Why Do People Commit Crime - 1300 Words

Why do people commit crime? Identify and explore 3 theories of crime and evaluate their key strengths and weaknesses Discuss the role of rehabilitation in the justice system (using three theories of crime to back up) The Oxford Dictionary defines a crime as an action or omission, which constitutes an offence and is punishable by law . Criminological studies look into why individuals commit crime and why they behave the way they do in certain situations. By understanding this, one is able to develop theories and develop ways to control crime or rehabilitate the individual. The aim of rehabilitation is to prevent further crimes from happening and it has been a key feature of prisons since the 18th century. In 1779 the British government passed the Penitentiary Act, which made rehabilitation of criminals a function of all prisons. Rehabilitation puts and emphasis on corrections as opposed to punishment, as it is believed that this is a more effective way of preventing the individual of committing further crimes. This essay will discuss the question of why individuals commit crime, exploring three theories of crime; social disorganisation theory, rational choice theory, and biological theories. It will also discuss the role of rehabilitation in the criminal justice system. Social Disorganisation Theory: Poverty is often identified as a major cause of crime. Starting from the 1970s, studies in the US pointed more and more at the link between unemployment, poverty andShow MoreRelatedWhy Do People Commit Crimes?1145 Words   |  5 Pagesunderstand why people commit crimes and why they engaged in anti-social behavior. It may sound simple but scientist and criminologist have struggled to answer this question. There is not a central reason that leads a person to engage in a criminal behavior but there are numerous of factors that contribute for one person to break the laws. Several theories have been analyzed and studied by criminologists but the criminal justice system not only relies in one theory why people commit crimes. I believeRead MoreOutline Of An Overall Theory918 Words   |  4 PagesAccording to www.merriam-webster.com the term â€Å"crime† is defined as: â€Å"an illegal act for which someone can be punished by the government†. Some individuals in our society commit some type of crime every day, but why? In this assignment I will try to compile an overall theory as to why individuals commit crimes. While doing my research I came across 10 reasons/factors that can possibly explain why individuals commit crimes. These reasons include: The Prison System, drugs, depression and other socialRead MoreThe Problem Of Crime Rate1703 Words   |  7 Pages Abstract Crime is a big problem in the world. Many believe that nothing can be done to prevent it. The crime rates are increasing rapidly all around the world. Crime is not easy to completely remove from our society. For many years Scientist and psychologists have argued over whether upbringing forms of a child’s behavior or whether they are born with a personality disorder, or could it be the way their brain is set up or their body type? Society may never really know all the causes of this criminalRead MoreAntisocial Personality Theory vs. Social Structure Theory Essay1366 Words   |  6 Pageswhich crime is considered as a social happening. The study of Criminology includes the ways and methods of breaking laws, making laws and social/media/cultural reactions of the society to crime. There have been many theories as to why people commit crime, no one can decide on just one theory to explain this. Two popular theories as to why people commit crime are antisocial personality theory an d social structure theory. The aspects behind these theories make the most reliable sense as to why peopleRead MoreEssay On White Collar Crime884 Words   |  4 Pagesbehind the commission of white-collar crimes. Many of the current studies focus on a wide range of factors, rather than on few factors, to explain why people commit white-collar crimes in modern society. Sutherland theorized that white-collar crimes and conventional crimes were similar enough to focus on poverty and social pathologies as the base reasoning for committing each type of crime (Friedrichs, 2014). However, many of the people who commit white collar crimes do not live in poverty, and generallyRead MoreAssess the Usefulness of Functionalist Approaches in Explaining Crime. (21)964 Words   |  4 Pageswhole. 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 detersRead MoreWhy Women Commit So Many Less Crime?976 Words   |  4 PagesStatistically women commit quite a bit less crime in almost every category especially violent crimes. Many people wonder why this is the case because we are all people and it shouldn t matter that much. Though every year this doesn’t seem to change. So I will be discussing some of the reasons why this is the case in this paper and uncovering some causes. The first reason why women commit so many less crimes is because of the chemical balance and hormones in their bodies. Men have much more testosteroneRead MoreWhy People Commit Crimes1403 Words   |  6 Pagesperson has it own opinion. Crime is the human conduct in violation of the criminal laws of a state, the federal government, or a local jurisdiction that has the power to make such laws, according with Schmalleger. The criminal behavior is the antisocial acts that a person commits for different reasons. This means that the person violated laws constantly for a long or short time period. There are many reasons why criminals commit crimes. Some of the criminals commit crimes for necessity, others forRead MoreThe Underlying Cause Of Criminal s Minds And How They Are Developed1383 Words   |  6 Pagescriminologists have created theories that attempt to prove why criminals commit unlawful acts. At the start of the research it was thought that criminals are developed biologically t hrough genes and hormones. As continued studies were conducted, criminologists decided that psychological reasoning is more efficient in explaining why crimes occur. Factors such as family life and decision making help explain what goes on in a criminal’s mind before committing a crime. Although evidence is proving this true, the debateRead MoreBehavioral Learning Theory Essay901 Words   |  4 PagesThe Behavioral Learning Theory believes that behavior is learned from either the environment, the people in the individuals life, the media, or society as a whole. This theory contradicts the Biological theory, which states that criminals are born to be bad and that criminal behavior is inherited. The behavioral theory looks at the environment as well as societys impact on how an individual acts which might be the reason for criminal behavior. This theory blames the environment as well as the