why individuals commit crime

Theories of Crime

There are a number of hypotheses that can be utilized to explain why people commit crimes. These theories can be divided into positivist and conventional schools of thought on crime. According to traditional criminology, criminal behavior results from human free will, and those who commit crimes are accountable and responsible for their actions. As a result, a harsher penalty is applied (Siegel 12). Positive criminology, on the other hand, holds that psychological, biological, and societal aspects are what cause criminal behavior to occur. Rehabilitating offenders is therefore preferable to applying punitive measures to those who commit crimes.

Understanding the Causes of Violence

The situation occurs because the violence in the community is very intensive, which calls for different explanations and understanding of its cause. Therefore, the theories in crime assist in understanding how this moral panic develops because of the violence. Conducting direct observation on conduct of social activities provides insight into these causes of violence. Such is supported by reviewing the different uniform crime reports (CCJ3011: Week 4 3). Moreover, having self-reports and victim surveys enhance comprehension of the main drivers towards sociological issues on criminal behavior in society. Consequently, it becomes easier to have a good explanation and illustration of the main theories of crime in the community.

Works Cited

Chiricos, Theodore. Moral Panic as Ideology: Drugs, Violence, Race and Punishment in

America. Guilderland, New York: Harrow and Heston, 1996.

CCJ3011: Week 4. Ways of Knowing about crime.

Siegel, Larry. Criminology: Theories, Patterns, and Typologies, 11th Edition. Wadsworth

Publishing.