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I will provide the Paper, just need a 8-10 slide pp outline for the paper, not a hard assignment I just dont have time to do it, mid day tomorrow. 5/25
Running head: CAUSES OF CRIME Thomas 1
Causes of crime
2
Causes of crime
Jonathan Thomas
CRJ 475
Mount Olive College
Causes of crime
Crime is generally referred to as the commissioning of an act that violates the law causing injuries to the society. Contemporary scholars from all over the world have debated this subject for ages with the aim of trying to unearth the causes of crime but many have gone ahead to conclude that it is a motivation of various factors. The factors are nevertheless numerous and there is no single study that accurately proves the current theories. All in all these theories have been used by scholars and researchers across the globe and have been widely accepted as the most probable sources of criminology. This study will indulge explicitly into some of these theories that form the basis of criminology together with some of the most profound programs and policies that would reduce the rising rates of crimes around the world.
These theories can be classified into three major theories; theories that attribute the act of crime to some congenital or biological defects by the defender, theories that may emanate out of a mental or a psychological disorder and theories that emanate from social or environmental factors. This study will begin by looking into the biological theories of crime.
There are two or more theories that currently exist in the biosocial world today and one or two set of these theories lays more emphasis on the genetic factors basically the traits that are transmitted to the child from the parents (Perez, 2011). Other studies assert that a criminal behavior may be triggered by defects in the neurology set up which may inhibit the factors that aid in self control which limit the probability of indulging in a criminal behavior. The irregularities may result out of defects in the structure and the chemical composition of the brain.
Genetic factors
This study shows that the effect of biological inheritance tending towards criminality is high in conjunction with the social environment of an individual. Studies in the interrelationship of criminal inheritance between parents and children proves that children whose parents had a background of crime or who are criminals themselves were more likely to engage in criminal activities compared to parents who abided by the law.
Finally there is a research that has been carried out between parents and their adopted children and parents and their real children. The research proved that the children with their biological parents had a higher risk of indulging in criminal activities if their parents were criminals than the adopted children (Ramdhan, 2011). However, there is little genetic predisposition to prove this and hence more study is needed to reaffirm these assertions.
Abnormalities in Neurology
There are a number of people who suffer from abnormalities in the way their brain is structured. Researchers around the globe have discovered that there is a close correlation between criminal activities and impairment in the cerebrum part of the brain. This means that those people with an aggressive behavior may have developed those behaviors as a result of an impairment of the frontal lobe in the brain’s cerebral part.
Another factor that can contribute to indulgence in these criminal behaviors is imbalances in the chemical set up of the brain. This is mainly due to the fact that all the thoughts in a human brain, including the emotions and behaviors are dependent on the impulses that are transmitted in the central nervous system (Perez, 2011). Synapses are the gaps that are found between the cells of the central nervous system while neurotransmitters are the electrical impulses that form around these impulses. Scientists assert that if the above transmitters are low, then there is a high likelihood that the flow of electric impulses in the brain will be interrupted and hence the thoughts and actions of an individual will be affected as a result of this. The empathy and sympathy areas may be affected triggering an aggressive behavior in an individual which may make him/her to indulge in crime (Ramdhan, 2011). There is sound evidence in many laboratories across the world of a relationship between some levels of transmitters for instance serotonin and aggressive behaviors including violence.
The psychological theory
Psychologists around the world evoke that there are certain individual behaviors and actions that develop from the social background of an individual. These theorists assert that certain traits in an individual for instance impulsiveness increase the chances of an individual to indulge in a criminal activity.
