Strengths And Weaknesses Of Criminological Theories

For the final response paper, I will share what I learned about four specific criminological theories. These theories include critical/conflict, feminist, Biological/Biosocial, and life course. For each theory I will share how they each explain why crime might occur, while also sharing their strengths and weaknesses. To conclude this paper, I will chose one theory that I think best describes why crime occurs.
To begin, I will first talk about the critical/conflict theory. This theory argues that traditional theories are intellectually sterile and dangerous. Moreover, this theory ignores and unchallenged the powerful interests that benefit from this inequality. Critical theory provides several central themes. According to central themes of critical criminology, concepts of inequality and power are integral to understanding crime. Furthermore, Critical criminology notes that capitalism enriches some and impoverishes many. Also, critical theory suggests …show more content…
These theories describes how human personality and behavioral patterns emerge through a developmental process that unfolds from birth onward. Early life occurrences may shape what occurs later in life. According to theorists, the developmental perspectives are dynamic because it studies whether an individual’s behavior remains stable or changes overtime. A few strengths that may arise from the life course theory of criminology is that emphasis that it has on the interdependence of human lives and the ways in which relationships both support and control an individual’s behavior. Furthermore, the life course theory is the acknowledgement of people’s strength and capacity for change. In contrast, there are two major weaknesses in this theory. It fails to adequately link the micro and macro levels, specifically linking the lives of individuals and families to the world of social institutions and formal organizations. The second weakness is the issue of