Initiation of substance abuse by schoolchildren
Introduction
Criminology theories pivot on the premise of understanding human behavior under certain circumstances that culminate in criminal acts. The social aspects surrounding an individual often create a situation that forces the subject to try out illegal options. Criminology theories provide insights into these social aspects and allow law enforcement agencies to form countermeasures to prevent crime.
This theory contends that an individual’s actions depend on the type of associations in society. The concept of this theory is that if a subject has reasonable levels of education, a steady job, a family, and association with a religious institution, the chances of criminal activity decreases substantially. The logic is that the subject will risk losing all credible association with the society and community by choosing criminal behavior. Hence, the social aspect controls the behavior. Statistical evidence does indicate the reduction in criminal activity among individuals who opt for higher education.
Strain Theory
The Strain theory reveals that individuals who are unable to achieve their goals through legitimate means due to limitations in their abilities will opt for criminal alternatives. It is noteworthy that most of the serial killers once wanted to be police officers. However, due to physical or psychological limitations, unable to achieve this goal. At the time of their arrests, many of them owned police scanners, police type vehicles, or even breed of dogs that police normally deploy in K9 units.
Social Learning Theory
This theory describes an individual’s criminal instincts to the social environment or demographic considerations. According to this theory, the living conditions and behavioral patterns of associates or family will determine the subject’s affinity towards crime. This theory also applies when an individual’s behavior affects the social environment surrounding that person. For example, if a person becomes addicted to pornography, his associates, friends, or siblings are also likely to indulge in the same habit. When this happens, the person will have further vindication to increase involvement in the addiction. Social learning also affects the influence of peer pressure on schoolchildren. Several studies indicate that the origins of substance abuse date their way back to the eighth or ninth grade.
Rational Choice Theory
This theory centers on the logic of rational behavior by the would-be perpetrator. The Rational Choice theory states that every criminal weighs the pros and cons of committing a criminal act. The theory also indicates intellectual decision-making capabilities of criminal elements. Hence, a practical example will be that of a person who decides to commit a crime since there are no other legal alternatives to meet his needs. In addition, this individual uses logical reasoning to outweigh the risks by considering the consequences of capture.
Although this theory finds widespread acceptance in the criminal justice fraternity, it does not explain impulse crimes or botched attempts. Subsequent studies conclude that this theory is applicable only for a certain type of criminal activity. The studies also indicate that the intelligence quotient of convicted criminals was relatively low. This will undermine any attempts for reasoning. Furthermore, the initial sample used for the study was negligible and the type of criminal activity sampled was burglary.
Conclusion
Criminal actions always find their connection to specific societal deficiencies. The social aspect of criminology holds the key to unlocking the behavioral patterns of criminal elements. Human behavior is subject to alteration provoked by circumstances in the society. The theories that acknowledge this nexus have improved chances of aiding law enforcement agencies in preventing criminal activity when compared to the Rational Choice theory (Siegel, 2015).
References
Siegel, L. J. (2015). Criminology: Theories, Patterns, and Typologies. Cengage Learning. Boston: MA. Pp. 93-319.
