Abstract
This paper examines and analyzes how theory helps our understanding of crime and the crime problem. The focus of the discussion is on crime in Australia, and focuses specifically on the media's tendency to sensationalize crime stories and incite fear of crime in order to sell newspapers, pursue political agendas, or make journalistic reputations. .

Tags:SOCIOLOGY / CRIME AND DEVIANCE (ISSUES, THEORY, THEORISTS), crime theory

Abstract
This paper discusses the theories behind why some people commit violent crimes against others. It discusses classical theory which is based on the early work of Cecare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham. It then goes on to describe rational choice theory, deterrence theory and the rationalist theory. The paper suggests that an understanding of all the theories are necessary in order to attempt to curb an increase in violent crime.

From the Paper
"This is not to suggest that criminals should be coddled, a view parodied in the musical West Side Story when gang members sang out excuses for their bad behavior. If all criminal behavior were rationally driven, manipulation of the factors of certainty, severity and celerity would drastically reduce crime. However, ignoring the other things that influence and even detract from logical processes will lead to a greater understanding of why individuals commit crimes. In that way, the specific approach points to the general approach, because in research we find specific individuals, who, when grouped together in an effective research model, can suggest explanations for their behavior (Aurhahn & Parker, 1998). For example, research shows that alcohol abuse and violence correlate highly. But knowing such facts does not always point to simple solutions, possibly because behavior is too complex to be blamed on one behavior. This was demonstrated ironically and powerfully with this country's experiment with prohibition, which led to a dramatic increase in some crimes."

Tags:legal, punishment, deterrence

Abstract
The paper explains Wilson and Kelling's theory that active policing brings down the level of disorderliness in a neighborhood, which will eventually impact crime rates. The paper explores the perspectives and research on this theory and discusses the view that there is not sufficient empirical evidence to suggest that foot patrols can actually reduce real crime rates, especially violent crime rates. The paper then considers another view that even if the broken windows theory is incorrect and social disorder does not create a breeding crime for more serious offenses, community policing can only have a positive impact on a neighborhood. The paper concludes by discusses the risks associated with broken-windows style policing.

From the Paper
"In their article Broken Windows, Wilson and Kelling give an in-depth explanation of how whether a community is orderly or disorderly can impact the perception of a community's crime rate. They explain how lawmakers in New Jersey decided to enforce this policy by putting policemen back on the street, walking beats, rather than patrolling in police cars. Although Wilson and Kelling both acknowledge that placing officers on foot patrol did little to change actual crime rates, they noted that those foot patrols resulted in a change in neighborhood attitude and demeanor. While crime rates may not have changed, people in those neighborhoods perceived a difference in the rates of crime, especially violent crime."

Tags:order, disorder, community, police, patrols

Abstract
In this article, the writer notes that followers of the social organization theory believe the degree of a society's organization is correlated with violent crime. The writer maintains that if a community has strong social institutions or organizations, there will be less violent crime. Conversely, the writer points out that in a society where social organizations are under-funded, weak or ineffective, there will be higher instances of crime. The writer argues that social organization theories are right to emphasize the importance of institutions, which after all exist to serve public needs such as safety and education. It is also important to note, as social process theories do, that these institutions are made up of individuals, and as social creatures, these inter-relations fulfill basic human needs. Thus, the writer claims that a more comprehensive approach to preventing violent crime would be to ensure that institutions such as schools and law enforcement are well-funded.

From the Paper
"The strengths of the social organization theory of crime can be seen in the success of recreational programs targeted to at-risk youth. These programs are designed to meet the youth's problems in a positive way, encouraging them to form healthy attachments with their peers and mentors. One such successful project is the "Comin' Up" program in Forth Worth, Texas. Comin' Up is a midnight youth-oriented basketball league that was convened to give gang members an alternative activity to crime and violence. Since the program was initiated, Fort Worth police reported a 39 percent decrease in juvenile crime. Similarly, mentoring programs stress the need for mentoring programs for youths having difficulty at school. This requires concerted efforts on the part of teachers and other educators, as well as counselors and social workers. Athletic leagues, summer camps and similar recreation programs remain staples of community activities geared towards avoiding violent crime."

Tags:violent, social, organization, criminal

Abstract
This research examines Michael Milken's white-collar crimes and corporate deviance in terms of sociologist Robert K. Merton's theory of deviance. The research sets forth the context in which Milken's behavior patterns lend themselves to analysis from Merton's perspective and then discusses how shifts in Milken's behavior since the exposure of his white-collar crime can be explained by Merton's views.

