Dellera, Kurt Angelou

BSCRIM 1

CRIMINOLOGICAL THEORY
1. Strain Theory
proposal that pressure derived from social factors, such as lack of income or lack
of quality education, drives individuals to commit crime. Strain theory posits that
individuals engage in criminal behavior when they experience a disconnect
between societal goals and the means available to achieve them (Merton, 1938).
2. Social Learning Theory
communities with high population turnover rates, diverse populations, and poverty
are more likely to experience high levels of crime due to weakened social bonds.
Social learning theory suggests that individuals learn criminal behavior through
interactions with others who engage in such behavior (Akers, 1973).
3. Routine Activities Theory
A crime will only be committed if a likely offender thinks that a target is suitable
and a capable guardian is absent. This theory argues that crime occurs when
there is a convergence of a motivated offender, a suitable target, and a lack of
capable guardianship (Cohen and Felson, 1979).
4. Labeling Theory
This refers to a theory of social behaviour which states that the behaviour of
human beings is influenced significantly by the way other members in society label
them. Labeling theory posits that societal labels and stigmas can lead individuals
to adopt criminal identities and engage in further criminal behavior (Becker, 1963).
5. Control Theory
The theory states that behavior is caused not by outside stimuli, but by what a
person wants most at any given time. Control theory suggests that individuals are
naturally inclined towards deviant behavior, but social bonds and controls help
deter them from engaging in criminal acts (Hirschi, 1969).
6. Social Disorganization Theory
communities with high population turnover rates, diverse populations, and poverty
are more likely to experience high levels of crime due to weakened social bonds.
This theory argues that high crime rates are a result of weakened social bonds
and disorganized communities (Shaw and McKay, 1942).
7. The age-graded theory
argues that weak social bonds explain continuity in antisocial behavior across
adolescence and adulthood. The age-graded theory also suggests that social
structural factors, such as family disruption, unemployment, and socioeconomic
status, indirectly affect delinquency through social bonds ( John H. Laub).
8. Differential Association Theory
when one learns criminal attitudes and behaviors through those around them.
Differential association theory asserts that criminal behavior is learned through
interaction with others and is more likely when individuals associate with pro-
criminal attitudes (Sutherland, 1939).
9. Neutralization Theory
portrays the delinquent as an individual who subscribes generally to the morals of
society but who is able to justify his own delinquent behaviour through a process
of “neutralization,”. Neutralization theory posits that individuals rationalize and
justify criminal behavior through various techniques to temporarily neutralize moral
norms (Sykes and Matza, 1957).
10. Self-Control Theory
he self-control theory of crime suggests that individuals who were ineffectually
parented before the age of ten develop less self-control than individuals of
approximately the same age who were raised with better parenting. Self-control
theory argues that individuals with low self-control are more likely to engage in
criminal behavior, regardless of social circumstances (Gottfredson and Hirschi,
1990).
11. Anomie Theory
A state of anomie develops when access to these goals is blocked to entire groups
of people or individuals. Anomie theory suggests that crime arises from a
breakdown in societal norms and values, leading to feelings of normlessness
(Durkheim, 1897).
12. Life Course Theory
each life stage influences the next, and together the social, economic and physical
environments in which we live have a profound influence on our health and the
health of our community. Life course theory examines how criminal behavior
evolves over an individual's lifespan, considering factors like childhood
experiences and social transitions (Sampson and Laub, 1993)
13. Critical Criminology
as a general theoretical principle, asserts that crime is based in class conflict and
the structured inequalities of class society. Critical criminology explores the
relationship between power, inequality, and crime, often focusing on issues of
social justice (Quinney, 1977).
14. Feminist Criminology
Feminist theories in criminology place gender at the forefront of discourse and.
analysis, with the understanding that gender along with other factors (e.g., age,
race, class, etc.). Feminist criminology examines how gender influences the
experiences of both offenders and victims in the criminal justice system (Daly and
Chesney-Lind, 1988).
15. Radical Criminology
Posits that the current criminal justice system seeks only to serve the interests of
the ruling class and thus perpetuates inequality in society. Radical criminology
focuses on the role of capitalism and economic inequality in driving criminal
behavior (Chambliss, 1975).
16. Strain Theory (General Strain Theory)
posits that crime and delinquency are caused by the presence of negative
emotion(s), such as fear, disappointment, depression, anger, and frustration,
resulting from an array of strains. General strain theory expands on classic strain
theory by including various sources of strain beyond just economic factors, such
as relationship or achievement failures (Agnew, 1992).
17. Control Balance Theory
Attempts to explain how unbalanced control in one's life can lead someone to take
part in deviant behavior. Control balance theory suggests that individuals engage
in criminal behavior when their control ratio (the balance of control they possess)
is out of equilibrium (Tittle, 1980).
18. Social Bond Theory
operates from the assumption that humans are born hedonistic and must be
controlled to prevent them from committing crimes. Social bond theory
