Premium Essay

Criminological Theories: What Makes Criminals Tick?

Submitted By
Words 492
Pages 2
Why did you do it? Why did you murder that prostitute, assault that truck driver, steal from that hospital? These are the questions that plagued criminologists since the beginning. Answering the “why” is believed to be the premise of finding preventive measures for crime. Understanding how something works means that possible manipulation can occur with the ultimate goal being elimination of crime. Social responsibility theories and social problem theories are two different concepts to the same question. What makes criminals tick?
In reference to the social responsibility theories they focus on the fact that crime derives its essence from the person, meaning that it is the individual actor that causes crime and not the factors of the environment. Choice theory is the first theory to discuss because it is the center basis for what I perceive as all other theories. It focuses on weighing the consequences and determining if the perceived punishment outweighs the possible reward of the crime. The perceived punishment varies from person to person and situation to situation. This is similar to classical theory in which it is surmised that people’s actions are predetermined on their thought processes. Free will is the key in this theory in …show more content…
The first theory to discuss is labeling theory. This is one of my more favorite theories because it ties into information I learned in my psychology class about self-fulfilling prophecies. Labeling theory derives itself from the fact that individuals are perceived to be outcasts or have a predetermination towards committing crime. It is their destiny dictated by the perception of others so they in tune commit to that destiny. The environment said that this was what was going to happen so the individual made it

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Serial Killer

...VOLUME EDITOR S. WALLER is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Montana State University Bozeman. Her areas of research are philosophy of neurology, philosophy of cognitive ethology (especially dolphins, wolves, and coyotes), and philosophy of mind, specifically the parts of the mind we disavow. SERIES EDITOR FRITZ ALLHOFF is an Assistant Professor in the Philosophy Department at Western Michigan University, as well as a Senior Research Fellow at the Australian National University’s Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics. In addition to editing the Philosophy for Everyone series, Allhoff is the volume editor or co-editor for several titles, including Wine & Philosophy (Wiley-Blackwell, 2007), Whiskey & Philosophy (with Marcus P. Adams, Wiley, 2009), and Food & Philosophy (with Dave Monroe,Wiley-Blackwell, 2007). P H I L O S O P H Y F O R E V E RYO N E Series editor: Fritz Allhoff Not so much a subject matter, philosophy is a way of thinking.Thinking not just about the Big Questions, but about little ones too.This series invites everyone to ponder things they care about, big or small, significant, serious … or just curious. Running & Philosophy: A Marathon for the Mind Edited by Michael W. Austin Wine & Philosophy: A Symposium on Thinking and Drinking Edited by Fritz Allhoff Food & Philosophy: Eat,Think and Be Merry Edited by Fritz Allhoff and Dave Monroe Beer & Philosophy: The Unexamined Beer Isn’t Worth Drinking Edited by Steven D. Hales Whiskey & Philosophy:...

Words: 90119 - Pages: 361

Premium Essay

Myths

...Contents Preface Acknowledgments Introduction 1 BRAIN POWER Myth #1 Most People Use Only 10% of Their Brain Power Myth #2 Some People Are Left-Brained, Others Are Right-Brained Myth #3 Extrasensory Perception (ESP) Is a Well-Established Scientific Phenomenon Myth #4 Visual Perceptions Are Accompanied by Tiny Emissions from the Eyes Myth #5 Subliminal Messages Can Persuade People to Purchase Products 2 FROM WOMB TO TOMB Myth #6 Playing Mozart’s Music to Infants Boosts Their Intelligence Myth #7 Adolescence Is Inevitably a Time of Psychological Turmoil Myth #8 Most People Experience a Midlife Crisis in | 8 Their 40s or Early 50s Myth #9 Old Age Is Typically Associated with Increased Dissatisfaction and Senility Myth #10 When Dying, People Pass through a Universal Series of Psychological Stages 3 A REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST Myth #11 Human Memory Works like a Tape Recorder or Video Camera, and Accurate Events We’ve Experienced Myth #12 Hypnosis Is Useful for Retrieving Memories of Forgotten Events Myth #13 Individuals Commonly Repress the Memories of Traumatic Experiences Myth #14 Most People with Amnesia Forget All Details of Their Earlier Lives 4 TEACHING OLD DOGS NEW TRICKS Myth #15 Intelligence (IQ) Tests Are Biased against Certain Groups of People My th #16 If You’re Unsure of Your Answer When Taking a Test, It’s Best to Stick with Your Initial Hunch Myth #17 The Defining Feature of Dyslexia Is Reversing Letters Myth #18 Students Learn Best When Teaching Styles Are Matched to...

Words: 130018 - Pages: 521

Premium Essay

Ethics Trainin for Public Officers

...ACN Anti-Corruption Network for Eastern Europe and Central Asia Ethics Training for Public Officials A study prepared by the OECD Anti-Corruption Network for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ACN) and SIGMA, a joint EU-OECD initiative, principally financed by the EU, in co-operation with the OECD Public Sector Integrity Network March 2013 ACN Anti-Corruption Network for Eastern Europe and Central Asia ETHICS TRAINING FOR PUBLIC OFFICIALS A study prepared by the OECD Anti-Corruption Network for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ACN) and SIGMA, a joint EU-OECD initiative, principally financed by the EU, in co-operation with the OECD Public Sector Integrity Network This document has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the OECD and its Member countries or of the beneficiary countries participating in the SIGMA Programme. This document and any map included herein are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area. The OECD Anti-Corruption Network for Eastern and Central Europe The Anti-Corruption Network (ACN) is a regional outreach programme of the OECD Working Group on Bribery. The ACN is open to countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The main counterparts are...

Words: 31902 - Pages: 128

Premium Essay

A Guide to Forensic Accounting Investigation

...scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600, or on the Web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201-748-6011, fax 201-748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your...

Words: 246885 - Pages: 988

Free Essay

Football, Violence and Social Identity

...Downloaded by [University of Ottawa] at 14:44 24 March 2014 Football, Violence and Social Identity Downloaded by [University of Ottawa] at 14:44 24 March 2014 As the 1994 World Cup competition in the USA again demonstrates, football is one of the most popular participant and spectator sports around the world. The fortunes of teams can have great significance for the communities they represent at both local and national levels. Social and cultural analysts have only recently started to investigate the wide variety of customs, values and social patterns that surround the game in different societies. This volume contributes to the widening focus of research by presenting new data and explanations of football-related violence. Episodes of violence associated with football are relatively infrequent, but the occasional violent events which attract great media attention have their roots in the rituals of the matches, the loyalties and identities of players and crowds and the wider cultures and politics of the host societies. This book provides a unique cross-national examination of patterns of order and conflict surrounding football matches from this perspective with examples provided by expert contributors from Scotland, England, Norway, the Netherlands, Italy, Argentina and the USA. This book will be of interest to an international readership of informed soccer and sport enthusiasts and students of sport, leisure, society, deviance and culture. Richard Giulianotti, Norman...

Words: 73490 - Pages: 294