From the Paper
"Merton's conception of deviance is structured around the relationship between individual wants and needs on one hand and the ability to fulfill those wants, needs, and dreams on the other. According to Merton (25ff), the venue for fulfillment is society, and its class structure, institutions, cultural norms, and the position of the individual within the whole may facilitate, prevent, or retard fulfillment. Man, says Merton (195), "is to a very important degree controlled by his social relations to the instruments of production." Written and unwritten rules of engagement between individuals and between individuals and social institutions dominate life experience, such that social life amounts to life in a bureaucracy, with behavior assuming the character of ritual adherence to specific kinds of action."

Tags:milken, behavior, pattern, fraud, embezzlement

From the Paper
"This study will analyze the crime theory of labeling, discussing labeling in terms of its applicability to the behavior of criminals. The study will also consider how labeling relates to my own perception of crimes.
The question of labeling is the question of who defines what crime is and what a criminal is. Labeling essentially has to do with a person becoming what he is perceived as being. If the child steals a toy and is told that he has made a mistake and that he should not do it again, he will be more likely to avoid further criminal activity than if he were to be grabbed by the back of the neck, thrown into jail or juvenile hall, and called ("labeled") a criminal.
Hart, Corrier and Binder express the socio-psychological
view when they write that "There is no such thing as right and (...)"

Abstract
This study seeks the origin and causes of a racial homicide in Jasper, Texas. Three schools of crime theories help explain various dimensions of the crime. The classical school advances the social contract theory and the theory of proportionality. The Marxist school presents the labeling and conflict theories. Finally, the paper shows how Vernon Geberth and Erich Fromm advance the psychology of evil or malignant narcissism to explain the origin and cause of James Byrd's lynching.

From the Paper
"The proponents of the proportionality theory claim that the punishment should fit the crime. For example, if the punishment for stealing a doughnut were the same for stealing a car, many would see no added risk in stealing the car. Therefore, crime would increase if the punishment did not fit the crime. For several generations in Jasper, law enforcement looked the other way and/or participated in racist crimes. The risk for committing these crimes was next to nonexistent. Therefore, these unchallenged crimes increased in our tragic history of racism, over the decades. (Hoffman, 1999) This theory helps explain the racist crime trends from the 1920s to the 1960s. Jasper in 1998 was seen as a vestige of that era. Another paradigm may help explain the events at Jasper."

Tags:administration, criminology, forensic, lynching

Abstract
In this article, the writer looks at the topic of crime according to gender based factors. The writer questions why the relationship of gender to crime has been widely overlooked. The writer maintains that past inattention to the issue has been somewhat redressed in recent times based on a growing number of gender-based theories of criminal behavior.

From the Paper
"The lack of theoretical investigation into gender-based schemas of crime has been noted by contemporary criminologists. This is strange, given that gender is clearly a notable factor in criminal and delinquent behavior: only 7 percent of prison inmates and 11 percent of jail inmates are female, and women comprise only 14% of sworn officers in large police departments. So why is gender and its relationship to crime so often overlooked in academic circles?"

Tags:gender, crime, theory

Abstract
The paper discusses how criminologists have proposed many theories to explain the causes of criminal behaviour; some criminological theories are micro-level theories, which attempt to explain crime with reference to the individual; some criminological theories are meso-level theories, which attempt to explain crime with reference to the individual's interaction with society, and finally, some criminological theories are macro-level, and attempt to explain crime primarily with reference to society, rather than the individual (Sacco and Kennedy, 2008). This paper examines a macro-level theory of crime: Messner and Blau's (1987) theory of routine leisure activities and rates of crime.

From the Paper
"Criminologists have proposed many theories to explain the causes of criminal behaviour. Some criminological theories are micro-level theories, which attempt to explain crime with reference to the individual. Some criminological theories are meso-level theories, which attempt to explain crime with reference to the individual's interaction with society. Finally, some criminological theories are macro-level, and attempt to explain crime primarily with reference to society, rather than the individual (Sacco and Kennedy, 2008). In this essay, a macro-level theory of crime is examined: Messner and Blau's (1987) theory of routine leisure..."

Tags:crime, punishment, society

Abstract
This essay examines corporate crime and applies conflict theory to this type of crime. First, corporate crime is defined. Then conflict theory and its critique are presented. This essay argues that conflict theory can be used to explain why corporate crime is abundant, and why it is not often persecuted and why it remains under punished.

From the Paper
"White-collar crime is a crime committed by a person of respectability and a high status social in the course of his occupation. White-collar crime is also known as business crime and can be divided in two broad categories: occupational and corporate. In other ..."

Tags:corporate, crime, conflict, theory, criminology