Criminological Theory



Criminological Theory

Introduction

Regarding crime as social phenomena, criminology is the body of knowledge. When it was analyzed earlier it was observed that criminology examines the processes of breaking laws, making laws and reaction to the breaking of laws. (Sutherland, 1947). There are a lot of theories as to why a person commits a crime. These theories involve the human and criminal behavior which is basically motivated with rationality. Crime can be controlled through the use of punishments that combine the proper degrees of clarity, certainty and severity. In the U.S justice system this belief is a key element (Duffee, & Maguire, 2007). The three theories of crime causation include sociological, biological and psychological theories.

Biological theories of crime causation

Biological theory of crime causation describes that the crime which is being committed by an individual mainly due to genetic disorders, bio-chemical and neurological deficiencies. The theories of biological crime causation are usually based on the thought that criminals are supposed be psychologically different from non criminals (Goerge & Beaulieu, 2010). There are certain assumptions which are being made by the biological theory of causation of crime, these includes the following:

The locus of an individual personality and mind's organ is his brain. The individual's behavior occurs directly from his mind/ brain and therefore both neurology and neurochemistry cannot be unnoticed by any hypothesis of this behavior.

The major determinants of an individual's behavior comprising of tendencies of crime are based to a considerable degree constitutionally and genetically.

Observed racial differences and the gender visibility and rates and types of criminality which is a result arisen due to the biological differences among the sexes or race.

The individuals casual factors of human behavior which mainly included crime as well, is known to pass these traits from generations to generations.

During the evolutionary processes some of the behavior seen among human is the result of biological properties inherited from the more primitive developmental stages.

The interplay between the social environment, biology, and heredity provides the nexus for any realistic consideration of crime causation.

For example

If an individual has a gene which is predisposed which he has inherited from his father's side. The grandfather and father of that individual were serial murderers and therefore the child inherits such traits from them and may commit crime as well.

Sociological theories of crime causation

The aspects of sociology are straight forward. Poor education, Race, friends, values, status, and socioeconomic, age, gender, situational and ...