emphasizes the importance of attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief in
societal norms as factors preventing criminal behavior (Hirschi, 1969).
19. Integrated Theory
Theories that combine the concepts and central propositions from two or more
prior existing theories into a new single set of integrated concepts and
propositions. Integrated theories combine multiple criminological perspectives to
provide a more comprehensive understanding of criminal behavior (Akers and
Sellers, 2009)
20. Routine Action Theory
Postulates that personal crime propensity and the setting's criminogenic features
are direct causes of crime. Routine action theory builds on routine activities theory,
focusing on the role of decision-making processes in criminal behavior (Wikström,
2006).
21. Conflict Theory
Views crime as the result of inequality between different groups in society. Conflict
theory examines how power struggles between different social groups can lead to
criminal behavior (Turk, 1969).
22. Marxist Criminology
Economic and political theory that examines the flaws inherent in capitalism and
seeks to identify an alternative, which he called "utopian socialism”. Marxist
criminology explores the relationship between class struggle and crime,
emphasizing the role of capitalism (Chambliss, 1975).
23. Symbolic Interactionism
Is a sociology theory that seeks to understand humans' relationship with their
society by focusing on the symbols that help us give meaning to the experiences
in our life. Symbolic interactionism looks at how individuals construct meanings
and labels related to crime through interactions with others (Blumer, 1969).
24. Social Control Theory (Reckless)
Proposes that people's relationships, commitments, values, norms, and beliefs
encourage them not to break the law. Social control theory by Reckless focuses
on the containment of criminal behavior through internal and external controls
(Reckless, 1973).
25. Psychological Theories of Crime
Centers on a person's early childhood experience and how it influences the
likelihood for committing crime. These theories, including psychodynamic,
cognitive,
and personality theories, examine how individual psychological factors contribute
to criminal behavior (Eysenck, 1964; Freud, 1915).
26. Biosocial Theory
It's not just environmental and social factors affecting criminal behavior but
biological factors as well. Biosocial theory investigates the interaction between
biological and environmental factors in explaining criminal conduct (Raine, 2013).
27. Phrenology
This view allowed phrenologists that criminals were not responsible for their
crimes and that it was possible for people to be cured of their criminology. This
outdated theory suggested that criminal tendencies could be identified through the
measurement of skull features, although it has been widely discredited (Gall,
1835).
28. Relative Deprivation Theory
Refers to a perception of being deprived of something and is able to account for
why some people, both young and old, living in a deprived environment do not
engage in crime as well as why some do. Relative deprivation theory suggests that
crime occurs when individuals perceive a gap between their expectations and their
actual outcomes.(James Samuel Coleman's "The Mathematics of Collective
Action" (1990)
29. Social Capital Theory
For men, social capital that yields material resources and social status is
especially valuable, and the threat of losing those resources would be likely to
inhibit deviant or criminal behavior. Social capital theory explores how social
networks and relationships can influence criminal behavior (Bourdieu, 1986).
30. Labeling Theory
Labeling theory posits that societal labels and stigmas can lead individuals to
adopt criminal identities and engage in further criminal behavior (Becker, 1963).
31. Anomie Theory
Anomie theory suggests that crime arises from a breakdown in societal norms and
values, leading to feelings of normlessness (Durkheim, 1897).
32. Psychopathy Theory
Psychopathy theory examines how individuals with psychopathic traits are more
likely to engage in criminal behavior (Hare, 1991).
33. Cultural Deviance Theory
Cultural deviance theory looks at how subcultures can develop their own norms
and values, sometimes leading to criminal behavior (Cloward and Ohlin, 1960).
34. Critical Feminist Criminology
Critical feminist criminology explores how the criminal justice system often
perpetuates gender-based inequalities and violence (Daly and Chesney-Lind,
1988).
35. Strain Theory (General Strain Theory)
General strain theory expands on classic strain theory by including various
sources of strain beyond just economic factors, such as relationship or
achievement failures (Agnew, 1992).
36. Social Bond Theory
Social bond theory emphasizes the importance of attachment, commitment,
involvement, and belief in societal norms as factors preventing criminal behavior
(Hirschi, 1969).
37. Focal Concerns Theory
The focal concerns theory, posited in 1962 by Walter B. Miller, attempts to explain
the behavior of "members of adolescent street corner groups in lower class
communities" as concern for six focal concerns: trouble, toughness, smartness,
excitement, fate, autonomy. Focal concerns theory examines the values and
concerns of lower-class individuals that may lead to delinquent behavior. (Walter
B. Miller's (1958)
38. Life Course Perspective
Developmental or life-course theory focuses on the individual and following such
individuals throughout life to examine their offending careers. The life course
perspective explores how individual experiences and transitions over the life
course can influence criminal behavior (Elder, 1985).
39. General Theory of Crime (Gottfredson and Hirschi)
The general theory of crime reveals that low self-control individuals are highly
likely to commit criminal conduct. This theory argues that low self-control is the
primary factor behind criminal behavior, making it a precursor to various criminal
acts (Gottfredson and Hirschi, 1990).

