

opinion of others

COMMITMENT investment of energy and emotion to

pursuits
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 ECONOMIC THEORIES
The economic analysis of crime points out to the link
between economics and criminology.

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ECONOMIC THEORIES

criminals rationally maximize their own self-interest (utility)

subject to the constraints (prices, incomes) that they face in
the marketplace and elsewhere. the decision to become a
criminal is in principle no different from the decision to take
up another occupation. (ATLANTA ECONOMIC REVIEW JOURNAL)

economic crimes as illegal acts in which offenders' principal

motivation appears to be economic gain

focused on sanction effects and the relationship between work

and crime

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ECONOMIC MODEL OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR:
BASIC THEORY (GARY S. BECKER)

It is assumed that participation in criminal activity is the

result of an optimizing individual responding to incentives

 Expected gains from crime when compared

with legal works
 Chance of being caught and convicted
 Opportunities in legal activities.

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MARXIST THEORY

By KARL MARX

bourgeoisie (rulers) and proletariats (workers) conflict.

society becomes a fertile ground for breeding criminals

as those who could not afford the basic needs of life
turns to crime to provide what they lack. Again,
workers' exploitation breeds anger and frustration
which leads to crime and violent destruction of
property.

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MARXIST THEORY

BOURGEOISIE PROLETARIAT
(CAPITALISTS, OWNERS,RULERS) (WORKERS, POOR)
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MARXIST THEORY
Marxist perspectives on crime key points:

CAPITALISM IS CRIMINOGENIC – competition, greed,

exploitation, personal interest (profit) above the public good,
consumers materialism, inequality and poverty , competitive
pressure to make profits, class distinction

THE CAPITALIST LAW - laws are made by the capitalist

elite or superstructure (parliament) to serve or work for the
interests of the ruling classes  lead to an increase in crime rate
as people will result to self-help knowing that justice will elude
them.

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MARXIST THEORY
Marxist perspectives on crime key points:

ALL CLASSES COMMIT CRIME - the crimes of the

capitalist class are maintained and costlier in the society
than the working class or street crime.

SELECTIVE LAW ENFORCEMENT – The criminal justice

system of the state is selective and mainly concerns itself
with policing and punishing the marginalized, not the
wealthy.

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MARXIST SOCIALIST’s THEORY
FRIEDRICH ENGELS
crime as a function of social demoralization- a collapse of
people‟s humanity reflecting a decline in society. Workers are
demoralized by the capitalist society.

WILLEM BONGER
society is divided into have and have not groups, not on the
basis of people‟s innate ability, but because of the system
production that use in force. In every society that is divided into
ruling class and an inferior class, penal law serves the will of
the ruling class.

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MARXIST THEORY
In the capitalist system makes both the proletariat
and bourgeoisie crime prone, but only the proletariat
likely to become officially recognized criminals.
Because the legal system discriminates against the
poor by defending the actions of the wealthy

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BIOLOGICAL

PSYCHOLOGICAL
.
SOCIOLOGICAL

ECONOMIC
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BIO-PSYCHOSOCIAL THEORIES

by GEORGE E. ENGEL ANDJOHN R. ROMANO

multidisciplinary perspective that attempts to

understand criminal behavior (and related outcomes,
like antisocial behavior and its consequences) by
considering the interactions between biological,
psychological, and sociological factors.

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.
SOCIAL/POLITICAL THEORIES
CONFLICT THEORY
LEFT REALISM THEORY
IDENTITY FUSION
LIBERALISM
CONSERVATISM
RADICALISM

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CONFLICT THEORY
Willem A. Bonger, Ralf G. Dahrendorf, and George B. Vold

Crime is the outcome of class struggle. The classes that

are struggling here are the upper, middle and lower
class.

crime is defined by those in power

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LEFT REALISM

street criminals prey on the poor, thus making the

poor doubly abused, first by the capitalist system and
then by the members of their own class.

relative deprivation equals discontent; discontent

plus lack of political solution equals crime.

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IDENTITY FUSION THEORY
William B. Swann Jr. And Michael D. Buhrmester

a visceral feeling of oneness with the group that is

associated with increased permeability of the
boundary between the personal and social self.

