Notes on Introduction to Criminology and Juvenile Delinquency

Major Perspective of Criminology 5. Psychological Approach –

it is concerned about the
a. Situational forces – crime is s deprivation of the
function of free will and personal psychological needs of
choice. Punishment is a deterrent man, which constitute the
to crime. development of deviations
b. Internal Forces – crime is a of normal behavior
function of chemical, neurological, resulting to unpleasant
genetic, personality, intelligence emotions.
or mental traits. 6. Psychiatric Approach – The
c. Ecological Forces – crime rates are explanation of crimes
a function of neighborhood through diagnosis of
conditions, cultural forces and mental diseases as cause
norm conflict. of the criminal behavior.
d. Socialization Forces – crime is a 7. Psychoanalytic Approach –
function of upbringing, learning The explanation of crimes
and control. Peers, parents, and based on the Freudian
teachers influence behavior. theory, which traces
e. Economic and Political Forces – behavior as the deviation
crime is a function of competition of the repression of the
for limited resources and power. basic drives.
Class conflict produces crime.
f. Multiple Forces – Biological, Theories of crime
social-psychological, economic and
political forces may combine to 1. Demonological Theory
produce crime. - the theory in criminology,
which maintains that a person commits
Approaches of Crime crime or behaves criminally mainly
because he or she is being possessed by
a. Subjective Approaches – it deals evil spirits or something of natural
mainly on the biological force that controls behavior.
explanation of crimes, focused 2. Classical theory
on the forms of abnormalities - believed that individuals have
that exist in the individual free will to choose legal means to get
criminal before, during and what they want, the fear of punishment
after the commission of crime. can defer people from committing crimes
1. Anthropological Approach – and society can control behavior by
the study on the physical making pain of punishment greater that
characteristics of an the pleasure of the criminal gains.
individual offender with
non-criminal in the a. Cesare Beccaria
attempt to discover - In his book “Crimes and
differences covering Punishment” described both motive for
criminal behavior. committing crime and methods for its
2. Medical Approach – the control. His theory was based on
application of medical “freewill” and that people want to
examinations on the achieve pleasure and avoid pain. He
individual criminal concluded, crimes must provide some
explain the mental and pleasure to the criminal.
physical condition of the
individual prior and after b. Jeremy Bentham – one who proposed
the commission of the the “Utilitarian Hedonism”, the theory
crime. which explains that a person always
3. Biological Approach – the acts in such a way as to seek pleasure
evaluation of genetic and avoid pain.
influences to criminal
behavior. It is noted that 3. Neo Classical Theory
heredity is one force - it maintain that while the
pushing the criminal to classical school was correct in
common crime. general, it should be modified in
4. Physiological Approach – certain details, since children and
the study on the nature of lunatics cannot calculate pleasures and
human being concerning his pains, they should not be regarded as
physical needs in order to criminals or to be punished.
satisfy his wants.
4. Positivist theory that external cranial characteristics
- Features of this theory are: 1. of the brain dictates the physical
the belief that human behavior is a activity of a person.
function of internal and external
forces; 2. Embracing the scientific e. Richard Dugdale
method to solve problems. 3. - Studied the family free of Ada
Determinism “Multi-Casual Theory of jukes – known as the mother of
Crime”, explains that there are criminals, which he claimed that since
multiple factors causing the commission some families produce generations of
of crime. criminals, they must have been
transmitting degenerate traits down the
Auguste Comte line.
- the founder of sociology,
applied scientific methods to the study f. Henry Goddard
of society. Comte called this stage, - studied the revolutionary
the positive stage and those who family tree of Martin Kallikak. Who
followed his writings known as advocated the theory that
positivist. “Feeblemindedness” inherited as
mendalian unit, cause crime for the
BIOLOGICAL DETERMINISM reason that feebleminded person is
- People have biological and unable to appreciate the consequences
mental traits make them crime prone. of his behavior or appreciate the
These traits are inherited and present meaning the law.
at birth. Mental and physical
degeneracies are the causes of crime. g. Earnest Kretschmer
The interpretation of human and human - a German Psychiatrist who
life from a strictly biological point distinguished 3 principle of body
of view and it closely related to types: 1. Asthenic – lean, slightly
genetic influence. built; 2. Athletic – Strong Muscular,
usually connected with crime violence;
a. Cesare Lombroso 3. Pyknic – rounded figure, broad face.
- An Italian leader of the
positivist school of criminology who h. William Sheldon
was criticized for his methodology and - brought the work of Kretschmer
his attention to the biological to the United States. He formulated his
characteristics. own group of somatotype; 1. Ectomorph –
- His theory on Criminal slightly built; 2. Endomorph – round
Anthropology has two distinct features: bodies; 3. Mesomorph – Athletic and
1. criminal behavior is inherited (Born muscular. He maintains the belief of
Criminal), 2. born criminals suffer inheritance as the primary determinants
from “atavistic anomalies”- physically of behavior and the physique is the
they are throwbacks to more primitive reliable indicator of personality.
times when people were savages.
SOCIOLOGICAL DETERMINISM
b. Charles Darwin - The concept of upbringing,
- In his theory of Evolution socialization, learning and control as
“origin of species”, claimed that determinants of behavior.
humans, like other animals are
parasite. Man has an Animalistic Adolphe Quetelet
(aggressive) behavior which was the - Pioneering sociologist along
causes of crime. with E. Durkhiem, who instigated the
use of data and statistics in
c. Johann Kaspar Lavater performing criminological research.
- The theory of “Physiognomy” Known to be the founder of
studied the facial features of Cartographical School of criminology
criminals to determine whether the who made use of social statistics such
shape of ears, nose and eyes and the as demographic information on the
distance between them associated with population in relation to criminality.
anti social behavior.
1.Social Structure Theory
d. Franz Joseph Gall and Johann K. - It suggest that social and
Spurzheim economic forces operating in
- The theory of “Phrenology”, deteriorated lower class areas push
studied the shape of the skull and many of their residents into criminal
bumps on the head to determine whether behavior patterns.
these physical attributes were linked
to criminal behavior. They believed
a.Social Disorganization by two Chicago
Sociologist Henry McKay and Clifford d. General Strain Theory by Robert
Shaw Agnew
- the absence of public order - whereas Merton tried to explain
coupled problematic characteristics of social class differences in the crime
disorganized communities – namely rate, Agnew tries to explain why
poverty, population heterogeneity and individuals who feel stress and strain
residential mobility are strong are more likely to commit crimes. Agnew
