Theories of Criminology

Analytical Essay # 104137

Criminology
Law > Criminal
Psychology

This paper discusses and explains different theories of criminology.

1,134 words () | 12 sources | APA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer discusses that in the field of criminology, various theories have been advanced to explain why people commit crimes. The writer notes that more manageable and more conventional is the listing of theories provided by Victor Jupp, which posits four theories: biological, social bonding, social structure and psychological bonding. Jupp points out that these four theories reflect the learning of different intellectual disciplines and come to widely different opinions about the individual criminal, but are all directed to the common question - why do people commit crimes? The writer concludes that while each of these theories offers some insight, there is a frustrating difficultly in criminology. The writer maintains that although criminology may be able to explain why certain people have committed certain crimes, it is frustratingly less effective at discerning how one might commit crimes and how to prevent them.

From the Paper:

"The biological theory and the social bonding theory both assume that the individual develops into a criminal because of inborn factors. Lombroso and his followers contend that the stigmata mark the atavistic criminal, and these cannot be changed. Eysenck and company contend that, certainly in the adult, the personality is largely unchangeable, and in the case of the criminal, the psychoticisms cannot be removed. By contrast, social structure theories contend that the individual is more of a blank slate, shaped by his surroundings, so that if these surroundings can be manipulated, criminality will not develop."

Sample of Sources Used:

Cohen, S. (1981). Criminology and the sociology of deviance. In Crime and Society: Readings in History and Theory, pp. 220-47. M. Fitzgerald, G. McLennan and J. Pawson, eds. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
Cullen, Francis T., & Agnew, Robert. (2002). Criminological Theory: Past to Present. Los Angeles, California: Roxbury (Essential Readings). On-line table, dated 2002, retrieved 9 May 2007; available at <http://www.uwec.edu/patchinj/ crmj301/theorysummaries.pdf>.
Dallos, R.J. and Sapsford, R.J. (1981). The person and group reality. In Crime and Society: Readings in History and Theory, pp. 429-60. M. Fitzgerald, G. McLennan and J. Pawson, eds. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
Eysenck, Hans J. (1964). Crime and Personality. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
Fitzgerald, Mike, McLennan, Gregor, & Pawson, Jennie, eds. (1981). Crime and society : readings in history and theory. London, England: Routledge & Kegan Paul.