...C. BSCRIM-IV Why do people commit Crime? Crime is an act or omission in violation of public law forbidding or commanding it. Crime occurs every now and then in our society. According to Emile Durkheim, a society is abnormal without the presence of crime. Crime is needed in order for a society to grow. But why do people really commit the crime? What are the factors that affect a person from committing a crime? Some people tend to say that crime exists because of the unending need of a person. Some people do commit crime for survival and some commit because of the influence of several factors. These factors are poverty, peer influence, discontentment, greed and motives. There are several theories that explain why a person commit a crime. Rational choice theory: People generally act in their self-interest and make decisions to commit crime after weighing the potential risks (including getting caught and punished) against the rewards. Social disorganization theory: A person’s physical and social environments are primarily responsible for the behavioral choices that person makes. In particular, a neighborhood that has fraying social structures is more likely to have high crime rates. Such a neighborhood may have poor schools, vacant and vandalized buildings, high unemployment, and a mix of commercial and residential property. Strain theory: Most people have similar aspirations, but they don’t all have the same opportunities or abilities. When people fail to achieve society’s...
Words: 381 - Pages: 2
...When is comes to delinquency, developmental views are basically what goes on throughout that persons life that makes them have delinquent behavior. Basically its what juvenile actions develop over that person's life. Developmental views have to do with what makes a person act one way then all of a sudden act another. Like what causes it. (Schallager pg. 128) Choice views is basically why that person chose to commit a crime. Everyone in the world makes choices each day and even criminals make choices everyday. It is the question of why that person chose to commit a criminal act. Was this person unstable? Was the crime beneficial to this person? Was the person pressured into making a bad decision. That is choice view. It is the choice that a...
Words: 364 - Pages: 2
...2012 Professor Ryann Jorban Abstract There are many reasons why people commit crimes. We live in a world constantly changing and due to the change there are many theories on why people commit crimes. Theories on criminal acts There are many theories on why people commit crimes. By us understanding on why people commit a crime, we can develop ways to control crime. In criminology there are many theories on why people commit crimes. It is believed that an individual weights the pros and cons and makes a conscious choice whether or not to commit a crime. According to “Theorist Beccaria,” crime occurs when the benefits outweigh the costs- when people pursue self-interest in the absence of effective punishments. Crime is a free-willed choice. When considering the reasons leading to a criminal activity choice theory plays an important role. According to “Wikipedia” Choice theory is the believe that individuals choose to commit a crime and look at the opportunities before them. Weighing the benefit versus the punishment and deciding whether to proceed or not. Another important theory is classical theory. According to “Wikipedia” classical theory ascertains that people think before they proceed with criminal actions, that when one commits a crime it is because the individual decided that it was advantageous to commit the crime. Social learning theory is another important theory on why people commit crimes. According to “Wikipedia” social learning indicates that individuals...
Words: 447 - Pages: 2
...Function of Punishment: * According to Durkheim the function of punishment is not to remove crime but to ‘heal the wounds done to collective sentiment’. * Without Punishment – collective sentiments would lose their force and strength * Crime and punishment are both inevitable and functional. Function of Punishment: * According to Durkheim the function of punishment is not to remove crime but to ‘heal the wounds done to collective sentiment’. * Without Punishment – collective sentiments would lose their force and strength * Crime and punishment are both inevitable and functional. Crime is Inevitable: * Durkheim argued that crime in an inevitable and normal aspect of social life. * Crime is present in all types of society; indeed the crime rate is higher in more advanced, industrialized countries. * It is inevitable because not every member of society can be equally committed to the collective sentiments (shared values and beliefs). Crime is Inevitable: * Durkheim argued that crime in an inevitable and normal aspect of social life. * Crime is present in all types of society; indeed the crime rate is higher in more advanced, industrialized countries. * It is inevitable because not every member of society can be equally committed to the collective sentiments (shared values and beliefs). Crime is Functional: * Durkheim argues that it only becomes dysfunctional when it is rate is unusually low or high. ...
Words: 7051 - Pages: 29
...to me. Reckless' containment theory says there are predispositions that make people commit crimes. He uses the terms pushes and pulls. Pushes can come from troubled psyches, or stressful circumstances outside the individual, whereas pulls can be from family, friends, etc. His point is however that these pushes and pulls are not evenly distributed between society. He recognizes these pushes and pulls but says there is more needed to completely explain. Not all youths in socially disorganized areas that are exposed to these pushes or pulls commit crimes. Hence the factor of control. He studied inner and outer containement. Inner involves a strong conscience, conventional beliefs, commitment to goals, etc. Outer containment is an array of forces that limit exposure to criminal pushes and pulls. I like this theory a lot. I think it's hard to test, because we're talking about a lot of inner questions like morals and goals. He recognizes the "pushes and pulls which can explain a lot of crime, but not all. Then he factors in these containment factors which push the theory further. I think it's very valid and important to study these types of factors, but at the same time I think it's hard to study it. All in all, I like this theory and I think it makes a lot of sense. Hirschi's a bit different with the social bond theory. He didn't attempt to explain why individuals engage in criminal acts, but rather why individuals choose to conform to conventional norms. He shows four social bonds...