predictor of high crime rates. also offers a more general explanation
- they linked life in of criminal activity among all elements
transitional slum areas/neighborhood to of society rather than restricting his
the inclination to commit crime. views to lower class.
- the greater the intensity and
b. Strain Theory by Robert Merton frequency of strain experiences, the
- they believe that most people greater their impact and the more
share similar values and goals but the likely they are to cause delinquency
ability to achieve personal goals is and criminality.
stratified by socioeconomic class which
causes pressure (frustration, stress, e. Cultural Deviance
depression) to an individual resulting - Obedience to the norms of their
to cause unconventional behavior. lower class culture puts people in
- refers to the friction and conflict with the norms of the dominant
pains experienced by an individual as culture.
he or she look for ways to satisfy his
or her needs. f. Delinquent Subculture theory by
Albert Cohen
5 modes of adaptation - the delinquent behavior of the
1.Conformity – when individuals both lower class youths is actually a
embrace conventional social goals and protest against the norms and values of
means. the middle class. Because social
2.Innovation – when an individuals conditions make them incapable of
accepts goals but rejects or is achieving success legitimately, lower
incapable of attaining them through class youths experience a form of
legitimate means. This is most closely culture conflict that is know as Status
associated with criminal behavior. Frustration.
3.Ritualism – it gain pleasure from - It claims that the lower class
practicing traditional ceremonies cannot socialize effectively as the
regardless of whether they have real middle class, forming subculture
purpose or goal. Have the lowest level rejecting middle class values.
of criminal behavior because they have
abandoned the success goals, which is g.Differential Opportunity by Richard
the root of criminal activity. Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin
4.Retreatism – Rejects both goals and - states that people in all
means of the society. People are strata of society share the same
morally or otherwise incapable of using success goals but that those in the
both legitimate and illegitimate means, lower class have limited means of
they attempt to escape their lack of achieving them. People who perceive
success by withdrawing – either themselves as failures within
mentally or physically. conventional society will seek
5.Rebellion – it involves substituting alternative or innovative means to gain
an alternative set of goals and means success.
for conventional ones. They wish to - the absence of legitimate
promote radical change in the existing opportunity. Blockage of conventional
social structure. opportunities causes lower class youths
join to criminal behavior.
c. Theory of Anomie by Emile Durkheim
- from the Greek word “nomos” – 2. Social Process theory
without norms, state of normalessness. - hold that criminality is a
A sociological concept that helps function of individual socialization.
describe the chaos and disarray These theories draw attention to the
accompanying the loss of traditional interactions people have with various
values in modern society. organization, institutions and
- according to Durkheim that an processes of society.
anomic society is one in which rules of
behavior (norms) have broken down or Branches of Social Process
become inoperative during the period of
social change or social crisis. a. Social learning Theories
 - suggest that people learn the
techniques and attitudes of crime from b. Social Control Theories
close and intimate relationships with - maintains that all people have
criminal peers; crime is a learned the potential to violate the law and
behavior. that modern society presents many
opportunities for illegal activity.
1. Differential Association by Edwin
Sutherland 1. Social Bond Theory by Travish
- the principal part of the Hirschi
learning of criminal behavior occurs - links the onset of criminality
within intimate personal groups. to the weakening of the ties that bind
- criminal behavior is learned, people to the society. All individual
learning is a by product of interaction are potentials law violators, but they
and the learning occurs within intimate are kept under control because they
groups. fear that illegal behavior will damage
their relationship with friends,
2. Differential Reinforcement (Direct parents, neighborhood, teachers and
Conditioning) by Ronald Akers in employees.
collaboration with Robert Burgess
- People learn to be neither “all 2. Social Reaction or Labeling Theory
deviant” nor “all conforming” but by Frank Tennenbaum, Edwin Lemert and
rather strike a balance of between the Howard Becker
two opposite poles of behavior. - this theory maintains that the
- it occurs when behavior is original cause of crime cannot be
reinforced by being either rewarded or known, no behavior is intrinsically
punished while interacting with others. criminal behavior if it is labeled as
such.
3. Neutralization theory by David Matza - holds that deviance is not
and Gresham Sykes inherent to an act, but instead focuses
- they view the process of on the linguistic tendency of
becoming a criminal as a learning majorities to negatively classify
experience in which potential minorities or those seen as deviant
delinquents and criminals master from norms.
techniques that enable them to - picks up on these concepts of
counterbalance or neutralize INTERACTION AND INTERPRETATION.
conventional values and drift back and - people enter into a law
forth between illegitimate and violating careers when they are labeled
conventional behavior. for their acts and organized their
personalities around the labels.
Technique of Neutralization
a. Denial Responsibility – claim c. Social Conflict Theory by Karl Marx,
their unlawful acts were simply Frederick Engel and William Bonger
not their faults. - it assumes that the inter group
b. Denial of Injury – denying the conflict and rivalry that exist the
wrongfulness of an act. society causes crime. The crime
c. Denial of Victim – neutralize producing traits of the capitalist
wrong doing by maintaining that society (master – slave and the have –
the victim of crime had it have nots)
coming.
d. Condemnation to condemners – Contributors to Social Conflict theory
Offenders views the world as a
corrupt place. 1. Ralf Dahrendorf – argues that modern
e. Appeal to higher authorities – society is organized into what he
caught in the dilemma of being called IMPERATIVELY COORDINATED
loyal to their peer group. ASSOCIATION. These association comprise
two groups: those who possess authority
4. Gabriel Tarde and his theory of and use it for social domination and
Imitation who lack authority and are dominated.
- he believed people learn from
one another through a process of 2. George Vold - argued that crime
imitation. can also be explained by social
1. Individuals imitate in others in conflict. Laws are created by
proportion to the intensity of and politically oriented group, who seek
frequency of their contacts. the government’s assistance to help
2. inferiors imitate superiors. defend their rights and protect their
3. when two behavior pattern clash, one interest.
may take the others.
d. Earl Richard Quinney
(Instrumentalist Theory)
- The labor class is used a
medium for the benefit of the ruling
class.
d. Aichorn
- the cause of delinquency is the
faulty development of the child during
the first few years of his life.

