Midterm Module Theories!!!

UNIVERSITY OF CAGAYAN VALLEY
New Site Campus Tuguegarao City,Cagayan

School Of Criminology
MODULE IN THEORIES OF CRIME CAUSATION
COURSE TITLE: Theories of Crime Causation
COURSE UNITS: 3 UNITS
COURSE DESCRPTION: This course describes the role of theory in crime scholarship. It
surveys the major schools of thought related to crime causation( biological,
psychological and sociological) and particular theories in crime and delinquency, places
these theories in its historical context and reviews the primary assumptions of the theories
and conclusions reached from criminology research.
COURSE OUTCOMES: Students to initiate and help in the prevention of crime, Assist the
law enforcers to prevent crime and Reach out the victims and allow them to share their
experience for help/assistance
COURSE CONTENT:
 Theories that further explains crime causation
INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOME:

.
1. Articulate the different applications of the theories of crime causation.
2. Discuss the practical applications of the theories of crime in shaping criminal justice
policies and relate the same to the social problems in the community.
3. Formulate solutions to the crime experienced in the community based on the analysis
made using concepts on offender rehabilitation and based on the various theories of crime
causation.
ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES;
o Quizzes
o Oral recitation/ active participation
o Term test
o Attendance
o Case Analysis
DISCUSSIONS (See attached outlined)

MIDTERM TOPICS:
Topic 1: THEORIES THAT FURTHER EXPLAIN THE COMMISSION OF CRIMES
1. The Anomie Theory
 Emile Durkheim defined anomie (Normlessness) as the breakdown of social order
as result of the loss of standards of values. When a simple society develops into a
modern, urbanized one, the intimacy needed to sustain a common set of norms
declines.
 Emile Durkheim is one of the founding fathers of sociology
 Based on this theory, crime is normal
 Anomie is a sociological term meaning” personal feeling of a lack of norms;
normlessness”. It describes the breakdown of social norms and values. Durkheim
borrowed the word from French philosopher Jean-Marie Guyau.
 For Durkheim, anomie arises more generally from a mismatch between personal
or group standards and wider social standards, or from the lack of a social ethic,
which produces moral deregulation and an absence of legitimate aspirations.
 This is a nurtured condition:
Anomie in a common parlance is thought to mean something like ”at loose ends”
The Oxford English dictionary lists a range definitions, beginning with a
disregard of divine law, through the 19th and 20th century sociological terms
meaning an absence of accepted social standards or values. Most sociologists
associates the term with Durkheim, who used the concept to speak of the ways in
which an individual’s actions are matched, or integrated with a system of social
norms and practices.. Durkheim also formally posited anomie as a mismatch, not
simply as the absence of norms. Thus, society with too much rigidity and little
individual discretion could also produce a kind of anomie, a mismatch between
individual circumstances’ and larger social mores. Thus, fatalistic suicide arises
when there is no free horizon of expectation.
Causes:
 Disrespect to elderly and parents
 No values nurtured
 “come what may” idea
 Abuse of freedom
2. STRAIN THEORY
- Strain theory is a sociology and criminology theory developed in 1938 by Robert K.
Merton.
- This theory states that the society puts pressure on individuals to achieve socially
accepted goals though they lack the means, this leads to strain which may lead individual
to commit crimes.
e.g
 Being selling drugs or becoming involved in prostitution to gain financial
security.
Strain may either be:
1. STRUCTURAL: this refers to the processes at the societal level which filter down and
affect how the individual perceives his or her needs, i.e. if particular social structures are
inherently inadequate or there is inadequate regulation, this may change the individual's
perceptions as to means and opportunities; or
2. INDIVIDUAL: this refers to the frictions and pains experienced by an individual as he or
she looks for ways to satisfy his or her needs, i.e. if the goals of a society become significant
to an individual, actually achieving them may become more important than the means
adopted.
o Robert Merton was an American sociologist who argued that society can
encourage deviance to a large degree. Merton believed that socially accepted
goals put pressure on people to conform. Merton continued on to say when
individuals are faced with a gap between their goals (usually finances/money
related) and their current status, strain occurs.
WHY DO PEOPLE ENGAGE IN CRIME ACCORDING TO STRAIN THEORY?

o They experience strain or stress, they become upset, and they sometimes engage
in crime as a result. They may engage in crime to reduce or escape from the strain
that they are experiencing.
 E.g. they may run away home to escape their abusive parents, engage in
crime to seek revenge, they may steal to reduce financial problems, and
they may take illegal drugs to feel better.
When faced with strain, people have five ways to adapt:

