Essay on Explaining Crime - 468 Words

Explaining Crime A) One Biological explanation of crime is Low intelligence. Studies have tended to link between low IQ and crime, although the link is not a simple one. Rutter and Giller (83) suggest two possible links. Once is that low intelligence leads to educational failure and consequently low self esteem. This then manifests as emotional; disturbances, conduct disorders and criminal behaviour. The second is that intelligence and conduct disorders may have a common starting point which is not clear, for eg- neurophysiological. Also, more recent studies do tend to find that the average intelligence is below average (e.g. - an IQ of 92 compared to a norm of 100). One sociological†¦show more content†¦Sutherland was describing powerful social forces working on the individual and affecting skills attitudes and beliefs. B) In Evaluation biological explanations of crime help us to understand how genetic potential can lead to problems such as poor achievement at school and inadequate socialization, which may in turn result in criminality. It helps people to understand that criminals are not always fully responsible for their behaviour is a result of internal factors. These theories are generally simplistic, taking only one factor (biology) into account. It is very unlikely that criminal behaviour can be reduced to a biological explanation alone. They also ignore or underestimate the social causes of crime such as antisocial role models and an emotionally deprived childhood. In particular more recent studies do find that criminals have a lower IQ in comparison to non-criminals but this difference is only small and so could be due to chance. Also, it should be questioned whether IQ is an accurate measure of intelligence or not. In evaluation for the sociological explanations the theories are based on carefully conducted research which clearly demonstrates the influence of reinforcement and observation on behaviour. These theories can also help to explain why criminality does to an extent run in families. There is a considerable body ofShow MoreRelatedExplaining Crime Essay3365 Words   |  14 PagesCRIM3001 EXPLAINING CRIME ASSIGNMENT 2 ESSAY ________________________________ ANOMIE, STRAIN, AND SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY: INTERPRETING CRIME Causes of crime are arguably criminology’s most important and largest research topic. In this process of research, criminologists and academics have used numerous theories in attempts to explain how and why people resort to crime (Ellis, Beaver, Wright, 2009). The purpose of this paper is to examine a case study first with the use of strain theories (ST)Read MoreThe Usefulness of Sociological Theories in Explaining Crime and the Control of Crime3045 Words   |  13 PagesThe Usefulness of Sociological Theories in Explaining Crime and the Control of Crime This paper seeks to explore the usefulness of Sociological Theories in explaining crime and whether in doing so there arises implications for probation practice. I shall begin by providing a brief explanation for the historical development of criminological thinking, starting with Classicism and moving onto Positivism both which lay the foundations for the development of sociological theoriesRead More Theories Explaining Juvenile Crime Essay examples1601 Words   |  7 PagesTheories Explaining Juvenile Crime Many theories, at both the macro and micro level, have been proposed to explain juvenile crime. 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Include statistical data. * Discuss Charles Goring’s critisms of Lombroso’s theory. * Evaluate Sheldon’s somatypes theory. * Describe and evaluate the biological chromosomes theory.Read MoreThe Marxist Approach On Understanding And Explaining Crime744 Words   |  3 PagesHAS 262 Explaining Crime Essay Plan Question/topic chosen The question in which I have chosen for this assignment is: ‘Critically analyse the Marxist approach to understanding and explaining crime’ Why did you choose this topic? I was first originally pressed to this topic not only because am I completing a bachelor of social science to major in criminology but I am also completing a major in sociology. So far in sociology we have learnt about Karl Marx and his contributions to sociologyRead MoreLabelling Theory in Explaining Crime and Deviance - A2 Sociology729 Words   |  3 Pageselsewhere, assess the usefulness of labelling theory in explaining crime and deviance. (21 marks) Labelling theorists are concerned with how and why certain people and actions come to be labelled as criminal or deviant, and what effects this has on those who are labelled as such. As stated in Item A, labelling theory is focused with how individuals construct society based on their interactions with each other. Becker emphasises the significance of crime being a social construct; an action only becomesRead MoreCritically Discuss Three Sociological Approaches to Explaining Crime1188 Words   |  5 PagesCritically discuss three sociological approaches to explaining crime? One of the most predominant areas of study in sociology is in the explanation of crime and deviance in society. Criminal acts are those which violate established formal laws, whereas deviance refers to the breaking of social norms. Crime and deviance are a social construct as they are decided by the people in a society and can vary greatly depending on the society in question, as well as the time period being studied. In theRead 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 People Commit Crime Is Not An Easy Task1105 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction Explaining why people commit crime is not an easy task. Criminologists have attempted to travel down the paths of the reasoning for criminal behavior and the factors that flow with them. Criminologists have developed many theories or perspectives of crime. The perspectives recognize the cause of crime by the related qualifies of criminals and populations with high crime rates. Two perspectives of crime stood out from the wide variety, biological and psychological. In some cases biological