Theories of Crime Explained: A Beginner’s Guide
The topic of crime has constantly captivated and alarmed society to an identical degree. Why do criminals commit crimes? Is it a result of one's personal choices, upbringing, social environment, or something more fundamental to human nature? For a few years, criminologists have worked to discover answers to those questions with the aid of creating many hypotheses to give an explanation for criminal behaviour.
These concepts may seem complex to anyone new to criminology or criminal justice. To truly understand how law, politics, and society work together to address criminal behaviour, one must first grasp the main theories of crime.
If you’re studying this subject and finding it challenging, seeking a bit of criminology assignment help can make things much clearer. In this blog post, we’ll explain the most important crime theories in plain, easy-to-understand language.
Crime Theories That Every Criminology Student Should Know
1. Crime as a Choice: The Classical Theory
Jeremy Bentham and Cesare Beccaria were among the pioneers of the classical idea of crime in the 18th century. They held that humans are logical creatures who recall the benefits and downsides of their choices.
This point of view holds that crime occurs whilst the potential blessings outweigh the capability consequences. Stated differently, humans commit crimes because they believe the rewards outweigh the dangers or that they can get away with it.
This concept has an impact on present-day legal structures, including the UK's, which are predicated on the concepts of obligation and loose preference. Classical thinkers believed that punishment should be fast, equitable, and appropriate for the offence, not harsh or overbearing. By making the price of crime more than the gain, the intention is to discourage criminal activity.
2. Examining Factors Other Than Choice: The Positivist Theory
Criminologists began to question the perception that crime is purely a result of preference in the 19th century. According to the positivist college, humans are regularly impacted by external elements like their social surroundings, biology, and psychology.
According to early positivists like Cesare Lombroso, criminals have been more willing to commit crimes because of particular physical traits. Although this organic theory is now out of date, it made it viable to do clinical studies on crime.
More mental and social factors are the point of interest of modern-day positivism, including how personality troubles, mental health situations, or tough early life stories may increase the risk of criminal behaviour. This idea contributes to the explanation of why some people choose to commit crimes despite being aware of the possible repercussions.
3. The Contribution of Society to Crime: Sociological Theories
Sociological theories give attention to how the surroundings and society have an impact on criminal behaviour. According to those beliefs, crime is a mirrored image of societal structures, inequality, and community outcomes in preference to being totally a character issue.
- Strain Theory
According to the strain concept, which was put forth by Robert Merton, crime occurs when human beings experience pressure or "strain" due to their inability to legally attain society's goals (which include achievement or riches). For instance, someone may resort to crime on the way to achieving the same way of life as others, no matter going through financial difficulties.
- Social Learning Theory
According to this speculation, which was developed by Albert Bandura, humans pick up behaviours by looking at other humans. People may also emulate criminal activity if they're raised in a way of life that normalises it, while friends or their own family members commit crimes.
- Social Control Theory
According to this speculation, which was put forth with the aid of Travis Hirschi, humans are deterred from committing crimes by robust social ties, which include those found within the community, college, and family. People are more liable to transgress the law while these ties go to pot.
Sociological theories frequently impact UK crime prevention strategies and are particularly helpful in analysing network crime styles, which include gang involvement or juvenile offending.
4. Identity Power: The Labelling Theory
A contrasting stance is taken with the aid of the labelling principle, which was first proposed by sociologists, including Howard Becker, in the 1960s. It means that crime is motivated by the movements of people and the responses of society to those moves.
Labels, including "criminal" or "deviant", can become ingrained in someone's identity. Because they start to view themselves as others do, this will ultimately bring about similar offences. For instance, even after making an attempt to reform, a young man or woman stuck in shoplifting may nonetheless be regarded as a troublemaker. They may additionally act more criminally due to the ongoing label.
This hypothesis serves as a reminder that the way society, the media, and the government deal with criminals may affect their chance of reoffending or effectively reintegrating into society.
5. The Marxist and Critical Views of Inequality and Crime
Marxist criminology examines crime from the perspective of inequality and socioeconomic inequality. It makes the case that rules in capitalist society regularly favour the interests of the powerful and rich, even as they unjustly punish the disadvantaged.
According to this viewpoint, crime is a response to social injustice. For instance, even as they inflict a great deal of harm, white-collar crimes (along with tax evasion or fraud) are frequently penalised much less harshly than street crimes.
This concept is promoted by vital criminologists to encompass racial, gender, and other kinds of inequality. They contend that knowledge of crime in its entirety requires contemplating society's larger energy structures.
This precept aids in the rationalisation of discussions concerning punishment, police, and the way diverse social troubles are dealt with through the criminal justice system within the United Kingdom.
6. Gender and Crime in Feminist Theories
The emergence of feminist criminology drew interest to how conventional conceptions of crime occasionally ignored the views of women. It investigates how victimisation, inequality, and gender norms impact criminal behaviour.
Feminist theorists, for example, take a look at why women are a great deal less likely than men to commit crimes or how women are impacted in other cases through troubles like sexual harassment and domestic abuse. They, furthermore, spotlight how the criminal justice system now handles women victims unfairly or fails to protect them.
Significant changes in UK law and coverage, together with expanded interest in gender-based violence and the need for guidance services, have been impacted by this perception.
Wrapping It Up
Knowing crime theories, we could understand that there may be no reason for criminal behaviour. While a few theories focus attention on how society defines and responds to crime, others emphasise social and economic forces, at the same time as others emphasise private alternatives.
These minds serve as the basis for criminology college students in the UK to study social troubles, justice systems, and criminal behaviour. Learning about the ideas permits you to recognise the wider image, that is, that stopping crime necessitates both information and prevention, regardless of your interest in social sciences, psychology, or law enforcement.
Although crime is complicated, by analysing its motives from distinct perspectives and making use of the right professional assistance, we can come closer to constructing a society that is safer and more equitable for everybody.