Words: 2228 - Pages: 9
...Functionalists look at society as a whole. They explain crime and deviance by stating that the source of deviance lies in the nature of society rather than the individual. Durkheim states that crime and deviance is inevitable and a certain level is necessary for society to exist. He also claims that it is a positive aspect of society as it shows examples of rights and wrongs within society and by punishing offenders, through ways such as public humiliation and portraying crime as wrong, raises awareness of crime and therefore deters others from committing crime along with creating a collective conscience. He also argues that crime and deviance allows social change to occur which is needed in order for society to remain stable. Durkheim’s theory is useful in explaining crime as it highlights that crime is not unnatural in society. However, Durkheim has been criticised as there is no way to tell what is too much to be useful and what the right amount is. Durkheim also fails to consider why some groups in society, such as the working class, are more likely to commit crimes. Merton explains crime by using his strain theory in which he focuses on goals and the means of reaching the goals. He based his study on the American Dream and suggested that all members of society have the collective value of wealth and possession. Due to this, Merton claims that crime and deviance arises due to society not being equal and those at the bottom of the hierarchy, for example the working class...
Words: 964 - Pages: 4
...What if one of the most terrifying crimes were committed by wealthy men, who did no violent actions at all? White collar crimes are acts that are committed by financially motivated business and government officials. Some of these types of crimes consist of bank fraud, bribery, embezzlement, and money laundering. There are many theories out in the world about why criminals commit their crimes, but only one of these theories seem to explain why white collar crimes happen. Control theory is one theory that explains criminal behavior by the amount of containment a person has had. The less containment an individual has had in their life, the more likely they are going to act out. The social disorganization theory explains the criminality of different geographical regions around the world. It is said that the closer you live to the center of a city, the more likely you are to commit a crime. The more strain a person has in their life, the more likely they are going to commit a crime to get rid of the strain. This theory is called the strain...
Words: 593 - Pages: 3
...Choice Theories “Criminology is the study of why individuals commit crimes and why they behave in certain situations. If people can understand and learn why a person commits a crime, there can be ways to develop control in crime or rehabilitate the criminal. In criminology there are many theories. Some relate crime to the individual; they believe that an individual weighs the pros and cons and makes a conscious decision or choice if to commit a crime or not. It is believed that a community should support the responsibility of ensuring their citizens do not commit any crimes by offering them a safe and secure place in which to live. It is also believed that some individuals have latent traits that will determine how they will react when put in certain negative situations. In studying these theories and applying them to individuals, it is hoped that psychologists can deter criminals from repeating crimes and help them in their rehabilitation”. * “Choice Theory: The belief that individuals choose to commit a crime, looking at the opportunities before them, weighing the benefit versus the punishment, and deciding whether to proceed or not”. * “Classical Theory: Similar to the choice theory, this theory ascertains that people think before they proceed with criminal actions; that when one commits a crime, it is because the individual decided that it was advantageous to commit the crime”. * “Conflict Theory: Crime results from the conflicts in society among the...
Words: 989 - Pages: 4
...Philosophers and theorist have tried to explain the reasons for crime and why it exists for many years. They have taken apart the mental psycie of criminals and analyzed different theories to try and prove their points. There are scientific studies that exist today testing different variables that effect criminal activity on the psychological, social and biological realms of theories. The sociological theory focuses on the social factors that coax a person to fall into the life of crime and chaos. School of Positivism The school of Positivism saw criminal acts instead of people choosing to commit crimes they believed there were mitigating factors that existed. These factors were psychological, social, and biological and their behaviors were determinate upon these factors. There was a scientific explanation instead of the simple classicalist idea of good and evil, rational mind and free will that was believed to be possessed by all humans. The school of positivist suggests on the social side of this theory social structure is a mitigating factor in the commission of crimes. The criminal is one of weak mind and a follower. It is believed that Imation of a person superior to them and possibly idolize is the reason for many crimes. Crimes have been categorized as either fashion or more custom oriented. This means it is either something that is just hot for the minute or these were learned traits and actions that were instilled in them from a young age....
