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Essay
31.
Punishments are viewed to be generally inhumane because the punishment is often found to be disproportionate to the gravity of the crime committed. Various theories in criminology view the causation of crimes in different perspectives. Under this assumption, the punishment given to crimes is found to be not suited in addressing the need for deterrence or punishment of the crime actually committed. The blame for criminality is often placed on the biological, environmental, social, and individual circumstances/factors of the offender. Examples of punishments are incarceration or imprisonment, penalty or fines, community service, restitution to victims, and death.
32.
The most important distinction of the classical school theory than the other theories of crime is the principal focus of the theory is upon the legal justice and the justified punishment imposed upon the offender. Unlike other theories of crimes that mainly focus their theories on the causes of crime, the classical theory of crime gives weight in considering the cost benefit calculation on the effect of the punishment to the offender. The classical theory, apart from defining the potential causes of crimes, gives more importance in determining whether the punishment given to the offender will be effective in deterring the commission of a crime in the future. The classical theory is also significant because it is the only theory that challenges the effectiveness of the legal system’s policy on punishment and the administration of justice. It calls for reforms in the punishment imposed by the law on the commission of criminal offenses.
33.
Establishments that serve alcohols, such as bars, are the most common target for motivated offenders, mainly because they offer an opportunity in finding vulnerable targets with the lack or insufficient guardianship or security measures in most establishments. The vulnerable targets in bars are those taking too much alcohol that can intoxicate the mind or cognition of an individual that makes them vulnerable victims of crimes, such as theft, because they become less alert in keeping their belongings safe. Bars are open for business in selling alcoholic drinks. The nature of its business of making alcoholic drinks available to customers makes the bars a potential target for motivated offenders. Considering that most bars usually have many regular patrons, they have insufficient security measures that will watch over a large crowd, thereby making their establishments a hot spot for crimes.
34.
The routine activities theory refers to the convergence of three factors, namely the motivated offenders, lack of guardianship and suitable targets. The motivated offender is a person who is most likely to be vulnerable in committing crimes because of personal, social or behavioral circumstances that can increase their likelihood of engaging in criminal behavior. The offender is not only vulnerable in committing a crime, but is also willing to engage in such activity for varied reasons. An example of a motivated offender is a drug addict who needs to commit a crime in order to sustain his needs for financing his addiction. An addict is willing to employ any means necessary in order to attain his criminal intention. The lack of guardianship refers to the absence or insufficient security measures undertaken in order to deter a crime from happening. This could pertain to the lack of security guards, security alarms or police patrol in an area. The absence of a homeowner in their homes can also equate to a lack of guardianship of their property if they do not install a burglar alarm system, for instance. The suitable targets are places or things that offer motivated offenders the opportunity to perpetrate a crime. This can be in the form of expensive cars or cell phones, laptops, and anything that offers an offender the best opportunity to commit a crime.
A classic example of a crime where these three factors are present is burglary, which is a common crime in the local community. An empty home with no burglar alarm system installed can be a suitable target for a burglar. The lack of guardianship, such as when the residents are not around, and the lack of an alarm system installed to the property can give motivated offenders an opportunity to execute a burglary. Motivated offenders under this circumstance may be drug addicts, thieves, robbers or even teenage boys with a propensity to criminal behavior of breaking into an unguarded home.
35.
The research on adoption study emphasizes that there is a higher propensity for an adopted child to become more engaged in similar criminal behavior as that of their biological parent and with less chances of adopting the criminal behavior of the adopting parents. This shows the dominant factor of heredity or genetics than the environmental influences on the criminal behavior among the adoptees. The various adoption researches have shown a high correlation between the development of anti-social behavior and propensity to criminality among adopted children whose biological parents have been engaged in criminal offenses. These findings are significant since it tends to separate the effects of nurture coming from the environment given to the adoptee by the adopting parents and the natural effects of heredity in influencing behaviors.
36.
The strain theory postulates that the society itself presents a situation that will encourage the development of a deviant behavior. According to this theory, the deviant behavior is caused by negative feelings such as anger, frustration and other affective state that are destructive to the person. The negative affective state that causes the development of a deviant behavior may be due to the lack of opportunities to attain a particular goal. A classic example where the strain theory is usually applied involves individuals belonging to the lower class of the society. While they have the goals of finding a decent job, they are unable to do so because poverty prevented them from getting the education they need for a gainful employment. Having experienced the strain of a blocked opportunity to be employed, the individual engages in a deviant behavior in order to achieve a better economic status. The deviant behavior may involve the commission of crimes as a means to improve one’s financial resources which they cannot achieve through lawful means because of certain barriers, such as poverty and unemployment.
37.
The existence of heterogeneity can have a significant impact as a predictor of crime. The diversity in language and cultural values of the people in the community can result in the social disorganization. As a result of this situation, there is the undermining of social control and order that makes social conflicts dominant and crimes become prevalent in the society.
38.
The concept of social disorganization intends to emphasize that the criminal activities are more prevalent among the places that are unstable, with no social order and control. The theory focuses on the concept of neighborhood dynamics that assert the tendency of a higher crime rate on disorganized neighborhoods. These neighborhoods may include those with people coming from a low socioeconomic status and a weak institutional framework for community order, such as family values, church influences, and community organizations.
39.
The learning theories differ from the other theories because its concept of criminality is one that emanates from learning deviant behaviors from others and not from inherent attributes of an individual. It explains the social process involved in why a person has the potential ability to commit criminal activities and exhibit criminal behavior and tendencies. It aims to explain criminal behavior based on experiences and the social environment, instead of drives, instincts and genetic propensity of an individual.
40.
There are several elements of differential association theory. First is that criminal behavior is learned. This asserts that criminality is not an inherited behavior, but one needs to learn, train and be educated about. Second, criminal behavior is learned through verbal or non-verbal communication. This means that one learns to adopt a criminal behavior upon seeing others commit a crime and not getting punished for it (non-verbal), or when others verbally discuss that there is nothing wrong in committing crimes. Third, the motive and drives are learned from the definition of certain legal codes. This means that the influence on one’s criminal behavior will depend upon whether others favorably define the law as something to abide or define it in favor of violating it. Fourth, criminal behavior is learned by association with the criminal and anti-criminal patterns of all mechanisms involved in any other learning. This means that criminal behavior is learned in the same way as learning other types of behavior. Fifth, the principal part of learning the criminal behavior occurs with intimate personal groups. This puts emphasis on how effective personal communication can influence the development of criminal behavior as compared to impersonal communications.