1. Conformity: pursuing cultural goals through socially approved means. ("Hopeful poor")
2. Innovation: using socially unapproved or unconventional means to obtain culturally
approved goals. Example: dealing drugs or stealing to achieve financial security.
("surviving poor")
3. Ritualism: using the same socially approved means to achieve less elusive goals (more
modest and humble). ("passive poor")
4. Retreatism: to reject both the cultural goals and the means to obtain it, then find a way to
escape it. ("retreating poor")
5. Rebellion: to reject the cultural goals and means, then work to replace them. ("resisting
poor") not accepting any goals and means
3. DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION THEORY

 Differential Association theory is a criminology theory that looks at the acts of the
criminal as learned behaviors.
 Edwin H. Sutherland is credited with the development of the Differential Association
theory in 1939. Sutherland, a sociologist and professor most of his life, developed
Differential Association theory to explain how it was that criminals came to commit
acts of deviant behavior.
 In his theory, Sutherland assess’ that criminal behavior is not to be explained away by
deeming the criminal ‘simple.’ As do most social learning theories.
 Differential Association theory, believes that the behaviors of an individual are
influenced and shaped by other individuals they associate with. The primary reference
group is that of the nuclear family, which the individual lives and grows up with. It is
believed that these interactions formulate the individuals understanding of societal
norms and values.
PRINCIPLES OF SUTHERLAND ON DAT THEORY
1. Criminal behavior is learned in interaction with others in a process of communication.

 From the moment an individual is born they are being conditioned to the
norms of society. They learn gender roles through their interactions with
their parents and observations of gender specific characteristics.
Interaction and observations are the same methods of communication
through which criminals learn their deviance. Criminal behavior,
Differential Association theory argues, is more prevalent in individuals
who associate and interact with individuals who exhibit criminalized to act
defiantly.
2. Differential associations vary in frequency, duration, priority, and intensity.
 Referring to the contact an individual must have with proponents of
criminal behavior; this principle suggests that there is a varying, but direct,
relationship that effects how often, for what length of time, how important
and how intense deviant behavior occurs.
3. Learning criminal behavior occurs within primary groups (family, friends, peers, their most
intimate, personal companions)
 An individuals’ behavior is primarily influenced by their family, since that
is the first group interaction they receive. Additionally an individual’s
behavior is influenced by their peer group (through direct and indirect
interaction) and through their intimate relationships with other individuals.
4. Learning criminal behavior involves learning the techniques, motives, drives,
rationalizations, and attitudes.
 Surely, just because an individual has a criminal in their primary reference
group doesn’t mean that they’ll partake in criminal behavior. However, it
does mean that they a resource into the criminal rationale. Criminals are
not inherently deviant, they learned the deviance. They were taught to
rationalize what they once knew to be unacceptable behavior into
acceptable behavior. For example, many convicted sexual assailants admit
that the first time they committed sexual assault they felt guilty. The guilt
comes from their socialization of societal norms that rape is unacceptable.
5. The specific direction of motives and attitudes is learned from definitions of the legal codes
as favorable or unfavorable.
 This principle comes into play when considering cultural variations and/or
interpretations of legal codes. In specific, in the United States, there are so
many different cultures and each culture’s interpretation of what is
favorable or unfavorable varies. Cultural norms can conflict with societal
norms.
6. A person becomes a criminal when there is an excess of definitions favorable to violation of
law over definitions unfavorable to violation of law
 This is the dominant premise for Differential Association theory. The
premise that because an individual associates with more members of a
group who favor deviance, than with members of a group who favor
societal norms, that individual is more less of learning criminal behavior
involves all the mechanisms involved in any other learning. Although
criminal behavior is an expression of general needs and attitudes, criminal
behavior and motives are not explained nor excused by the same needs
and attitudes, since non criminal behavior is explained by the same general
needs and attitudes.
4. DIFFERENTIAL IDENTIFICATION THEORY

“A person” according to Daniel Glaser, pursues criminal behavior to the extent
that he identifies himself with real or imaginary persons from whose perspective his
criminal behavior seems acceptable.
Causes:
1. Law Enforcers with firearms- expected to kill
2. Public Officials- anytime can do corruption
3. Teachers- can always bully and shout to his/ her students
4. Manager- can belittle subordinates
5. LABELING THEORY
- This theory of how the self-identity and behavior of individuals may be determined or

influenced by the terms used to describe or classify them.
- Labeling theory holds that deviance is not inherent in an act, but instead focuses on the
tendency of majorities to negatively label minorities or those seen as deviant from
standard cultural norms.
- . A stigma is defined as a powerfully negative label that changes a person's self-concept
and social identity.
- Labeling theory is closely related to social-construction and symbolic-
interaction analysis.
There are 2 distinctions in labeling

