CRIMINOLOGY AND PENOLOGY

Submitted by; Rebati Thapa Magar (Sec: B)

Submitted to: Asst.Prof. Vijay Prasad
Jayshwal

Criminal Behaviour: Means, Methods and opportunity:

Ever since the dawn of human civilisation crime has been a baffling problem. And
historically, the concept of crime seems to have always been changing with the variations in
social conditions. Crime is an act forbidden by the law, the punishment for which is provided
by the state. Crime in other way is also defined as an act or omission in violation of criminal
law. It is an act of offense which violates the law of the state and is strongly disapproved by
the society. Concept of crime differs as per the situation of crime. Most of the time, crime is
carried out in four stages as intention, preparation, attempt and accomplishments. For
example, there are many murder cases which are planned and executed murder with an
intention.

Criminology is the study of crime and criminal behaviour, informed by principles of

sociology and other non-legal fields, including psychology, economics, statistics, and
anthropology. Criminologists examine a variety of related areas, including: Characteristics of
people who commit crimes. Criminologists study the social, economic, and psychological
factors that contribute to criminal behaviour to understand why individuals commit crimes
and to develop effective strategies for crime prevention and reduction.

Criminal behaviour, particularly violent and antisocial behaviour, is considered to be a major

social problem with complex causes. criminal behaviour may be seen as nonadaptive or
antisocial behaviour, generally defined as “behaviour that violates the basic rights of others”
(Calkins and Keane, 2009). Criminal behaviour is defined as an offender's actions that result
in the commission of an illegal act. An unlawful conduct is committed when there is a
motivation, a means, and an opportunity. There are three broad models of criminal
behaviours which are as follows: psychological, sociological and biological models

In criminal behaviour analysis, the ideas of means, motive, and opportunity are critical for
understanding how and why a crime was done as in order for the crime to occur all three
elements of the triangle must exist. As aim of studying criminology is to develop effective
strategies for crime prevention and there also exist several theories such as the crime
prevention triangle, the broken window theory and crime prevention through environmental
design etc for the prevention of crime. The crime prevention theory states that a crime to
occur, all three components of a crime must exist which are:

1)Motive

2)Means
3)Opportunity

Motive: In simple sense, motives are the reasons that motivate person towards option, an
unlawful conduct is committed when there is a motivation, a means, and an opportunity thus,
it is the base, as people who commit crime are driven by their desires to do so. Without
desires, there is no intent to commit a crime: therefore, a crime cannot occur. It is also the
reason or incentive for committing the crime. For examples: Financial gain, revenge, power,
jealousy, thrill-seeking, or ideological beliefs.

The presence of a strong motive can drive an individual to acquire the means necessary to
commit a crime. For instance, a person motivated by financial need might learn how to hack
into bank accounts.

Means: It is the ability and tools, skills or resources necessary to commit the crime. For
examples: Weapons, burglary tools, hacking software, physical strength, or technical know-
how. A criminal may find a hundred of ways to commit a crime, there might be use of
telephones, internet and so on. Not even physical impairment will stop criminals from
committing a crime. People with the means to commit a crime often prepare by studying and
exploiting potential opportunities. For example, a hacker with the necessary software will
constantly look for system vulnerabilities

Opportunity: It refers to adequate chance(s) to commit the crime. when an opportunity

exists, in combination with the other components, a person has the chance to act on their
desire. Opportunities are the situation or set of circumstances that makes it possible to
commit the crime. For examples: Unlocked doors, lack of surveillance, absence of the
property owner, poor lighting, or a vulnerable target. Sometimes, the mere presence of an
opportunity can sparks a latent motive. For example, an unlocked car door might tempt
someone without a strong premeditated motive to steal.

Criminals frequently examine all three elements simultaneously. A thief, for example, will
seek out easy targets (opportunity), make sure they have the required equipment (means), and
act motivated by a desire for monetary gain. Understanding the correlation between motives,
means, and opportunity can help in developing comprehensive crime prevention strategies.

The relationship between intentions, means, and opportunity in committing a crime

demonstrates how these three components interact and impact each other. Understanding
their link can lead to more in-depth insights into criminal behaviour and the development of
effective prevention initiatives. By addressing all three elements, law enforcement and
communities can work together to create a holistic approach to crime prevention.

CONCLUSION: aforementioned three elements are the criteria that a suspect must fulfil
to be convicted of a crime. The merging of criminal anthropology and psychological conduct
into the crime triangle paradigm improves our knowledge of criminal behaviour. By taking
into account biological, environmental, and psychological aspects, we may create more
focused and effective crime prevention methods that address the underlying reasons of
criminal behaviour. Studying the criminal anthropology and psychological conduct in relation
to these three elements, motive, means and opportunity helps in better understanding of
criminal behaviours.