PSYCHOLOGICAl DETERMINISM e. Abrahamsen

- The association between - explained the causes of crime
intelligence, personality, learning and by his formula: Criminal behavior
criminal behavior. equals criminal tendencies plus crime
situation divided by the persons mental
a.Sigmund Freud and his and emotional resistance towards
Psychoanalytical Theory temptation.
- Psychologists have considered a
variety of possibilities to account for f. Cyrill Burt
individual differences – defective - the theory of General
conscience, emotional immaturity, Emotionality; offenses can be traced to
inadequate childhood socialization, either in excess or deficiency of a
maternal deprivation, and poor moral particular instinctive drive.
development.
- he was the one who advocate the g. Healy
concept that human mind perform three - claimed that crime is an
separate function. expression of the mental content of the
ID- Pleasure Principle individual.
EGO – Reality Principle
SUPER EGO – Morality Principle h. Blomberg
- claimed that criminality is t
Psychosexual Stages of human result of emotional immaturity. Person
development who is matured know how to control his
Eros – the most basic human drive emotion effectively.
present at birth, the instinct to
preserve and create life. i. Charles Goring
- studied the mental
Oral Stage – a child attains pleasure characteristics of 3,000 convicts. He
by sucking and biting during the first found little difference in the physical
year of life. characteristics of criminals and non
criminals but he uncovered a
Anal Stage – the focus of sexual significant relationship between crime
attention is on the elimination of and a condition he referred to as
bodily waste. “defective intelligence”, which
involves such traits as feeble
Phallic Stage – children focus their mindedness, epilepsy, insanity and
attention on their genitals. defective social instinct.