Fused persons view the group as “family” and believe

that family membership requires sacrifices.

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PEACEMAKING CRIMINOLOGY
a non-violent movement against oppression, social injustice
and violence as found within criminology, criminal justice and
society in general. With its emphasis on inter-personal, intra-
personal and spiritual integration, it is well connected to the
emerging perspective of positive criminology .

active strategy to limit war and violence. Processes include

mediation, arbitration, and adjudication. Peacemaking may
involve the process of seeking resolution to a conflict while the
conflict is ongoing.

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POSTMODERN THEORY
Those in power are able to use their own language to
define crime and law while excluding or dismissing
those who are in opposition to their (prisoners or the
poor). The dominant language of society is the
language of the rich and powerful.

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CONSERVATISM THEORY
Conservative ideologies assume that the ideal society is
one in which authority is unquestioned

society is threatened by defective people-individuals and

population groups-who cannot or will not accept the
authority and direction of their superiors, and resort to
crime to profit from the labors of others

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LIBERALISM THEORY

ideal society is one in which there is equality of

opportunity and a general consensus to accept
differences in rewards as the outcomes of fair
competition.

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CONSERVATISM VS LIBERALISM

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RADICALISM

the ideal society as one in which people-naturally

creative and freedom-loving-- are able to do as they
please in going about their peaceful business, without
interference by anyone--especially those claiming or
representing some presumed higher authority.

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FEMINIST CRIMINOLOGY
made as a reaction to the general disregard and discrimination of
women in the traditional study of crime.

attempts to explain the causes and outcomes of criminal behavior

from a particular perspective of women.

focuses on women offenders, women victims, and women in the

criminal justice system in order to understand the causes, trends,
and results of female criminality. Key issues within the feminist
school of criminology include the role of sex and sexism in
sentencing and imprisonment, the role of victimization in women's
lives, and the increase in the number of incarcerated women
despite declining crime rates
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BIO – CHEMICAL
MENSTRUATION AND CRIME (PRE-MENSTRUAL SYNDROME)

By KATHARINA DALTON

reports indicating that women have an increased tendency toward

criminal behavior during certain phases of the menstrual cycle.
(HORNEY, J., Menstrual cycles and criminal responsibility)

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BIO – CHEMICAL

Of 50 women charged with crimes of violence, 44%

committed their offence during the paramenstruum (P <
0·02) and there was a significant lack of offences during
the ovulatory and post-ovulatory phases of the menstrual
cycle (P < 0·01). (University of Cambridge, Violent crime and the
menstrual cycle)

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AGE-GRADED AND AGING-OUT PROCESS THEORY

AGE-GRADED
the type of crime committed by a certain individual is in
consonance with his age governs or dictates the type of
crime to be committed by him.

AGING-OUTProcess/phenomenon (desistance or remission)

The process by which individuals reduce the frequency of
their offending behavior as they age.

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LIFE COURSE AND LATENT TRAIT THEORY
LIFE COURSE
viewed criminality as dynamic process, influenced by a
multiple of individual characteristics, traits, and social
experiences

LATENT TRAIT
human development is controlled by a “master trait-such as
personality, intelligence, and genetic make-up“, present at
birth. It is also believed that this trait remains stable and
unchanging throughout the person‟s lifetime

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THEORIES ON WOMEN OFFENDERS

four theoretical traditions of female criminality and

its causation:

 MASCULINITY THEORIES
 OPPORTUNITY THEORIES
 MARGINALIZATION THEORIES
 CHIVALRY THEORY

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LOMBROSO AND FREUD (MASCULINITY THEORY)

Lombroso viewed female criminals as having an excess of male

characteristics. He argued that, biologically, criminal females
more closely resembled males (both criminal and normal) than
females. Freud argued that female crime results from a
"masculinity complex," stemming from penis envy.
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FREDA ADLER (THE WOMEN'S
LIBERATION HYPOTHESIS) (MASCULINITY
THEORY)

Female Criminality are directly related to

changes in roles of women in society.

As women take on more dominant

positions in society and adopt more
traditional male roles.

