Crime Theories: Personal & Integrated Approaches PDF

23/10/2024 GTF317/3: Introduction to Criminology Topic 3 27 & 30 Oct 2024 Crime Theories: Personal & Integrated Approaches AP Dr Geshina Ay...

23/10/2024 GTF317/3: Introduction to Criminology Topic 3 27 & 30 Oct 2024 Crime Theories: Personal & Integrated Approaches AP Dr Geshina Ayu Mat Saat 1 Objectives General Objectives: To introduce personal and integrated approaches in explaining crime and criminal behaviour. Specific Objectives: Explain personal approaches in explaining criminal behaviour Explain integrated approaches in explaining criminal behaviour Explain how personal approaches link behaviours to specific crimes Explain how integrated approaches link behaviours and attitudes to specific crimes (c) AP Dr Geshina 2023 2 2 1  23/10/2024 Outcomes General Outcomes Understand personal and integrated approaches in explaining crime and criminal behaviour. Specific Outcomes Describe personal approaches in explaining criminal behaviour Describe integrated approaches in explaining criminal behaviour Explain how personal approaches link behaviours to specific crimes Explain how integrated approaches link behaviours to specific crimes (c) AP Dr Geshina 2023 3 3 (c) AP Dr Geshina 2023 4 4 2  23/10/2024 Summary of Major Perspectives (c) AP Dr Geshina 2023 5 5 1. Biochemistry Biochemistry is known by many names: biological, constitutional (having to do with the structure of the body's morphology), genetic, and anthropological criminology. The oldest field is criminal anthropology, founded by the father of modern criminology, Cesare Lombroso, in 1876. He was one of the first exponents of the positivist approach to explaining crime, positivism meaning a search for the causes of crime using scientific method, as opposed to the classical approach, which relies upon free will as the main cause of crime. Historically, theories of the biochemistry type have tried to establish the biological inferiority of criminals, but modern biocriminology simply says that heredity and body organ dysfunctions produce a predisposition toward crime. (c) AP Dr Geshina 2023 6 6 3  23/10/2024 2. Psychological criminology Psychological criminology Has been around since 1914, and attempts to explain the consistent finding that there is an eight-point IQ difference between criminals and noncriminals. That gap isn't enough to notice, but it might make them more impulsive and foolhardy, and even smart people with high IQs are vulnerable to folly. Other psychocriminologists focus on personality disorders, like the psychopaths, sociopaths, and antisocial personalities. 3. Ecological criminology Ecological criminology was the first sociological criminology, developed during the 1920s at the Department of Sociology at the University of Chicago. Hence, it is also called Chicago School sociology. Ecology is the study of relationships between an organism and its environment, and this type of theory explains crime by the disorganized eco-areas where people live rather than by the kind of people who live there. (c) AP Dr Geshina 2023 7 7 4. Strain Strain, sometimes called by the French word anomie, is a 1938 American version of French sociology, invented by the father of modern sociology, Emile Durkheim (1858-1917). This type of theory sees crime as the normal result of an "American dream" in which people set their aspirations (for wealth, education, occupation, any status symbol) too high, and inevitably discover strain, or goal blockages, along the way. The only two things to do are reduce aspirations or increase opportunities. 5. Learning theories Learning theories tend to follow the lead of Edwin Sutherland's theory of differential association, developed in 1947, although ideas about imitation or modeling go back to 1890. Often oversimplified as "peer group" theories, learning is much more than that, and involves the analysis of what is positively and negatively rewarding (reinforcing) for individuals. (c) AP Dr Geshina 2023 8 8 4  23/10/2024 6. Control theories Control theories are all about social control. Only those called containment or low-self control theories have to do with individual psychology. Control theory has pretty much dominated the criminological landscape since 1969. It focuses upon a person's relationships to their agents of socialization, such as parents, teachers, preachers, coaches, scout leaders, or police officers. It studies how effective bonding with such authority figures translates into bonding with society, hence keeping people out of trouble with the law. 7. Labelling theories Labelling theory was developed in the 1960s and 1970s which saw criminals as underdogs who initially did something out of the ordinary, and then got swept up in a huge, government-sponsored labeling or shunning reaction. It argues that anyone facing such an overwhelming, negative labelling social reaction will eventually become more like the label because that is the only way out for their identify formation. It points out that sometimes its best to do nothing (for minor offending), and that there are few reintegrative rituals designed to help people fit back into their communities. (c) AP Dr Geshina 2023 9 9 8. Conflict theories Holds that society is based on conflict between competing interest groups; for example, rich against poor, management against labour, whites against minorities, men against women, adults against children, etc. These kind of dog-eat-dog theories also have their origins in the 1960s and 1970s, and are characterized by the study of power and powerlessness. 