Words: 1104 - Pages: 5
...criminologist have studied criminal behavior and have developed theories that try to explain the causes for committing crimes. Our society is constantly changing where crime is becoming more recognized to the general public. This paper is a personal reflection of criminological theory. I will discuss my explanation of the occurrence of crime and why people commit crime, the different variables to consider, assumptions based on a theory and finally, what methodologies could be used to evaluate my theory. Explanation of Crime, Why People Commit Crime? While growing up in the city of Detroit, Michigan, I have witness more crime that I would ever care to see in a lifetime. This has also become my feelings for Baltimore, Maryland. I believe that the occurrence of crime is due to life choices of poverty and mental illness. This not only applies to the city of Detroit, but also many communities that have high crime rates. Baltimore is another city that has become torn over the fight between the police department and the struggling community. Crimes are committed by people who are in need of something. Some do it because they do not know any better, they have learned behaviors from their environments. While those who do not have education or jobs, the norm for these individuals is to take what they feel they are entitled to. On the other hand, some people may commit crimes because their mental understanding of obeying the law is not fully developed. There are also many emotions...
Words: 1080 - Pages: 5
...Sociologists agree that lack of opportunity causes people to commit crime? In this essay I will be discussing this question, ‘To what extent would Sociologists agree that lack of opportunity causes people to commit crime?’. Lack of opportunity can be a vital reason why many individuals may commit crime. What is meant by the term ‘ lack of opportunity’ is that some individuals may not have things such as; an education, a sustainable home, a job etc. By not having an education some individuals may have not received qualifications needed to get a job, and by not being able to get a job means not being able to earn money. This can lead to an individual committing crime as they need to find a way of earning a living. In addition by not having a sustainable home either in the past or the present can draw a person into crime. This may be because by not having a sustainable home they may get moved around regularly, and by getting moved around regularly it may cause difficulties in the area of education and work. This may be because they could get moved quite far away from their previous home just after they have started to settle in into the area and by getting moved it may well mean they might need to find a new school or a new job. In some circumstances it might be a little difficult to find an employer who will take you on, meaning you could be left without a job and like I had already mentioned you may resort to crime to earn a living. In addition by regularly moving...
Words: 767 - Pages: 4
...criminals who committed the same type of crimes did so for similar reasons. While I still agree that there is a correlation, through the semester I have changed my view a bit. There are many different theories that can explain the possibilities of why two criminals who have committed the same crime have done so. There isn’t one theory that can explain the causation of any particular crime, but instead each crime and each criminal differs on a case by case basis. Without realizing it I believed heavily in the strain theory as the best explanation for the causation of crime, mainly the belief that people in poverty would overlook the consequences in order to attain what others in their community have. Now I see this was an extremely narrow view point and believe each crime and each criminal can be explained through a diverse and often multiple groups of theories. I underestimated the impact of biological issues that contribute to crime explained by trait theorists. They argue the individual is not the only one responsible for crime in society, but that we must look at their environment, neighborhood, economic opportunities, and family life. The focus is on how different biological factors like high testosterone levels and a person’s diet combined with their environment effects crime (Siegel, 2000). I would have agreed that higher testosterone levels could make someone more aggressive therefor more likely to commit antagonistic crimes, but I would have never believed that...
Words: 1544 - Pages: 7
...Over the years crime has gotten better many don’t think so because many have their own meaning of what should be a crime. The Criminal justice system keeps crime under control from my point of view. Some crimes are plan and some are not. People commit crimes due to different circumstances. Some people get a thrill out of committing crimes and those are the people that most likely commit more than one crime. There are many theories of why crimes are committed. Behavioral Theory, Cognitive Theory and Psychodynamic Theory are three of the many theories of why people think that crimes are committed. Behavioral Theory, Cognitive Theory and Psychodynamic Theory are psychological views of cause of crime. They all describes the mentally reasons why a person commits a crime. The following theories describes that a person younger life might has some kind of impact of their violent lives. All of the theories see human actions based upon the interaction of drives and forces within the person, particularly unconscious and between the different structures of the personality....
Words: 576 - Pages: 3
...Crime has always been viewed as something to steer away from. For many generations, society has always tried to lead people away from doing crime in the best way that they could. People who commit crimes don’t usually just commit crimes for the sake of doing so. Most people usually have a reason. However in modern day society, acts of breaking the law have become more normalized than they once were. Criminal activity has gone up and it’s coming from very unlikely sources. The unlikely sources are committing criminal activity are doing so not because of need but because of greed. They are choosing to engage in the activity despite the warnings and consequences they may face when doing so. These individuals have decided to commit these...
Words: 1411 - Pages: 6
...Putting young adults who committed severe crime in to the jail should not be mandatory. There has been a lot of cases where young adults commit severe crime and put in to the adult jail. Young adult criminals shouldn’t be considered as an adult when they commit crime because they are not mentally fully grown up. Instead of putting young adults to the jail, they should be dealt with specialist to work to their success of rehabilitation. However, there might be people who disagree with this because crime is crime and the youth who commits crime probably won’t understand how bad jail life is due to their lack of knowledge but if they experience the intensity of jail life, they will understand that the life in jail is very harsh and won’t commit...
Words: 1254 - Pages: 6
