Theories of crime and criminology are developed to enable people to understand the various aspects of crime. They may be based on the causes of crime, the majorly affected and predisposed groups to crime and the possible solutions to crime. These theories may conflict, depending with the observations and opinions of those who developed them.
Emile in his Anomie theory describes crime as a normal part of a society. This is due to lack of clear cut norms and at times the inability of people to adjust to changing social norms. In Reckless’ theory of containment, it states that in society, one is continuously prone to commit crime. This is due to factors such as poverty and lack of employment, among others. However in his (Emile) theory he claims that a combination of containments or controls can work to prevent commission of this crime. These containments are both internal and external. The internal containments may be one’s morality, character or self-image. External controls are social. These are social institutions and relations. One issue the theories agree on is the predisposition of society members to be involved in crime. Reckless’ theory, however, offers a possible solution.
According to Syke and Matza, neutralization is a technique of justifying the commission of a crime. There are five techniques of neutralization. One is the denial of responsibility. This is whereby the commission of a crime is caused by an external force. The youths deny responsibility of their actions by claiming predisposition due to poor upbringing or the environment. Another technique is the denial of injury, whereby the criminal act does not cause injury to the victim. In such cases, when a juvenile commits a wrongful act, he claims that it was on the assumption that it would not hurt anyone. The denial of the victim technique is majorly based on a sense of giving someone what they deserve. This wrongful action is done under the assumption that there is no problem in issuing punishment to somebody who deserves it. Another technique is condemnation of the condemner. In this case, the errant juvenile ends up diverting his action on his victimizers. This is accompanied by claiming that they are hypocritical in their condemnation. The final technique is the appeal to higher loyalties. This is where one feels obliged to commit a crime for the greater good of the society. The act is done under the assumption that it is the right thing to do.
According to Hirschi, there are four major social bonds that would determine the likelihood of a person committing an unlawful act. These bonds are attachment, commitment, involvement and belief. All these four bonds act either way. For instance, take the act of committing suicide. A person’s attachment to the society will determine their likelihood of committing suicide, depending with the situation. A person’s attachment to someone may prevent one from committing suicide. However, this attachment may in other circumstances be the reason for committing suicide. A person’s commitment to certain goals may also prevent that person from committing the act. However, when one lacks commitment to anything, there will be no reason for them not to commit suicide. Someone who is involved in conventional activities is less likely to have time to think of committing suicide. A person’s belief may hinder a person from committing such an act. However, they may go ahead and do it if they disregard their beliefs.
According to Colvin in his differential coercion theory, those people who have been brought up in an environment of coercion are more likely to respond violently when faced with a coercive situation. They become coercive to those they relate with. According to Colvin, a cycle develops. First there is tension, then abuse and finally apologies and amends. Abused children are more likely to commit violent criminal acts as adults. This may be due to psychological damage and constant fear of abuse. Exposure to violence also may lead to development of deviant behavior. Continuous victimization results in low self-esteem. This encourages ganging, which gives them a sense of authority and power. It also predisposes them to crime. The cycles of coercion they have experienced in their lives result in cycles of violence. These people are likely to end up being chronic offenders.
Social control theories are aimed at showing the factors that may lead to minimization of crime. This is done by trying to find the root and sources of these crimes. Then it is followed by finding which people are more prone to committing crimes. They attribute crimes to lack of social bonds and restraints. These theories give a lot of importance to norms, relationships, beliefs and values. Many social control theorists believe that there must be external forces for a crime to occur. However in 1969, Travis Hirschi held that motivations to commit a crime are natural to human beings. According to the Reckless’ theory in 1967, the control of crimes may be based on the internal restraints of a person. This brings the perspective that a crime can be motivated and suppressed internally. However, the fact that crime is still committed in society shows need for external intervention.
References
Gabbidon, S. (2010). Criminological Perspectives on Race and Crime. New York: Routledge.
Hall, S., & Winlow, S. (2012). New Directions in Criminological Theory. London: Routledge.
Lilly, R., Cullen, F., & Ball, R. (2011). Criminological Theory: Context and Consequences. New York: Sage.
Scheb, J. (2010). Criminal Law and Procedure. New York: Cengage Learning.
Siegel, L. (2009). Introduction to Criminal Justice. New York: Cengage Learning.