9. Radical theories Also from the 1960s and 1970s, typically involve Marxist (referring to Karl Marx 1818-1883) critiques of capitalist society which allows things to exist like millions of billionaires and millionaires while the vast majority of people live in poverty or just get by. Such fundamental economic disparities reflect basic contradictions in the way work is organized into demoralizing, brutalizing, and oppressive conditions. Crime is seen as a reflection of class struggle, a kind of primitive rebellion with criminals behaving as rebels without a clue. Only through praxis (informed action based on theoretical understanding) will the new socialist society be formed and crime will go away (c) AP Dr Geshina 2023 10 10 5  23/10/2024 10. Left Realism Is a mid-1980s British development that focuses upon the reasons why people of the working class prey upon one another, that is, victimize other poor people of their own race and kind. It wants the police to have more power in protecting poor people, but on the other hand, doesn't want the police to be invasive or intrusive. 11. Peace-making criminology Came about during the 1990s as the study of how "wars" on crime only make matters worse. It suggests that the solution to crime is to create more caring, mutually dependent communities and strive for inner rebirth or spiritual rejuvenation (inner peace). 12. Feminist criminology Matured in the 1990s, although feminist ideas have been around for decades. The central concept is patriarchy, or male domination, as the main cause of crime. Feminists also tend to call for more attention to female points of view. (c) AP Dr Geshina 2023 11 11 13. Post-modern criminology Matured in the 1990s, although postmodernism itself (as a rejection of scientific rationality to the pursuit of knowledge) was born in the late 1960s. It tends to focus upon how stereotypical words, thoughts, and conceptions limit our understanding, and how crime develops from feelings of being disconnected and dehumanized. It advocates replacing our current legal system with informal social controls such as group and neighborhood tribunals. (c) AP Dr Geshina 2023 12 12 6  23/10/2024 To understand criminal justice, it is necessary to understand crime. Every criminological theory contains a set of assumptions (about human nature, social structure, and the principles of causation, to Most policy-making in criminal justice is based on criminological name a few), a description of the phenomena to be explained theory, whether the people making those policies know it or not. (facts a theory must fit), and an explanation, or prediction, of that phenomenon. Most of the failed policies (what doesn't work) in criminal justice are due to misinterpretation, partial implementation, or ignorance of The assumptions are also called meta-theoretical issues, and deal criminological theory. with debates like those over free will v. determinism or consensus v. conflict. Almost all criminologists today use a legalistic rather than normative definition of crime. The description is a statistical profile, figure, diagram, or table of A legalistic definition of crime takes as its starting point the statutory numbers representing the patterns, trends, and correlates of the definitions contained in the penal code, legal statutes or ordinances. type of crime taken as an exemplar (most appropriate example) of all crime. A crime is a crime because the law says so. There are concerns about overcriminalization (too many laws) and undercriminalization The explanation is a set of variables (things that can be tweaked or (not enough laws), but at least on the surface, a legalistic approach changed) arranged in some kind of causal order so that they have seems practical. statistical and meaningful significance. It is also advantageous to a normative definition, which sees crime Criminological theories are primarily concerned with etiology (the as a violation of norms (social standards of how humans ought to study of causes or reasons for crime), but occasionally have think and behave), although there are times when criminology can important things to say about actors in the criminal justice system, shed light on norms and norm violators. such as police, attorneys, correctional personnel, and victims. How personal approaches link behaviours to specific crimes (c) AP Dr Geshina 2023 13 13 Group Discussion in next class As an exercise for this topic, get into your assignment groups. Read and research the case (on next page). Use ONE of the theories discussed in this class to explain the offender’s actions/behaviours/cognitions/circumstances. Each group will present in the class their findings (no slides or document needed. This is an in-class discussion) Be prepared for questions (c) AP Dr Geshina 2023 14 14 7  23/10/2024 CASE: Malaysia woman endures painful 9-hour struggle to survive after husband pushes her off cliff https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3274563/malaysia-woman-endures-painful-9-hour-struggle-survive-after-husband-pushes-her-cliff By Zoey Zhang