Moral development factor
According to a research carried out by Jean Piaget, there are basically four stages that are association with the growth of a child. He asserts that children below two years of age experience the world only through their senses and little abilities. On the other hand those between the age of two and seven years only think and understand things according to the knowledge they had in their previous years. During this age the children tend to be egocentric and believe that whatever they experience or believe is what is being experienced by everyone around them. From the age of seven to the adolescent ages the child begins to think logically and to classify his/her objects in an organized manner. After the adolescent age, the child is able to think more logically and develops a better understanding of the future theoretical concepts. In the first stages children are subjected to rules that they have to follow without question, later after the adolescent age they get the notion that they too have the ability to set and modify rules and lastly all humans are subjected to the fact that there are rules to be followed and they slowly understand the importance of following rules.
Influenced by this theory by Piaget, an American psychologist by the name Lawrence Kohlberg developed a moral theory in the mid-1960s that was based on the four stages by Piaget. He proposed that in the first stages of development children are striving to enjoy satisfaction and avoid punishment by all means possible. In the next stage, these children who are slowly maturing begin to see the need for rules and begin to demonstrate their respect for those in the authority and try all means possible to avoid any form of disagreement with the authority (Vogel, 2010). As the child grows he begins to discover that the moral judgment in the society will be based on the ability by an individual to respect the rule of law since these rules are for the benefit of all.
The moral development process forms the basis of criminology in that those who lack the ability to conform by the set rules and regulations are more prone to indulge in criminal acts and hence the study above proves that the inability to conform to the general moral development process will increase your risk of indulging in crime.
Social learning factor
This theory proves that an individual behavior is shaped by the social interaction in an individual or the lack of it. It proposes that an individual learns a lot from his/her social interaction with others rather a predestined or set process. Primarily sociologists assert that the behavior of an individual is greatly shaped by the way he/she is treated by the response of their elders towards his/her violations and compliance with the set rules. Rewards for conforming to the suitable rules and the social sanctions that will be imposed for the failure to do so will greatly shape or determine the destiny of an individual’s behavior. Repeated rewards set the standards for this behavior and children begin to control themselves to the state that will align them with the moral and legal standards.
Studies have proved that youths who engage in delinquency acts were treated differently than those youths who showed no form of felony (Benson, 2012). The social life of the delinquent individuals is often dominated by a slipshod life with an erratic discipline record which ultimately translates to a harsh treatment by their parents that may include physical punishment.
The social life by these individuals shapes their life and increases their probability to indulge in crime. This social learning theory clearly evoke that if the social development process is marked by indiscipline and punishments then there is a big likelihood of that individual to indulge in a criminal act.
Personality theory
This theory attempts to explain how certain individuals tend towards certain behaviors through acquired predispositions. These acquired predispositions are mainly the personal traits for instance stubbornness and impulsiveness together with other personal behavior types like being extrovert (Benson, 2012). Scientists are of the feeling that certain acquired predispositions may increase or decrease the chances of an individual to indulge in crime.
Freud Sigmund an Australian physician evoked that emotional development is the process where you achieve a balance between the conflicting desires (Benson, 2012). Freud evoked that for humans to achieve a balance between their self interests they must first combine their moral attitudes with their conscience which is referred in most quarters as the superego. As the child is developing, a conflict emergences between his/her ego and his/her self interest which instigates a balance between the society and the child between his/her desires and the desire to replenish these desires (Joyce, 2012). Freud concludes by asserting that a personality disorder that affects this development process may increase the tendency of clinging towards a criminal behavior.
Environmental and social theories
Social causes
One of the most profound theories that describe the association of crime with criminal activities was instigated by a French sociologist Gabriel Tarde who evoked that criminal activities were chiefly instigated by the social factors. He believed that people who indulged in criminal activities were inspired by their fellow criminals and he was also of the opinion that certain criminal activities were an imitation of criminal activities that had happened before.
This crime predisposition is mainly explained by the social environment that surrounds an individual and more so the environment of his/her yester years particularly when he/she was young (Joyce, 2012). He also evoked that certain criminals pursue criminal activities like their careers particularly due to the social environment where he/she is residing.
Another French theorist by the name Emile Durkheim has also added a voice to this subject of criminology by evoking that crime mostly emerges as a result of a loss in social stability. Durkheim asserted that this loss of stability results to alienation and confusion.
