Theories of Criminal Behaviour PDF

Theories of Crime Dr. Meghana Srivatsav What is Crime?  A crime is “an intentional act in violation of the criminal law committed without defense or excuse and penalized by the state as a felony or misdemeanour”. Simply put criminal behaviour is- intentional behavior that vi...

Theories of Crime Dr. Meghana Srivatsav What is Crime?  A crime is “an intentional act in violation of the criminal law committed without defense or excuse and penalized by the state as a felony or misdemeanour”. Simply put criminal behaviour is- intentional behavior that violates a criminal code it did not occur accidentally the person’s action cannot be justified (as in self-defense) excused (as in the person was insane). To convict someone of a criminal offense, the prosecution generally must prove that the defendant committed a voluntary act (actus reus) intentionally, or with a guilty state of mind (mens rea). Theoretical Constructs Social structure causing crime- socioeconomic status, feminist analysis (gender bias), hate crime, cultural differences, etc. – Marxist Conflict Theory, Robert Merton’s Strain Theory, Feminist Theory Some parts of cities or localities are more prone to crime than others – Chicago School 1920, Differential opportunity theory Influences of peers, groups, family members on criminality – Subcultural delinquency theory, Differential association theory, Lifestyle & routine activities Individual biological & psychological differences that influence criminal behaviours - Personality theories, Biological theories Biological theories Degeneracy Theory - certain (lower) social classes and races were predisposed to neurological and mental illnesses by inheritance, making them more likely to commit crimes. A key aspect of degeneration theory is the idea that moral degeneracy is heritable, and that the moral and physical pathologies leading to low social status would persist and proliferate from generation to generation biologically and socially. Atavistic theory – Ceasare Lombroso (1876)- suggests that criminality is inherited and that someone “born criminal” could be identified by the way they look. He suggested that there was a distinct biological class of people that were prone to criminality. These people exhibited primitive features, who had biological characteristics from an earlier stage of human development that manifested as a tendency to commit crimes. Thieves had expressive faces, manual dexterity, and small, wandering eyes; murderers had cold, glassy stares, bloodshot eyes, and hawk-like noses; sex offenders carried thick lips and protruding ears; and female criminals were shorter, more wrinkly, had darker hair and smaller than normal women. William Sheldon Somatotypes - (1942) proposed a strong correlation between personality and somatotype (i.e., physique). From a study of several hundred male physiques, he derived three made body types: 1.The ectomorph, characterized by a thin, wiry frame. 2.The endomorph, heavy and rounded. 3.The mesomorph, with a solid, muscular frame. Sheldon noted that most criminals were mesomorphs. One explanation for this is that a solid muscular person becomes involved in crime at an early age due to their intimidating appearance. XYY Syndrome theory XYY syndrome is a genetic condition in which a human male has an extra male (Y) chromosome, giving a total of 47 chromosomes instead of the more usual 46. The presence of the extra Y chromosome in XYY males does not in and of itself produce aggressive behavior in those affected; dealing with aspects of the condition during adolescence is a more likely explanation for any delinquency or criminal behavior exercised by XYY males. Modern biological theories Modern biological theories of crime focus specifically on how different regions of the brain are responsible for thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, and how the dysfunction of these regions can cause criminality Criminologists have focused on the frontal lobe in their biological theories of crime because the region is involved in abstract thought, planning, goal formation, sustaining attention and concentration, self-monitoring, and behavioral inhibition. Genetic explanations of crime propose that genetic factors could predispose individuals to commit crimes because genes code for physiological factors such as the structure and functioning of the nervous system and neurochemistry. Social & personality theories Bowlby’s attachment theory: “violence and crime are disorders of the attachment system.” Children who are no properly attached to their primary caregiver may have no concern for the well-being of others and this is a result from their inability to bond with others. Eysenck has postulated a general theory of criminality that predicts that criminals as a group will have significantly higher scores on the personality dimensions of psychoticism, extroversion-introversion, and neuroticism-stability.  Discuss Which theory comes close to explaining the occurrence of crime? What constructs do you think make up for a good theory to explain criminal behaviour?