Criminological Theories And Theories Of Criminal Behavior...

Criminological Theories Criminological theories (also known as theoretical criminology), according to Schmalleger (2015), is the â€Å"subfield of general criminology that posits explanations of criminal behavior.† (p. 13) There are many theories under this subfield that exist to help people have a better understanding of a criminal s actions as well as put some justification behind them. There are six different schools that fall under criminological theories. These schools are: Classical School, Biological/Biosocial Theories, Psychological/Psychiatric Theories, Social Structions Approaches, Social Process Social Development Theories, and Social Conflict Theories. Classical School Classical School revolves around the idea that an individual thinks about the pros and cons of a crime and then commits it, like it is a rational choice, which is argued through the deterrence-based system. This school was brought up â€Å"out of the Enlightenment.† (Schmalleger, 2015, p. 77) The outcome of Enlightenment thinkers led to the discardment of superstitious beliefs and individuals were to be seen a s†self-determining entities possessing a fundamental freedom of choice.† (Schmalleger, 2015, p. 57) Rational choice and free will became essential to human activity thus inspiring them to review past documents of human behavior from the point of view of rationalism. Crime was viewed as a distinguished form of evil, or a moral malpractice that would be fed by someone’s personal choice. While thereShow MoreRelatedCriminological Theories And The Criminal Behavior2650 Words   |  11 Pagesnumber of criminological theories have been devel oped throughout the course of time for the purposes of attempting to understand and pinpoint what motivates individuals to demonstrate criminal behaviors by engaging in criminal acts. The focus of this work will be to apply theories of crime to the offense of burglary. Three criminological theories will be identified, discussed, and then related to the criminal behavior of burglary. The associations between the theories and the criminal behavior willRead MoreCriminal Behavior And The Criminal Acts1115 Words   |  5 Pagestry and figure out why people commit criminal acts. Criminal behavior has been studied for many years and theories have been suggested as to this very topic. Criminal behavior is when an individual commits a criminal act. A criminal act constitutes the violation of breaking the law. Criminal behavior can be linked to many crimes like organized crime along with misdemeanors and felonies (Jones, 2005). Burglaries are no exception when it comes to criminal behavior. Burglaries consist of either violentRead MorePersonal Criminological Theory Paper1142 Words   |  5 PagesPersonal Criminological Theory Paper Criminological Theory 3 February 2012 Personal Criminological Theory Paper Introduction Through out the years Criminologists has conducted a great amount of research and through that research Criminologist has developed different theories in order to better understand and explain criminal behavior. Theories try to help make sense out of many observations that are conducted presenting the facts of the principal that connects and explains the theories. If goodRead MoreClassical Criminological Theory On Crime And Punishment1318 Words   |  6 PagesClassical criminological theory was introduced in 1764. The tenants of this theory became the backbone for the development of all criminological theories to come. After over 200 years have passed since its conception, is classical criminological theory still relevant to today’s society in explaining the causes of crime? This essay will address this question by discussing the major components of classical criminological theory while highlighting its strengths and weaknesses. The essay will also examineRead MoreEssay Biol ogical Explanations of Criminal Behaviour1357 Words   |  6 PagesCrime theories are still in a development stage; it is an evolutionary process that continues to this day. Crime is still a complex and misunderstood phenomenon with no concrete evidence when it comes to human behavior. Throughout time there have been endless amounts of crime theories, few of which revolve around biological explanations. We have Cesare Lombroso and the Positive School who thought that criminals were genetically different from the rest of the general population, that they were biologicallyRead MoreCriminology And The Criminal Justice System824 Words   |  4 Pagespertains to the last ten years, Criminology and its relevance to the criminal justice system has been taught internationally to a number of students seeking employment within the criminal justice field. Criminology (as a whole) is a comprehensive study of criminal behavior, crime as a social matter, and criminal conduct. This is best expla ined in Stout’s book titled Applied Criminology when it is stated that â€Å"Different criminological theories emerge from different contexts, are shaped by different forcesRead MoreA Discussion On Classical School And Positivist817 Words   |  4 PagesWhen the discussion of theory is brought up, many concepts have some similarities to them, yet constructed or used differently depending on the organization. This dissertation will analyze two authors perspective on what is theory? What makes up a good theory? What criteria are used by scholars to evaluate theory and research? Also an outlining on reliability and validity, and identify different measurement used in criminal justice. Last a discussion about classical school and positivist will alsoRead MoreFour Types of Crimes1348 Words   |  5 PagesCrime #1 – Murder – From Child Star to Alleged Killer 1. Physiognomy theory states that human behavioral characteristics have external physical manifestations (Understanding Crime: Essentials of Criminological Theory, pg 95, Unit 3). What does this mean exactly? Physical manifestation happens through detachment. Detached from your goal and not thinking about, the physical manifestation will be in process and eventually take place (http://www.lawsofmindsystem.com/physicalmanifestation.htm). CouldRead MoreThe Role Of Criminological Research On Theory Building767 Words   |  4 PagesWhat is the role of criminological research in theory building? By constructing theories or representations we can increase our understanding of criminal conduct. Through improving our understanding we can create effective, and operational strategies to handle crime issues. We must have a sufficient amount of accurate and documented research, and or experiments to prove the validity of our research. Research is attaining the information and data needed to generate a theory. We gather research byRead MoreVideo The Lost Children Behind Bars917 Words   |  4 Pagestrespassing, disorderly conduct, marijuana use, and habitual truancy (Emsnyc12, 2012). Along with these minor crimes, Jerilyn had also committed a very serious criminal offense of child molestation against her nephew, which led to her being put into the Adobe Mountain Juvenile Corrections Facility (Emsnyc12, 2012). With that being said, her criminal behavior can very much be attributed to substantial events that occurred within her life at a very young age. At six years old, Jerilyn was molested by her mother’s