Theories

Front 1

Choice Theories

Back 1

Rational choice theory,

Routine activities theory,

General deterrence theory,

Specific deterrence theory, Incapacitating theory.

Front 2

Rational choice Theory

Back 2

Crime occurs after offender weighs information based on personal needs and situational factors (risk and difficulty)

Hint 2

Strenghts:

Explains why youth are not constantly involved in delinquency.

Relates theory to crime control policies.

Does not limit explanation to class and social variables.

Front 3

Routine activities Theory

Back 3

Crime is a function of motivated offenders, availability of suitable targets (victims); absence of suitable guardians

Hint 3

Strenghts:

Explains fluctuations in crime rates.

Victims behaviours influence criminal choices.

Crime is an opportunity.

Front 4

General deterrence Theory

Back 4

People commit crime if benefits outweigh risks and consequences.

Crime is a function of severity, certainty and speed of punishment.

Hint 4

Strenghts:

Shows relationship between crime and punishment.

Suggests real solutions to crime (speedy punishment).

Front 5

Specific deterrence theory

Back 5

If punishment severe enough, offenders will not repeat illegal acts.

Hint 5

Strenghts:

Provides strategy to reduce crime.

Front 6

Incapacitation Theory

Back 6

Keeping known criminals out of circulation (incarnation) reduces crime rates.

Hint 6

Strenghts:

Recognizes role opportunity plays in criminal behaviour.

Provides solution to chronic offending.

Front 7

Trait theories

Back 7

Biological Theories,

Psychological Theories.

Front 8

Biological Theories

Back 8

Biochemical theory,

Neurological theory,

Genetic theory.

Front 9

Psychological theories

Back 9

Psychodynamic theory,

Behavioural theory,

Cognitive theory.

Front 10

Biochemical theory

Back 10

Violent crime is a function of diet, vitamin intake, hormone imbalance, or food allergies.

Hint 10

Strenghts:

Explains irrational violence.

Shows how environment interacts with personal traits to influence behaviour.

Front 11

Neurological theory

Back 11

Offenders suffer from brain impairments as measured by EEGs.

ADHD and Minimum Brain Disfunction related to anti-social behaviour.

Hint 11

Strenghts:

Explains irrational violence by pinpointing medical and physiological basis of behaviour.

Front 12

Genetic theory

Back 12

Crime traits and pre-dispositions are inherited.

Parent criminality can predict child delinquency.

Hint 12

Strenghts:

Explains why only small % of youth in high crime areas become chronic offenders.

Front 13

Psychodynamic theory

Back 13

Unconscious personality traits develop in early childhood.

Criminals have weak egos and damaged personalities.

Hint 13

Strenghts:

Explains onset of crime; why crime and drug use cut across society class lines.

Front 14

Behavioural theory

Back 14

People commit crime when they model others they see rewarded for same acts.

Behaviour is reinforced by rewards and extinguished by punishment.

Hint 14

Strenghts:

Explains role of significant others in criminal behaviour.

Explains influences of family life and media on crime and violence.

Front 15

Cognitive theory

Back 15

Individual reasoning processes influence behaviour.

Reasoning influenced by moral and intellectual development and by how environment perceived.

Hint 15

Strenghts:

Shows why criminal behaviour changes over time as people mature.

Explains "aging out" of criminal behaviour.

Front 16

Social Structure Theories

Back 16

Social Disorganization theory,

Strain theory,

Cultural deviance theory.

Front 17

Social Disorganization theories

Back 17

Concentric zone theory,

Social economy theory.

Front 18

Strain theory

Back 18

Anomie theory,

General strain theory,

Institutional Anomie theory,

Relative deprivation theory.

Front 19

Concentric zone theory

Back 19

Crime is product of transitional neighborhoods that manifest social disorganization and value conflict.

Hint 19

Strenghts:

Identifies why crime rates are highest in slum areas.

Identifies factors that produce crime.

Recommends programs to reduce crime.

Front 20

Social economy theory

Back 20

Crime in urban areas influenced by conflicts of urban life including fear, unemployment, deterioration of neighborhoods, and siege mentality.

Hint 20

Strenghts:

Accounts for urban crime rates and trends.

Front 21

Anomie theory

Back 21

People who adopt society's goals but lack means to achieve them seek alternatives such as crime.

Hint 21

Strenghts:

Competition for success creates conflict and crime.

Suggests social conditions not personality traits account for crime.

Explains middle and upper class crime.

Front 22

General strain theory

Back 22

Strain has variety of sources.

Strain causes crime in absence of coping mechanisms.

Hint 22

Strenghts:

Identifies complexities of straight in modern society.

Shows influences of social events on behaviour throughout life.

Expands in anomie theory.

Front 23

Institutional Anomie theory

Back 23

Material goals pervade all aspects of North American life.

Hint 23

Strenghts:

Explains high crime rates in North America.

Front 24

Relative deprivation theory

Back 24

Crime occurs when the wealthy and the poor live in close proximity to one another.

Hint 24

Strenghts:

Explains high crime rates in deteriorated areas near wealthy neighborhoods.