Published: 2:04pm, 15 Aug 2024Updated: 10:56am, 16 Aug 2024 A woman in Malaysia who was badly injured after she was pushed down a deep ravine by her husband during an argument, spent nine hours climbing out before being rescued. On July 27, the 32-year-old woman was picked up by her husband from her workplace in Kuala Lumpur, according to Murtadha Dakwah Centre, a Malaysian non-governmental organisation (NGO). On their way home, the couple reportedly had a heated exchange then the husband stopped the car, tried to choke his wife and pulled out a knife, threatening to kill her. She attempted to escape from the car but he stopped her. Shortly afterwards, they argued again, and this time the husband pulled the car over to the roadside where they began grappling. He then pushed her out of the car and she fell into a ravine in full view of their two children sitting in the back. The woman said that thinking of her children – a five-month-old infant and another is six years old – and not wanting them to lose their mother, gave her the strength to save herself. Due to the fact that she had suffered severe injuries, it took her nine hours to climb out of the 10-metre deep ravine, and eventually seek help from a passer-by. The husband has been detained by the police, who have classified the case as an attempted murder which could result in a prison sentence of up to 20 years. He already has a criminal record, including for assault on his brother, according to Berita Harian, a Malaysian newspaper. (c) AP Dr Geshina 2023 15 15 13 basic theories that explain criminal behaviour (c) AP Dr Geshina 2023 16 16 8  23/10/2024 Integrated approaches in explaining criminal behaviour (c) AP Dr Geshina 2023 17 17 Globalisation & Criminology Reference: Barak, G. (2009). Criminology: An integrated approach. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. Link: https://books.google.com.my/books?id=dQ2N5-yLOjUC&printsec=frontcover&dq=criminology:+an+integrated+approach&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj-69- 948DsAhUAH7cAHQQhAtkQuwUwAHoECAEQBw#v=onepage&q&f=false Cites Giddens (1990): “the intensification of worldwide social relations which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events miles away and vice versa” – two-way process of interaction. Cites Walters (1995): “a social process in which the constraints of geography on social and cultural arrangements recede and in which people become increasingly aware that they are receding”. Cites Findlay (1999): through processes of “mass communication, multinational commerce, internationalised politics, and transnational regulation, we seem to be moving towards a single culture” Barak (2009): “the growing interdependency among events, people, and governments around the world who are increasingly connected through a worldwide political economy and an expanding communications-transportation-computer-network” The criminology dilemma is that situation persists where punitive policies of exclusion coexist with strategies aimed at normalising crimes, the latter grounded in research findings, and the former driven mostly by political agenda or public interest. (c) AP Dr Geshina 2023 18 18 9  23/10/2024 Multi-agency interdependency Example: https://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/selangor-hamstrung-covid-19-data-064600341.html Ref: Aidila & Hariz (19 October 2020) Selangor hamstrung as Covid-19 data-sharing halted. Malaysiakini COVID-19 | The Selangor state government is currently “boxing blindfolded” in its Covid-19 response after the Health Ministry allegedly stopped sharing crucial data on positive cases. This is according to sources as well as officials who were tasked by the state government to plan and execute public health strategies to battle the pandemic. It was learned that since the first week of October, the Selangor Task Force for Covid-19 (STFC) no longer received granular data from the Health Ministry, thus hobbling its efforts to contain the outbreak. Those efforts include shutting down premises where outbreaks have been detected, carrying out contact tracing and providing free tests for high-risk areas. Confirming this, STFC chairperson Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad (above) said the decision to halt data-sharing at a time when cases in Selangor were rising was greatly hurting the state government’s efforts to fight Covid-19. "You asked us to box in the ring, but you blindfold us. That is how we feel now," he said when contacted. "We need the granularity of the details on the ground for us to do targeted testing, among others. Data is important because this is what we call data-driven mass testing. The more granular, and the richer we are data-wise, the more accurate our analytics and action planning would be," said Dzulkefly, who was the health minister during the Pakatan Harapan federal administration. Selangor now relies on Health DG’s press statements Another source at STFC told Malaysiakini that the task force is now given only "two to three" data variables out of about 43 that the federal ministry has on patients. "The paucity of information makes us lose visibility of cases, halts our strategic mapping, undoes our zone profiling, makes Selangkah contact tracing ineffective, and halts our active community screening strategy," another