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A Product of Your Environment

Philissa Bickham

CJUS 605

Criminological Theory

Telephone: 9858691988
Email: msu-pbickham@mcneese.edu
Instructor: Dr. Jennifer Creel
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A Product of Your Environment

The predestined actor model is the model I believe to be the best to explain criminality in

contemporary society. This model is described as criminal behaviors can be explained by certain

factors. These factors include internal factors or external factors. These factors cause individuals

to act a certain way, which they somewhat have no control over. With these factors,

psychological, biological, and sociological, in place, a person is predestined to become a

criminal.

When it comes to the internal, biological, factors in the model, neurologist can attest to

the fact that “there is some anecdotal evidence for a biological basis of crime.” (Lake and

Straiton). When it comes to the brain, when there is a structural abnormality, it can alter a

persons personality and cause them to act in ways they would likely not act if that abnormality

was not present. Different alterations that can occur include, depression, aggression, lack of self-

control, and even violence. While every person who commits criminal acts may not have a brain

abnormality, there is a significant amount who do. This factor could possibly increase the

likelihood of criminal behavior, but along with biological factors, a genetic predisposition to be

aggressive could be triggered by other factors such as poverty and being exposed to violence and

other crimes.

Another reason I believe this model explains criminality in contemporary society is

because of environmental factors. Some people grow up in areas where all they are immune to is

crime. From childhood, to teenagers, to adulthood, all they see is crime happening. Whether it’s

in the neighborhood they live in or in their own homes, some people just grow up in an enabling

environment that seems to promote criminal activity. In low income neighborhoods, the crime

rates are usually much higher than in middle-income neighborhoods and high class
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neighborhoods. In low income neighborhoods, reside many minorities and residents from these

neighborhoods are who make up most of the prison population. When is comes to mass

incarceration, the root cause is poverty and overcriminalization. I’ve learned in many criminal

justice classes that data seemingly shows that teens and adults living in poverty are at least twice

as likely to be arrested than individuals who aren’t. In areas of poverty, many people turn to

selling drugs as a means of quick income and they are usually arrested for drug related crimes.

As well as the people selling drugs, many people result to addiction in the middle of poverty,

which ties into the environmental factor of the model. The criminal justice system also seems to

be geared toward cracking down on simple drug charges, especially in minority communities.

“Policy changes have disproportionately affected low-income and minority populations, who

now make up roughly three-fifths and two-thirds of the prison population (Hayes, 2020).”

Individuals in these low income areas also turn to theft because of not having the income to

sometimes even provide the basic need of food. While theft charges usually carry a short

sentence or fines, or both, when the individuals come from poverty, they usually don’t have the

money to pay the fines. “Impoverished people sometimes go to jail when they fall behind paying

these fees (Shapiro, 2014),” these people receive a record and jail time all because of not having

the funds during court dates, to pay certain fees.

In conclusion, in my opinion, the predestined actor model best represents criminality in

contemporary society. With the internal (biological) factors and the external (environmental)

factors, it all coincides with some individual becoming criminals. I believe individuals don’t

always make informed, rational choices, but sometimes their choices are done upon their life

experience, thus the predestined actor model.

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References

Straiton, J., & Lake, F. (2021, February 11). Inside the brain of a killer: The ethics of

neuroimaging in a criminal ... https://doi.org/10.2144/btn-2020-0171. https://www.future-

science.com/doi/10.2144/btn-2020-0171

Hayes, T. O. (2020, July 2). Incarceration and Poverty in the United States - AAF. AAF.

https://www.americanactionforum.org/research/incarceration-and-poverty-in-the-united-

states/

Shapiro, J. (2014, May 19). As court fees rise, the poor are paying the price. NPR.

https://www.npr.org/2014/05/19/312158516/increasing-court-fees-punish-the-poor/