QUESTION ONE:
CHOOSING TWO CRIMINOLOGICAL THEORIES, IDENTIFY ITS CENTRAL FOCUS, ITS EXPLANATION OF THE CAUSE OF CRIME, ITS RELEVANCE TO THE OPERATION OF THE CURRENT CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM AND ANY LIMITATIONS.
‘Strain Theory’ is a criminological school of thought that suggests that Crime is a by-product of stressors on an individual that cause him or her to break social norms or legal codes. The most accepted version of Strain Theory – General Strain Theory (GST) – Argues that “strains or stressors increase the likelihood of negative emotions like anger and frustration. These emotions create pressure for corrective action, and crime is one possible response […] Crime may be a method for reducing strain (e.g., stealing the money you desire), …show more content…
For example, it’s important to note that some crime goes unreported to authorities and, therefore, is not included in official crime statistics. This ‘dark figure of crime’ as it is commonly referred to is surprisingly prevalent: The Australian Institute of Criminology found that though property offences such as theft and break-ins from property and vehicles are reported at a high rate (74-90%), only roughly 31% of assaults were reported in 2005 (Putt, 2009).
Offences may go unreported for a multitude of reasons. For example, a business may assume that assets may have gone missing rather than being stolen, or a victim of family violence may not report a violent incident for fear of repercussions from the aggressor. Additionally, many immigrants to Australia from nations with historically corrupt police/peacekeeping forces may be reluctant to contact police, or to reuse the victims of family violence example may not realise that Australian police play an interventionist role and assume that they would only reinforce the aggressor’s dominance. (Bureau of Immigration, Multicultural and Population, 1996, p.
CHOOSING TWO CRIMINOLOGICAL THEORIES, IDENTIFY ITS CENTRAL FOCUS, ITS EXPLANATION OF THE CAUSE OF CRIME, ITS RELEVANCE TO THE OPERATION OF THE CURRENT CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM AND ANY LIMITATIONS.
‘Strain Theory’ is a criminological school of thought that suggests that Crime is a by-product of stressors on an individual that cause him or her to break social norms or legal codes. The most accepted version of Strain Theory – General Strain Theory (GST) – Argues that “strains or stressors increase the likelihood of negative emotions like anger and frustration. These emotions create pressure for corrective action, and crime is one possible response […] Crime may be a method for reducing strain (e.g., stealing the money you desire), …show more content…
For example, it’s important to note that some crime goes unreported to authorities and, therefore, is not included in official crime statistics. This ‘dark figure of crime’ as it is commonly referred to is surprisingly prevalent: The Australian Institute of Criminology found that though property offences such as theft and break-ins from property and vehicles are reported at a high rate (74-90%), only roughly 31% of assaults were reported in 2005 (Putt, 2009).
Offences may go unreported for a multitude of reasons. For example, a business may assume that assets may have gone missing rather than being stolen, or a victim of family violence may not report a violent incident for fear of repercussions from the aggressor. Additionally, many immigrants to Australia from nations with historically corrupt police/peacekeeping forces may be reluctant to contact police, or to reuse the victims of family violence example may not realise that Australian police play an interventionist role and assume that they would only reinforce the aggressor’s dominance. (Bureau of Immigration, Multicultural and Population, 1996, p.