Clockwork Orange Criminological Theory

Prepare an analysis of Clockwork Orange by identifying how theoretical concepts of crime causation and criminal behavior. This film, to some, is very troubling as the depictions of some behaviors and activities are graphic. The film may be offensive but it must be viewed from an academic perspective. The reality is that there are people who engage in these behaviors on a regular basis and become a part of the everyday professional involvement of criminal justice practitioners. To ignore that fact is simply denying reality. Viewing the film must be accomplished from the perspective of a scholarly look at deviance and behavior modification. The film review form is the only method of submitting this requirement. This is not simply a review of …show more content…
One instance from Stanley Kubrick’s film “A Clockwork Orange” that clearly demonstrates the criminological theory of Development was the part when the main character and his gang come upon the homeless man in the alley. Alex makes the statement that he hates homeless old men who sing at the top of their lungs when they’re drunk, after which he begins beating him, and his gang gleefully join in. This was a good example of the developmental theory, in that they were a group of young adults who were engaging in violent criminal behavior, who might otherwise not engage in this same behavior if they hadn’t met one …show more content…
An additional scene that related to a criminological theory was the part when Alex and his gang break into the house of that writer and his wife, which depicted the Rational Choice Theory, in that Alex and his gang had a premeditated plan before committing the crime. They made the rational decision to go to this house, wore disguises to conceal their identities, and gained entry into this house through false pretenses. They also made the rational decision to cripple the writer, sexually assault his wife in front of him, and steal his property. The fact that they had worn disguises and had a plan on how to get into the house informs viewers that they had thought this crime through, as well as weighing the potential costs and benefits of the crime itself.

3. The Theory of Differential Opportunity was evident in the way Alex and his gang interacted and committed crimes together. This theory discusses the view that disadvantaged youths join gangs and commit crimes as a way o obtaining their goals, which was very evident when viewers got a look at Alex’s “trophy” case under his bed, with all the stolen property and money he had accrued. It seemed that these young men had formed a gang so that they could commit these crimes in order to gain the things they might not have been able to get through legitimate means (Siegel, 2011,