1. 3
The Search for Causes

2. Introduction to Theory
A set of interrelated ideas that attempt to describe, explain, predict & ultimately control some class of events
Theories are models that can be tested utilizing a hypotheses
Fits the facts & stands up to scrutiny
Research is the use of standardized, systemic procedures in the search for knowledge

3. Introduction to Theory
Interdisciplinary theory
integrates a variety of theoretical viewpoints in an attempt to explain something, such as crime and violence

4. Introduction to Theory
Deviance
A violation of social norms defining appropriate behavior under a particular set of circumstances
Not necessarily criminal behavior
Criminal behavior
Deviant behavior converted into law, approved by a legislative body, written down, and codified

5. General Categories of Theory
Classical and neoclassical
Early biological
Biosocial
Psychological
Sociological
Social process
Conflict
Emergent

6. Classical Theories People freely choose to engage in crime
Grew out of the Enlightenment
Free will & reasonable punishments
Concerned with why individuals committed crime, rather than whether or not the crime was committed
Crime prevention is possible through swift and certain punishment to offset gains made through criminal behavior

7. Classical Theories
Beccaria is considered the founder of the Classical School of Criminology
Proposed basic changes in the criminal laws of his day to make them more “humanitarian”
Bentham developed “hedonistic calculus”
The punishment had to outweigh the crime
Neoclassical theories holds that offenders make a rational choice to commit the crime

8. Biological Theories Behavior is predetermined and genetically based
Criminality may be passed on from generation to generation
Criminals are identifiable through physical characteristics or genetic makeup.
Treatment is generally ineffective, but aggression may be usefully redirected

9. Biological Theories Cesare Lombroso Father of positivist theory
Atavism is a condition characterized by the existence of features thought to be common in earlier stages of human evolution
Application of scientific techniques to the study or crime and criminals

10. Biological Theories Criminal families
Mental degeneration is an inherited contributor to crime
Somatypes
Mesomorphs
Endomorphs
Ectomorphs

11. Biological Theories Eugenics
These biological theories led to the belief that sterilization would keep criminal characteristics from being passed on to offspring

12. Biosocial Theory
Sees the interaction between biology and the physical and social environments as key to understanding human behavior
Can include brain dysfunction, glucose metabolism, poor nutrition, and physiological reactivity (such as skin resistance and heart rate)—with the social environment and DNA in producing deviance and criminality
Chromosomes can have gene deficits, enzymes, and hormones

13. Biosocial Theories Chromosome Theory - XYY Syndrome
Connection between chromosome patterns and crime
Some males have an extra Y chromosome
Supermales

14. Biosocial Theories Biocriminology Chemical imbalances Hormones
Brain chemistry
Endocrine system

15. Psychological Theories
Personality is the major motivational element within individuals
Crimes result from:
Inappropriately conditioned behavior
Abnormal, dysfunctional, or inappropriate mental processes
Diseased mind and inappropriate learning or improper conditioning, often occurring in early childhood

16. Psychological Theories
Psychoanalytic theory: id, ego, and superego
Sigmund Freud
Weak superego: cannot responsibly control drives—psychopaths
Sublimination: symbolically substitute one item for another
Thanatos: a death instinct in which animate matter desires to return to the inanimate

17. Trait Theory: The Big Five
Openness to experience
Extraversion
Conscientiousness
Neuroticism
Agreeableness

18. Sociological Theories
Social groups, social institutions, the arrangements of society, and social roles
Development of crime
Group dynamics, group organization, and subgroup relationships
The structure of society and the relative degree of social organization or social disorganization are important factors contributing to the prevalence of criminal behavior

19. Sociological Theories
The clash of norms and values among variously socialized groups
Socialization and the process of association between individuals
The existence of subcultures and varying types of opportunities

20. Social Process Theories
Differential association theory
Restraint theory
Labeling theory
Life course perspective

21. Conflict Theories
Conflict is a fundamental aspect of social life and can never be fully resolved
Radical criminology sees crime as engendered by the unequal distribution of wealth, power, and other resources
Peacemaking criminology holds that crime-control agencies and the citizens they serve should work together to alleviate social problems and human suffering, and thus reduce crime

22. Emergent Theories Feminist criminology Postmodern criminology
Role of women in both crime causation and crime control might be better appreciated
Understanding women as crime victims
Postmodern criminology
A wide variety of novel perspectives that have developed in recent decades, encompassing evolving paradigms