Economic status
Experts around the world believe that poverty may be another chief factor that may make people to indulge in acts of crime and violence. Negative emotions like desperation and anger and the seething desire for food, money and shelter together with the common necessities for life may force the poor to indulge in criminal behaviors. There is a high correlation between poverty and crime since poverty undoubtedly inspires people to indulge in crimes like robbery and theft and other criminal activities like selling illegal drugs and consumption of the same drugs on which they are highly dependent on.
Studies have confirmed that worse economic situations will make many people to turn to criminal activities as a result of the deprivation that is caused by these callous conditions. All in all studies in the correlation between crime and poverty has conflicted over the years since there is enough prove from around the world of rich people who have been architects of crime.
In order to lower the rates of crime around the world, some of the most profound programs that should be incorporated would be primarily based on the factors above. Psychologists and practitioners around the world should develop programs that can address the defects that occur in the brain in order to avert the probability of an individual developing an aggressive behavior as a result of a defect in the self control part of the brain (Vogel, 2010). Children should also be raised with the most profound parental care and social environment free from crime in order to avert the probability of indulging in criminal activities.
To conclude, the study proves that crime can emanate from the biological, psychological and social nature of an individual to his/her social status. All in all the research call for an in depth study on the same to solve the conflicting studies from various sources that have been emerging over the years.
Reference
Perez, J. (2011). Social Class and Criminal Behavior through a Biosocial Lens. British Journal of Criminology 4, 115-117.
Ramdhan, S. (2011). The impact of gender, racial/ethnic background, social class, family and peer influence on juvenile delinquency. Journal of Genetic Counseling 19, 9-21.
Vogel, B. (2010). A primer on crime and delinquency theory. Journal of Global Citizenship & Equity Education 12, 213-216.
Benson, M. (2012). Crime and the Life course. Journal of Child Psychology 5, 11-14.
Joyce, P. (2012). Criminal Justice: An Introduction. Journal of Social History 8, 13-16.
Running head: CAUSES OF CRIME Thomas 1
Causes of crime
2
Causes of crime
Jonathan Thomas
CRJ 475
Mount Olive College
Causes of crime
Crime is generally referred to as the commissioning of an act that violates the law causing injuries to the society. Contemporary scholars from all over the world have debated this subject for ages with the aim of trying to unearth the causes of crime but many have gone ahead to conclude that it is a motivation of various factors. The factors are nevertheless numerous and there is no single study that accurately proves the current theories. All in all these theories have been used by scholars and researchers across the globe and have been widely accepted as the most probable sources of criminology. This study will indulge explicitly into some of these theories that form the basis of criminology together with some of the most profound programs and policies that would reduce the rising rates of crimes around the world.
These theories can be classified into three major theories; theories that attribute the act of crime to some congenital or biological defects by the defender, theories that may emanate out of a mental or a psychological disorder and theories that emanate from social or environmental factors. This study will begin by looking into the biological theories of crime.
There are two or more theories that currently exist in the biosocial world today and one or two set of these theories lays more emphasis on the genetic factors basically the traits that are transmitted to the child from the parents (Perez, 2011). Other studies assert that a criminal behavior may be triggered by defects in the neurology set up which may inhibit the factors that aid in self control which limit the probability of indulging in a criminal behavior. The irregularities may result out of defects in the structure and the chemical composition of the brain.
Genetic factors
This study shows that the effect of biological inheritance tending towards criminality is high in conjunction with the social environment of an individual. Studies in the interrelationship of criminal inheritance between parents and children proves that children whose parents had a background of crime or who are criminals themselves were more likely to engage in criminal activities compared to parents who abided by the law.
Finally there is a research that has been carried out between parents and their adopted children and parents and their real children. The research proved that the children with their biological parents had a higher risk of indulging in criminal activities if their parents were criminals than the adopted children (Ramdhan, 2011). However, there is little genetic predisposition to prove this and hence more study is needed to reaffirm these assertions.