1. People who believe in hard labeling believe that mental illness does not exist. It is merely
deviance from the norms of the society that people attribute to mental illness.
2. People who believe in soft labeling believe that mental illness does in fact exist. Unlike
the supporters of hard labeling, soft labeling supporters believe that mental illness are not
socially constructed but are objective problems.
- People in power decide what acts are crimes, and the fact of labeling someone a criminal
is what makes him a criminal. Once a person labeled a criminal, society takes away his
opportunities, which may ultimately lead to more criminal behavior.
6. Social Learning Theory
People are not actually born with ability to act violently but they learn to be
aggressive through their life experiences. People learn to act aggressively when, as
children, they model their behavior after the violent acts of adults. Violence is learned
through a process called” behavior modeling”.
This theory of learning and social behavior proposes that new behaviors can be
acquired by observing and imitating others.
It states that learning is a cognitive process that takes place in a social context
and can occur purely through observation or direct instruction even in the absence motor
reproduction.
This theory explains human behavior in terms of continuous reciprocal interaction
between cognitive, behavioral and environmental influences.
According to Albert Bandura people learn from one another via observation,
imitation and modeling. The theory has often been called a bridge between behaviorist
and cognitive learning theories because it encompasses attention, memory and
motivation.
What is Human behavior?

- It is the way in which a person behaves. It refers to the reaction to facts of relationship
between the individual and his environment.
What is Behavior?
- Any act of person which is observable; any observable responses of a person to his
environment; manner of ones conduct.
What is Cognitive?
- It is concerned with the way the brain processes and transforms information into various
ways.
What is Environment?
- It refers to surroundings of an object. It consists of conditions and factors that surround
and influence behavioral pattern.
What is Learned (Operant) behavior?
- It involves knowing or adaptation that enhances human beings’ ability to cope with
changes in the environment in ways which improve the chances of survival.
- BANDURA states also that personality is shaped not only by the environment influences
on the person, but also by the person’s ability to influence the environment.
Causes:
 Victimized by their own loved ones
 Family quarrel/ misunderstanding in front of their children
 Social media such as: Television and print media, and other means of violence
seen publicly.
Social Control Theory
Unlike most criminology theories that purport to explain why people offend,
control theory offers the justification for why people obey rules.
Social Control theory provides an explanation for how behavior conforms to that
which is generally expected in society.
Social control theory, the underlying view of human nature includes the
conception of free will, thereby giving offenders the capacity of choice, and responsibility
for their behavior.
For the most part, social control theory postulates a shared value or belief in
social norms. Even those who break laws or violate social norms are likely to share the
general belief that those rules should be followed.
Thus, social control theory focuses on how the absence of close relationships
with conventional others can free individuals from social constraints, thereby allowing
them to engage in delinquency.
Social Bond Theory

This theory was created by Travis Hirschi in 1969.
Social Bond theory, that later developed into the Social Control Theory..
Before one can apply the Social Bond theory, they must first have a firm
understanding of its definition, which can be accurately described by Hirschi (1969) as,
“Elements of social bonding include attachment to families, commitment to social norms
and institutions (school, employment), involvement in activities, and the belief that these
things are important”.
This theory is the focus on peers and peer groups of individuals. The four basic
elements of social bond theory are attachment, commitment, involvement in conventional
versus deviant or criminal activities.
 First is Attachment is described as the level of values and or norms that an
individual holds in society.
 Second is commitment, this can be described as the level of commitment
that an individual has to abide by legal behavior
 Third is a person’s choice to get involved in conventional versus deviant
behavior. This choice is formed not far after basic rules of life are taught.
If no “right and wrong” basis are formed or provided the adolescent will
make the decision that tends to make the most sense.
- Weak bonds shared with parents lead to delinquency, while strong bonds to peers lead to
also lead to delinquency (LaGrange and Raskin, 1985).
7. Overvalued Beliefs
Our own beliefs influence our values, attitudes, and perceptions. We tend to see what we
believe.
Beliefs persevere especially when we find a reason for their validity, even if there
are evidence to show that they are false.
Overvalued beliefs are irrational but have been buried deep in the subconscious
and accepted as true by the individual.
Causes:
 Base on long overdue
 Handed down tradition
 Unfathomable faith
8. The Brain and Crime