Oedipus Complex – males begin to have

sexual feelings for their mothers. Contemporary Versions of Criminality

Electra Complex – females begin to have DEVELOPMENTAL THEORIES

sexual feelings for their father. - views that criminality as a
dynamic process, influenced by a
b. Isaac Roy and his Moral Insanity multitude of individual
- he describe persons who were characteristics, traits and social
normal in all aspects except that experiences.
something was wrong with the part of
the brain that regulates effective a. Life Course Theory by Sheldon and
responses. Eleanor Glueck
- he questioned whether we could - it recognized that as people
hold people legally responsible for mature the factors that influence their
their acts if they had impairment, behavior change.
because these people committed their
crimes without intent to do so. b. Latent trait theory by David Rowe,
D. Wayne Osgood and W. Alan Nicewander
c. Henry Maudsley - the propensity to commit crime
- he believed that crime is an is stable, the opportunity to commit
outlet in which their unsound crimes fluctuates over time.
tendencies are discharged; they would - assumes that a number of people
go mad if they are criminals. in the population have a personal
attribute or characteristics that
controls their inclination or Victimology is the study of the role of
propensity to commit crimes. the victim towards the commission of
the crime. It is the scientific process
Latent Trait theories of gaining substantial amounts of
knowledge on offender characteristics
a. General theory of Crime by Michael by studying the nature of victims.
Gottfredson and Travish Hirschi.
- modified and redefined some of Benjamin Mendelsohn and Von Hentif is
the principles articulated in Hirschi’s the father of the study of victimology.
social control theory by integrating
the concepts of control with those a. Victim Precipitation theory
biosocial, psychological, routine - people may initiate the
activities and rational choice confrontation that eventually leads to
theories. their injury or death.
- people who are at risk because
they have impulsive personalities may a.1 Active Precipitation
forego criminal careers because there - occurs when the victims act
are no criminal opportunities that provocatively, use of threats or
satisfy their impulsive needs; instead fighting words or even attack first.
they may find other outlets for their
impulsive personalities. In contrast, a.2 Passive Precipitation
if the opportunity is strong enough, - occurs when victims exhibits
even people with relatively strong self some personal characteristics that
control may be tempted to violate the unknowingly either threatens or
law. encourages the attackers.

b. Differential Coercion Theory by Mark b. Life Style Theory

Colvin - people ma become crime victims
- there are actually two sources because of the lifestyle increases
of coercion: Interpersonal and their exposure to criminal offenders,
Impersonal. Interpersonal coercion is such as going out in public places at
direct, involving the use of threat or night.
force and intimidation from parents,
peers and significant others. c. Deviant Place Theory
Impersonal involves pressure beyond - victims do not encourage crime
individual control such as but are victim prone because they
unemployment, poverty, competition reside in socially disorganized high
among businesses. crime areas where they have the greater
- that a persons ability to risk of coming contact with criminal
maintain self control is a function of offender.
the amount, type, and consistency of
coercion experienced as he goes through d. Routine Activities theory by
the life course. Lawrence Cohen and Marcus Felson
- crime victims are closely
c. Control Balance Theory by Charles related to the interaction of the three
Tittles variables:
- believe on the concept of
control has two distinct elements: 1. 1. Availability of Suitable Targets
the amount of control one is subject to 2. Absence of Capable guardians
by others and 2. the amount of control 3. Presence of Motivated offenders.
one can exercise over the others.
CONTEMPORARY THEORIES
c. Age Graded Theory by Robert Sampson
and John Laub a. Rational Choice Theory
- this theory attempts to explain - holds that youth will engage in
the trajectories and transitions of delinquent and criminal behavior after
criminal behavior over the life course. weighing the consequences and benefits
Trajectories and transitions are of their actions.
pathways or lines of development and
specific events that took place on the b. Biosocial Theory (Trait Theory)
life of a person. - it argue that no two people are
- identify the turning points of alike and that the combination of human
criminal careers such successful genetic traits and the environment
careers and marriage. produces individual behavior patterns.

Theories of Victimization
1. Biochemical – relationship that
genetically predetermined and those
acquired through diet and environment
influence anti-social behavior.
2. Neurophysiology – the study of brain
activity. The relationship can be
detected quite early and that children
who suffer from measurable neurological
deficit (trauma – low IQ) at birth are
more likely to become criminals later
in life.
3. Minimal Brain Dysfunction or
learning disabilities
- abnormality in the cerebral or
brain structure or brain damage.
4. Genetic Influence – inherited
aggressive predisposition. Inherited
condition associated with crime such as
impulsive personality.