Abnormalities in Neurology
There are a number of people who suffer from abnormalities in the way their brain is structured. Researchers around the globe have discovered that there is a close correlation between criminal activities and impairment in the cerebrum part of the brain. This means that those people with an aggressive behavior may have developed those behaviors as a result of an impairment of the frontal lobe in the brain’s cerebral part.
Another factor that can contribute to indulgence in these criminal behaviors is imbalances in the chemical set up of the brain. This is mainly due to the fact that all the thoughts in a human brain, including the emotions and behaviors are dependent on the impulses that are transmitted in the central nervous system (Perez, 2011). Synapses are the gaps that are found between the cells of the central nervous system while neurotransmitters are the electrical impulses that form around these impulses. Scientists assert that if the above transmitters are low, then there is a high likelihood that the flow of electric impulses in the brain will be interrupted and hence the thoughts and actions of an individual will be affected as a result of this. The empathy and sympathy areas may be affected triggering an aggressive behavior in an individual which may make him/her to indulge in crime (Ramdhan, 2011). There is sound evidence in many laboratories across the world of a relationship between some levels of transmitters for instance serotonin and aggressive behaviors including violence.
The psychological theory
Psychologists around the world evoke that there are certain individual behaviors and actions that develop from the social background of an individual. These theorists assert that certain traits in an individual for instance impulsiveness increase the chances of an individual to indulge in a criminal activity.
Moral development factor
According to a research carried out by Jean Piaget, there are basically four stages that are association with the growth of a child. He asserts that children below two years of age experience the world only through their senses and little abilities. On the other hand those between the age of two and seven years only think and understand things according to the knowledge they had in their previous years. During this age the children tend to be egocentric and believe that whatever they experience or believe is what is being experienced by everyone around them. From the age of seven to the adolescent ages the child begins to think logically and to classify his/her objects in an organized manner. After the adolescent age, the child is able to think more logically and develops a better understanding of the future theoretical concepts. In the first stages children are subjected to rules that they have to follow without question, later after the adolescent age they get the notion that they too have the ability to set and modify rules and lastly all humans are subjected to the fact that there are rules to be followed and they slowly understand the importance of following rules.
Influenced by this theory by Piaget, an American psychologist by the name Lawrence Kohlberg developed a moral theory in the mid-1960s that was based on the four stages by Piaget. He proposed that in the first stages of development children are striving to enjoy satisfaction and avoid punishment by all means possible. In the next stage, these children who are slowly maturing begin to see the need for rules and begin to demonstrate their respect for those in the authority and try all means possible to avoid any form of disagreement with the authority (Vogel, 2010). As the child grows he begins to discover that the moral judgment in the society will be based on the ability by an individual to respect the rule of law since these rules are for the benefit of all.
The moral development process forms the basis of criminology in that those who lack the ability to conform by the set rules and regulations are more prone to indulge in criminal acts and hence the study above proves that the inability to conform to the general moral development process will increase your risk of indulging in crime.
Social learning factor
This theory proves that an individual behavior is shaped by the social interaction in an individual or the lack of it. It proposes that an individual learns a lot from his/her social interaction with others rather a predestined or set process. Primarily sociologists assert that the behavior of an individual is greatly shaped by the way he/she is treated by the response of their elders towards his/her violations and compliance with the set rules. Rewards for conforming to the suitable rules and the social sanctions that will be imposed for the failure to do so will greatly shape or determine the destiny of an individual’s behavior. Repeated rewards set the standards for this behavior and children begin to control themselves to the state that will align them with the moral and legal standards.
Studies have proved that youths who engage in delinquency acts were treated differently than those youths who showed no form of felony (Benson, 2012). The social life of the delinquent individuals is often dominated by a slipshod life with an erratic discipline record which ultimately translates to a harsh treatment by their parents that may include physical punishment.