The empowered women are involved in

more serious violent crime than non-
empowered women due to their
masculinity.

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OPPORTUNITY THEORY
Rita J. Simon

Book: Women and Society

Increasing opportunities for women

reduced the rates of violent female
offending, but increased the rates of
property crimes.

when more women get access in the

labor market as skilled labor and
possess highly specialized positions
in the job sector, they commit more
employment related property crime
like men.

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MARGINALIZATION THEORY
Meda Chesney-Lind and Kathleen Daly

Book: Women and Crime: The Female

Offender (1986)

Marginality (low salary; inadequate job;

lower class position; family victimization)
of a woman penetrates criminality in
contemporary societies.

Women are motivated to commit crime as

a rational response to poverty and
economic uncertainty that they perceive.

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CHIVALRY HYPOTHESES
Otto Pollak

The chivalry hypothesis is a term

coined by criminal justice scholars.
Chivalry suggests that women who
commit crime are awarded more
lenient sentences than males who
commit crime. One possible reason
for the lenient sentencing is that
women are generally viewed as
the caregiver, or the loving.

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PINK COLLAR CRIME
Kathleen Daly

carried out by women whose office jobs can be

characterized as being set on a low to medium level, or
more simply speaking, at a position as accountant,
manager, officers, etc. which embezzlement from their
employers.

That is, women who may not have carrying main functions
but still have enough powers and opportunities to commit
fraud or theft at their jobs
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PINK COLLAR CRIME
Kathleen Daly

carried out by women whose office jobs can be

characterized as being set on a low to medium level, or
more simply speaking, at a position as accountant,
manager, officers, etc. which embezzlement from their
employers.

That is, women who may not have carrying main functions
but still have enough powers and opportunities to commit
fraud or theft at their jobs
.
ENVIRONMENTAL THEORIES OF CRIME

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ENVIRONMENTAL THEORIES OF CRIME
study of crime as it occurs within a
geographical area, and it's a positivist theory
that suggests crime is influenced, if not
caused, by a person's spatial environment

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GEOGRAPHY AND CRIMES
1. NORTH AND SOUTH POLE THEORY
thermic law of delinquency, crimes against person
predominate in the South Pole and during the warm
season while crimes against property predominate in
the North Pole and cold countries.

2. APPROACH TO EQUATOR- Montesquieu

criminality increases in proportion as one approach
the equator and drunkenness increases as one
approach the north and south pole (spirit of laws)

3. TEMPERATURE (cool and hot climates)

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HUMAN ECOLOGY THEORY
ROBERT EZRA PARK

crime is a function of social change along with

environmental change

Interrelationship of people and environment

Within sociology, human ecology is concerned with

the question of how people organize themselves
socially to adapt to what are termed “dominant”
groups. Those who exercise this control to a lesser
degree are termed “subdominant.”

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 BRONFENBRENNER’S FIVE STRUCTURE OF ENVIRONMENT:
MICROSYSTEM layer closest to the child and contains the structures with which the child has direct
contact. The microsystem encompasses the relationships and interactions a child has
with her immediate surroundings

MESOSYSTEM layer provides the connection between the structures of the child‟s microsystem

Childs teacher to parents

neigborhood

EXOSYSTEM layer defines the larger social system in which the child does not function directly

Parent workplace schedules or community-based family resources , mass media

MACROSYSTEM layer may be considered the outermost layer in the child‟s environment

cultural values, customs, and laws

CHRONOSYSTEM dimension of time as it relates to a child‟s environments. Elements within this system
can be either external, such as the timing of a parent‟s death, or internal, such as the
physiological changes that occur with the aging of a child
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BROKEN WINDOWS THEORY

a criminological theory that states

that visible signs of crime, anti-
social behavior and civil disorder,
create an urban environment that
encourages further crime and
disorder, including serious crimes

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CRIME PATTERN THEORY

Crime pattern theory = crime and place

rational offenders will note places without guardians and

managers and where their handlers are unlikely to show up.

Pattern theory exposes the interactions with their physical and

social environments that influence offenders‟ choices of targets

 Complexity of the criminal event

 Crime is not random
 Criminal opportunities are not random