source said. The source added that recently, the STFC has had to rely on Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah's daily press briefings for data, “after the damage has been done”. Confirming this, Selangor state executive councillor in charge of health Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud told Malaysiakini: “We only get what the public gets.” Siti Mariah last week went public on how the state government’s request to integrate Selangkah with MySejahtera has been “refused”. Selangkah is Selangor's Covid-19 contact tracing application, which was launched before the federal government’s MySejahtera. Siti Mariah said when MySejahtera was rolled out, most premises stopped displaying the Selangkah QR Codes, thus limiting the data available to the state government. "We have asked for integration, but have been refused. I don't know on what basis," Siti Mariah said told Astro Awani's "Consider This" show last week. She said among possible reasons is that Selangkah is not a Health Ministry asset. "If Selangkah is upgraded, we can know which premises have been sanitised, which premise is crowded, so on and so forth," she said. (c) AP Dr Geshina 2023 19 19 Considerations in integrated approach Considerations Summary Behaviour persistence Despite warnings, punishments, and remedial actions, some individuals persist in criminal behaviour. Example: drug addition, littering, polluting the environment. Range of criminality Many people involve themselves in more than one type of criminal behaviour. Example 1: downloading child pornography and distributing/selling such materials. Example 2: cheating and money-laundering. Nature-nurture Some people are born with pro-delinquent traits but their surroundings nurture good values and relationship acts to hinder involvement in crime, and vice-versa. Trajectory of crime Involvement in crime often increases in seriousness over time, even when there have been seriousness interventions in the timeline – unless in the case for psychopaths or sociopaths. Life-course Personal approaches do not adequately explain life-course involvement in criminality. The younger the age at first involvement, the longer will the person stay involved in a life of deviance and criminality. (c) AP Dr Geshina 2023 20 20 10  23/10/2024 Specific – elucidate the characteristics and pathways of a single form of criminality such as murder and gangsterism Types of integration General – attempt to build models that can make sense out of the full- range of antisocial behaviours, elaborating on the commonly shared Reference: Barak, G. (2009) characteristics and pathways of deviance and social control/ Specific-general – represent a ‘middle range’ type of integration that centers its attention on related groups of crime and crime control such as rape, sexual harassment, and paedophilia that share similar characteristics as well as different yet related pathways that are common to these types of behavioural offenders. (c) AP Dr Geshina 2023 21 21 A Definition of Theory Integration Theoretical integration is the process of joining ideas from two or more criminological theories into a single theoretical statement, often to provide a more complete and accurate explanation of crime or delinquent behavior (Krohn & Eassey, 2014) Ref: Caro, M. (2002). Theory integration in criminology: an appraisal and a quantum proposal Four key elements in theory integration: 1st integration entails the union of two or more specific theories. 2nd this union is based on both the commonalities and differences between these theories. 3rd the connection between the integrant theories needs to be explicit. 4th the resulting theory must be more encompassing and far reaching than any of the components taken separately. Theory integration can thus be defined as the combination of two or more pre-existing theories without attending at their level of formalization. The component theories are selected on the bases of their perceived commonalities and the compatibility of their basic assumptions, in addition to their perceived differences and the compatibility of their causal logic, to form a single reformulated theoretical model. Integrated theories can be classified according to the formality of their claims (conceptual or propositional), their causal logic (end-to-end, side-by-side, or up-and-down), their level of explanation (micro-micro, micro-macro, or macro-macro), and their scope (general or specific). These different typologies are neither exhaustive nor categorical. A theory can be considered micro-macro at the same time that it is end-to-end. This is the case, for example, in John Hagan’s power-control theory (see, for instance, Hagan 1989; Hagan et al. 1979, 1987, 1988). Another illustration of this issue is Braithwaite’s (1989) theory of reintegrative shaming, which includes macro-macro (social disorganization and strain) and macro-micro (social disorganization and labelling) integrations. The difference between one category and other within the same typology is one of degree rather than exclusion. For example, often it is difficult to assess whether a theory is formal or propositional. In fact, there are different levels of formality, as well as different levels of generality/specificity. Furthermore, different authors arrive regularly at different