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Overview of Criminology Theories and Policies

May 14, 2025

Criminology Unit 2 Knowledge Organizer

Key Concepts

The Criminal

  • Crime: An action or omission punishable by law.
  • Deviance: Diverging from usual social or sexual behavior norms.
  • Crime as a Social Construct: Social norms and values shape definitions of deviance and crime, varying over time and place.

Sociological Theories of Crime

Functionalism

  • Durkheim: Crime is inevitable and serves positive functions:
    • Boundary Maintenance: Reinforces societal norms through the public consequences of breaking laws.
    • Social Change: Deviance by functional rebels encourages social progress.
    • Social Cohesion: Communities unite in response to horrific crimes.

Strain Theory

  • Merton: Strain between societal goals and means leads to crime.
    • Structural Factors: Unequal opportunities.
    • Cultural Factors: Emphasis on success goals.
    • Responses: Conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion.

Interactionism (Labeling Theory)

  • Becker: Deviance is the result of societal labeling.
  • Lemert: Differentiates between primary and secondary deviance.
  • Cicourel: Justice negotiation influenced by stereotypes.
  • Braithwaite: Different shaming strategies affect crime rates.

Left & Right Realism

  • Right Realism:
    • Crime is a rational choice.
    • Focus on inadequate socialization and biological differences.
    • Solutions: Zero tolerance policing, target hardening.
  • Left Realism:
    • Marginalization and relative deprivation as causes.
    • Solutions: Multi-agency policing, structural causes tackling.

Marxism

  • Crimogenic Capitalism: Capitalism fosters crime through materialism and social inequality.
  • Role of State & Law Making: Laws favor the bourgeoisie.

Individualistic Theories

Eysenck Personality Theory

  • Certain personality traits (extroversion, neuroticism, psychoticism) linked to criminality.

Psychodynamic Theory (Freud)

  • Early childhood experiences shape personality and behavior.

Learning Theories

  • Sutherland: Criminal behavior is learned through associations.
  • Operant Learning: Behavior is repeated if rewarded.
  • Social Learning Theory (Bandura): Aggressive behavior can be learned by observation.

Evaluation of Sociological Theories

  • Functionalism: Difficult to quantify the 'right' amount of crime.
  • Marxism: Overlooks non-class factors.
  • Realism: Left - too lenient, Right - overlooks non-street crime.
  • Interactionism: Can be deterministic.
  • Strain Theory: Focuses on economic crime.

Biological Theories of Crime

XYY Theory

  • Chromosomal abnormalities linked to aggression.

Genetic Theories

  • Twin Studies: Higher concordance in MZ twins suggests genetic influence.
  • Adoption Studies: Genetic link to criminality through parental records.
  • Lombroso's Theory: Atavistic features link to criminal behavior.

Physiological Theories

  • Sheldon's Somatotypes: Body types influence criminality.
  • Brain Injuries: Affect behavior and self-control.
  • Biochemical Factors: Neurotransmitter levels linked to aggression.

Influence of Theory on Policy

  • Biological: Health models in prisons, death penalty.
  • Individualistic: Behavior modification programs.
  • Sociological: Multi-agency approaches, CCTV, restorative justice.

Social Changes in Policy Development

  • Changes in societal attitudes towards homosexuality, racism, smoking, domestic violence, etc.

Campaigns Influence on Policy

  • Individual Campaigns: Initiated from personal experiences, e.g., Clare's Law.
  • Newspaper Campaigns: Spread campaign messages to wider audiences.
  • Pressure Groups: Advocate for legal and policy changes.