40. Integrated Social Control Theory

The concept of social integration refers to the ways that different groups come
together to form a whole in society. Integrated social control theory combines
elements of social control theory and social disorganization theory to explain
criminal behavior (LaGrange, 1999).
41. Arousal Theory
Arousal theory suggests that delinquents and criminals have suboptimal arousal
levels. Arousal theory suggests that individuals seek out criminal behavior to
achieve an optimal level of excitement or arousal (Zuckerman, 1979).
42. Broken Windows Theory
States that any visible signs of crime and civil disorder, such as broken windows
(hence, the name of the theory), vandalism, loitering, public drinking, jaywalking,
and transportation fare evasion, create an urban environment that promotes even
more crime and disorder. This theory suggests that visible signs of disorder and
neglect in a neighborhood can encourage criminal behavior. (James Q. Wilson and
George L. Kelling's, 1982)
43. Routine Activities and Lifestyle Exposure Theory
Routine activities refer to generalized patterns of social activities in a society (i.e.,
spatial and temporal patterns in family, work, and leisure activities). This theory
explains crime as a result of the convergence of motivated offenders, suitable
targets, and the absence of capable guardians in individuals' daily routines
(Hindelang et al., 1978).
44. Environmental Criminology
Environmental criminology is the study of how crime, the offender and victimisation
relate, first, to particular places, and secondly, to the way that individuals and
organisations shape their activities within or around that place. Environmental
criminology focuses on how the physical and social environments can influence
criminal behavior (Brantingham and Brantingham, 1981).
45. Crime Pattern Theory
A crime involving an offender and a victim or target can only occur when the
activity spaces of both cross paths. Crime pattern theory seeks to understand how
criminal events cluster in space and time, often emphasizing the role of routine
activities (Brantingham and Brantingham, 1981).

46. Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED)

Alters the environment of blocks, neighborhoods, or even entire cities to prevent
and reduce crime. CPTED theory explores how altering the physical environment
can reduce opportunities for crime (Jeffery, 1977).
47. Self-Control and Criminal Opportunity
This study conducted a prospective test of self-control and opportunity as
predictors of property crime and personal crime among drug-using offenders. This
theory combines elements of self-control theory and routine activities theory to
explain how self-control affects criminal opportunity (Pratt and Cullen, 2000).
48. Social Learning Theory (Akers and Burgess)
This concept refers to the idea that an individual's past, present, and anticipated
future rewards and punishments for actions explain crime. Social learning theory
by Akers and Burgess expands on the original theory, emphasizing the role of
differential reinforcement in learning criminal behavior (Akers and Burgess, 1966).
49. General Theory of Crime and Delinquency (Gottfredson and Hirschi)
Explains, like other control theories, the absence and not the emergence of crime.
This theory posits that low self-control is a key factor in both crime and
delinquency, leading individuals to engage in impulsive and risky behavior
(Gottfredson and Hirschi, 1990).
50. Control-Balance Theory
Attempts to explain how unbalanced control in one's life can lead someone to take
part in deviant behavior. Control-balance theory examines the balance between
internal and external controls and how it influences criminal behavior (Tittle, 1980).