conclusions about the same theories. In some cases, different critics believe that the same theories are either not formal enough (Hagan 1985), or too formal to be of any explanatory use (Williams 1984) (c) AP Dr Geshina 2023 22 22 11  23/10/2024 (c) AP Dr Geshina 2023 23 23 How integrated approaches link behaviours to specific crimes Ref: Caro, M. (2002). Theory integration in criminology: an appraisal and a quantum proposal (c) AP Dr Geshina 2023 24 24 12  23/10/2024 Ref: Caro, M. (2002). Theory integration in criminology: an appraisal and a quantum proposal Elliott and his associates’ integrated theory of delinquency and drug use was first advanced in 1979 as part of a symposium that the editors of the Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency organized, as an example of the growing interest in integration within criminology. This is a side-to-side theory that combines social bonding, social learning, strain, labeling, and social disorganization theories in a single integrated model that explains both delinquency and drug use, because these two behaviors are said to extend from the same etiological factors (Elliott et al 1985:12). This project is inspired by the restatements of strain theory of both Cloward and Olin (1960) and Elliott and Voss (1974), and Reiss’ (1951) version of control theory. Elliott and his associates’ theory is based on the realization that delinquency is usually due to one of several causes. Delinquency may occur when there is: a deficit of internalized social control a breakdown in the social controls already established, and/or conflict between controls and rules (Reiss 1951:196). Their argument is that, while control theory explains the first and third causal paths to deviance, strain explains the second. Thus, these two theories should never be seen as opposed, but complementary. In this sense, they can and should be integrated (c) AP Dr Geshina 2023 25 25 Ref: Caro, M. (2002). Theory integration in criminology: an appraisal and a quantum proposal Braithwaite’s (1989a) theory of reintegrative shame integrates labelling, social control, social disorganization, strain, and differential organization theories in order to explain a specific kind of crime: predatory crime. This type of crime is defined as behaviour that both victimizes others and violates norms that are widely and strongly held Figure 4.2. Braithwaite’s Model of Reintegrative Shaming (Source: Braithwaite 1989a:99) (c) AP Dr Geshina 2023 26 26 13  23/10/2024 Ref: Caro, M. (2002). Theory integration in criminology: an appraisal and a quantum proposal The basis of Braithwaite’s theory is shame. Shaming encompasses all of the possible ways that a society has to express disapproval. Shame involves both remorse prior to a behavior, and reaction to a behavior that has already occurred. Societies differ in the degree of shaming they are able to impose on individuals. Societies where there is a great deal of communitarism—those with low urbanization and residential mobility— are much more successful than non-communitarian ones in shaming individuals. At the same time, societies where individuals are more interdependent—have more links among people—are able to exert more shame than those where individuals are more independent. The more interdependent a person is, the more susceptive to shaming s/he becomes. That is, people who are employed, younger than 15 or older than 25, female, married, and have high educational and employment aspirations are claimed to be more susceptive to shaming and thus, a priori, less prone to engage in deviance. There are two kinds of shaming: reintegrative and stigmatizing. In reintegrative shaming, people who deviate are, after being shamed, brought back into the community, thus avoiding further deviance. On the other hand, when shaming is stigmatizing, there is neither forgiveness nor a desire to reintegrate deviants. Rather, deviants are separated from society, which enhances the probability that they may deviate further. These possibilities for further deviance may be enhanced or realized whenever a society has blocked legitimate opportunities for certain people to succeed. This blockage provokes the formation of criminal subcultures that provide illegitimate avenues of mobility for people whose legitimate opportunities have been restricted by stigmatization. Figure 4.2. Braithwaite’s Model of Reintegrative Shaming (Source: Braithwaite 1989a:99) (c) AP Dr Geshina 2023 27 27 Objectives & Outcomes General Objectives: General Outcomes: To introduce personal and integrated approaches in Understand personal and integrated approaches explaining crime and criminal behaviour. in explaining crime and criminal behaviour. Specific Objectives: Specific Outcomes: Explain personal approaches in explaining criminal Describe personal approaches in explaining behaviour criminal behaviour Explain integrated approaches in explaining criminal Describe integrated approaches in explaining behaviour criminal behaviour Explain how personal approaches link behaviours to Describe how personal approaches link specific crimes behaviours to specific crimes Explain how integrated approaches link behaviours and Describe how integrated approaches link attitudes to specific crimes behaviours and attitudes to specific crimes (c) AP Dr Geshina 2023 28 28 14