Front 25

Cultural deviance theories

Back 25

Cultural conflict theory (Sellin),

Focal concern theory (Miller),

Delinquent gang theory (Cohen),

Ohlin's opportunity theory.

Front 26

Cultural conflict theory (Sellin)

Back 26

Lower class norms put people in conflict with dominant culture norms.

Hint 26

Strenghts:

Creates concept of culture conflict.

Identifies lower class life aspects that cause street crime.

Builds on concentric zone theory.

Front 27

Focal concern theory (Miller)

Back 27

Citizens who obey lower class street rules of local area are in conflict with dominant culture.

Hint 27

Strenghts:

Identifies core values of lower class and shoes association to crime.

Front 28

Delinquent gang theory (Cohen)

Back 28

Status frustration of lower class boys created by failure to achieve middle class success causes them to join gangs.

Hint 28

Strenghts:

Shows conditions of lower class create crime.

Explains violence and destructive acts.

Identifies class conflict between lower and middle class.

Front 29

Ohlin's opportunity theory

Back 29

Blockage of conventional opportunities cause lower class youth to join criminal, conflict, or retreatist gang.

Hint 29

Strenghts:

Shows illegal opportunities are structured in society.

Identifies why people become involved in particular criminal behaviour.

Presents way for crime prevention.

Front 30

Social process theories

Back 30

Social learning theories,

Social control theory,

Social reaction theory.

Front 31

Social learning theories

Back 31

Differential learning theory,

Differential reinforcement theory,

Neutralization theory.

Front 32

Differential association theory

Back 32

People learn to commit crime through exposure to anti-social definitions.

Hint 32

Strenghts:

Explains onset of criminality and presence in all elements of social structure.

Applies to adults and youth, explains why not all individuals in high crime areas commit crime.

Front 33

Differential reinforcement theory

Back 33

Criminal behaviour depends on experiences with rewards for conventional behaviours and punishment for antisocial ones.

Hint 33

Strenghts:

Adds psychological learning theory to differential association.

Links psychological and sociological principles.

Front 34

Neutralization theory

Back 34

Youth drift in and out of delinquent behaviour and form ways to neutralize moral restraints.

Hint 34

Strenghts:

Explains why many delinquents do not become adults criminals.

Explains why young offenders can participate in conventional behaviours.

Front 35

Social control theory

Back 35

Hirsch's control theory

Front 36

Hirsch's control theory

Back 36

Person's bond with society prevents violation of society's rules. When bond lessens, person free to commit crime.

Hint 36

Strenghts:

Explains onset of criminal behaviour.

Applies to both lower and middle classes.

Has been empirically tested.

Front 37

Social reaction theory

Back 37

Labeling theory

Front 38

Labeling theory

Back 38

People who have been labeled for acts enter into law violating careers and organize personalities around the labels.

Hint 38

Strenghts:

Explains society's Riker in creating deviance.

Develops concepts of criminal careers.

Explains why not all youth offenders become adult criminals.

Front 39

Social conflict theories

Back 39

Conflict theory,

Marxist theory,

Instrumental Marxist theory,

Structural Marxist theory,

Radical Feminist theory,

Power control theory,

Left realism,

Deconstructionism,

Peacemaking criminology.

Front 40

Conflict theory

Back 40

Crime is a function of class conflict.

Law is defined by those who hold social and political power.

Hint 40

Strenghts:

Accounts for class differentials in crime rates.

Shows how class conflict influences behaviour.

Front 41

Marxist theory

Back 41

Capitalism creates class conflict.

Crime is rebellion of lower class.

Criminal justice system is agent of class welfare.

Hint 41

Strenghts:

Accounts for association between economic structure and crime.

Front 42

Instrumental Marxist theory

Back 42

Criminals are revolutionaries.

Real crimes are sexism, racism, and profiteering.

Hint 42

Strenghts:

Demystifies crime and explains historical development of law.

Broadest definition of crime.

Front 43

Structural Marxist theory

Back 43

Law is designed to sustain capitalist economic system.

Law is made by those in society in power.

Hint 43

Strenghts:

Explains white collar crime and business control laws.

Front 44

Radical Feminist theory

Back 44

Capitalist system creates patriarchy (males in positions of power and control in society) oppressing women.

Hint 44

Strenghs:

Explains gender bias.

Explains violence against women.

Explains repression of women in society.

Front 45

Power control theory

Back 45

Gender differences in crime function of economic power (class position, 1 vs 2 earner families) and parental control (paternalistic vs egalitarian families)

Hint 45

Strenghts:

Newer approach in criminology encouraging study of gender differences, class position, and family structure.

Front 46

Left realism

Back 46

Crime is a function of relative deprivation.

Criminals prey on the poor.

Hint 46

Strenghts:

Represents a compromise between traditional and conflict criminology.

Front 47

Deconstructionism

Back 47

Language controls the meaning and use of law.

Hint 47

Strenghts:

Provides a critical analysis of meaning.

Front 48

Peacemaking crimimology

Back 48

Peace and humanism can reduce crime.

Conflict resolution strategies can work.

Hint 48

Strenghts:

Offers alternative, new approach to crime control through mediation.

Includes restorative justice philosophy and approaches.