The social life by these individuals shapes their life and increases their probability to indulge in crime. This social learning theory clearly evoke that if the social development process is marked by indiscipline and punishments then there is a big likelihood of that individual to indulge in a criminal act.
Personality theory
This theory attempts to explain how certain individuals tend towards certain behaviors through acquired predispositions. These acquired predispositions are mainly the personal traits for instance stubbornness and impulsiveness together with other personal behavior types like being extrovert (Benson, 2012). Scientists are of the feeling that certain acquired predispositions may increase or decrease the chances of an individual to indulge in crime.
Freud Sigmund an Australian physician evoked that emotional development is the process where you achieve a balance between the conflicting desires (Benson, 2012). Freud evoked that for humans to achieve a balance between their self interests they must first combine their moral attitudes with their conscience which is referred in most quarters as the superego. As the child is developing, a conflict emergences between his/her ego and his/her self interest which instigates a balance between the society and the child between his/her desires and the desire to replenish these desires (Joyce, 2012). Freud concludes by asserting that a personality disorder that affects this development process may increase the tendency of clinging towards a criminal behavior.
Environmental and social theories
Social causes
One of the most profound theories that describe the association of crime with criminal activities was instigated by a French sociologist Gabriel Tarde who evoked that criminal activities were chiefly instigated by the social factors. He believed that people who indulged in criminal activities were inspired by their fellow criminals and he was also of the opinion that certain criminal activities were an imitation of criminal activities that had happened before.
This crime predisposition is mainly explained by the social environment that surrounds an individual and more so the environment of his/her yester years particularly when he/she was young (Joyce, 2012). He also evoked that certain criminals pursue criminal activities like their careers particularly due to the social environment where he/she is residing.
Another French theorist by the name Emile Durkheim has also added a voice to this subject of criminology by evoking that crime mostly emerges as a result of a loss in social stability. Durkheim asserted that this loss of stability results to alienation and confusion.
Economic status
Experts around the world believe that poverty may be another chief factor that may make people to indulge in acts of crime and violence. Negative emotions like desperation and anger and the seething desire for food, money and shelter together with the common necessities for life may force the poor to indulge in criminal behaviors. There is a high correlation between poverty and crime since poverty undoubtedly inspires people to indulge in crimes like robbery and theft and other criminal activities like selling illegal drugs and consumption of the same drugs on which they are highly dependent on.
Studies have confirmed that worse economic situations will make many people to turn to criminal activities as a result of the deprivation that is caused by these callous conditions. All in all studies in the correlation between crime and poverty has conflicted over the years since there is enough prove from around the world of rich people who have been architects of crime.
In order to lower the rates of crime around the world, some of the most profound programs that should be incorporated would be primarily based on the factors above. Psychologists and practitioners around the world should develop programs that can address the defects that occur in the brain in order to avert the probability of an individual developing an aggressive behavior as a result of a defect in the self control part of the brain (Vogel, 2010). Children should also be raised with the most profound parental care and social environment free from crime in order to avert the probability of indulging in criminal activities.
To conclude, the study proves that crime can emanate from the biological, psychological and social nature of an individual to his/her social status. All in all the research call for an in depth study on the same to solve the conflicting studies from various sources that have been emerging over the years.
Reference
Perez, J. (2011). Social Class and Criminal Behavior through a Biosocial Lens. British Journal of Criminology 4, 115-117.
Ramdhan, S. (2011). The impact of gender, racial/ethnic background, social class, family and peer influence on juvenile delinquency. Journal of Genetic Counseling 19, 9-21.
Vogel, B. (2010). A primer on crime and delinquency theory. Journal of Global Citizenship & Equity Education 12, 213-216.
Benson, M. (2012). Crime and the Life course. Journal of Child Psychology 5, 11-14.
Joyce, P. (2012). Criminal Justice: An Introduction. Journal of Social History 8, 13-16.