Neurotransmitters are chemical compounds that influence or activate brain functions.
Studies have shown that abnormal levels of these chemicals are associated with
aggression. It has been reported by several researchers that there is an inverse correlation
between serotonin concentrates in the blood and impulsive or suicidal behavior.
Causes:
 Addiction to drugs and other chemicals
 Food intake effect
 Other vices
9. Conflict theory
- This theory is propounded by KARL MARX that claims society is in the state of
perpetual conflict due to competitions for limited sources. It holds that social order is
maintained by domination and power, rather than consensus (General Agreement) and
conformity.
- According to this theory, those with wealth and power try to hold on to it by any means
chiefly by suppressing the poor and powerless.
- Marx focuses on the conflict between two primary classes. The BOURGEOISIE
represents the members of society who hold the majority of the wealth and means. The
PROLETARIAT includes those considered working class or poor. With the rise of
capitalism, Marx theorized that the bourgeoisie, a minority within the population, would
use their influence to oppress the proletariat, the majority class.
 On the other different understanding, this theory holds that crime results
from the conflicts in society among the different social classes and those
laws actually arise from necessity as a result of conflict rather an general
consensus. The fundamental causes of crime are the social and economic
forces operating within the society.
In understanding the conflict theory, competition between social classes plays a key part.
The following are the four primary assumptions in modern conflict theory:
1. Competition: Competition over scarce resources (money, leisure, sexual partners, and so

on) is at the heart of all social relationships. Competition rather than consensus is
characteristic of human relationships.
2. Structural inequality: Inequalities in power and reward are built into all social
structures. Individuals and groups that benefit from any particular structure strive to see
it maintained.
3. Revolution: Change occurs as a result of conflict between social class's competing
interests rather than through adaptation. It is often abrupt and revolutionary rather
than evolutionary.
4. War: Even war is a unifier of the societies involved, as well as war may set an end to
whole societies.
Causes:
 Nationality
 Religion
 Position
 Accomplishment
 Power
 Injustices
 Inequality
10. Marxist theory

Marxism is a method of socioeconomic analysis that view class relations and
social conflict using a materialist interpretation of historical development and takes a
dialectical view of social transformation. It originates from the works of 19th –century
German philosopher Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.
Marxist criminology is one of the schools of criminology. It parallels the work of
the structural functionalism school which focuses on what produces stability and
continuity in society but, unlike the functionalists, it adopts the predefined political
Philosophy.
Marxist Theory of criminology Marxist Theory Condemns Western capitalist
society as an unjust divide between two classes; The ruling bourgeoisie who own the
means of production (The Capitalists), and the proletariat, the poor masses with nothing
to offer but their own labor
Causes:
 Unemployment
 Capitalism
 High Class ruling over the low class
11. Feminist theory
Advocates of this theory react and highly criticize the male dominance
explanation of crime causation and deviancy. It holds that crime causation and deviancy
centered mainly on male offender; thereby leaving a GAP and VOID as to the study and
understanding of female offender and deviancy.
The perspective of this theory is women’s victimization, delinquency and gender
inequality.
This theory actually attempts to examine if women delinquency and criminal
behavior can be incorporated into the mainstream of deviance theory.
According to Steven Box and Chris Hale, the increase in female criminality and
deviancy has nothing to do with liberation and/or emancipation. Instead they noted that
the increase in female offending is more likely due to poverty and economic recession
FEMALE CRIMINALITY (FREDA ADLER)

- She believed that women as to those men as crime prone and that increased and
economic and political opportunities for women, have forced their way to be more visible
to crimes, more particularly white collar crimes.
- According to Freda females commit crimes based on accessibility and opportunity
inherent in a number of situations. Those situations are often influenced by the females
socio-economic status.
The following crimes usually committed by the females but it does require a degree of
physical strength:
1. PROSTITUTION- women have bodies to market, in order to feed their needs, they
become prostitutes. Here they have an easy opportunity to make money.
2. SHOPLIFITNG- women love shopping, so when women do not have means to buy her
stiff he loves, shopping provides her the opportunity to steal.
3. MURDER- this crime that female usually involve with someone with whom she had
relationship. Victim are usually the male with whom the female have had an intimate
relationship. According to Adler, female criminal have a relationship with their victims’
thereby providing the opportunity.
Causes:
 Gender Inequality
 Men’s world identity
Power-Control Theory
- Gender is the central issue at hand when it comes to feminist theories of crime.
These theories seek to explain the gap and inadequacy of criminological theories
in regard to targeting women and how the theories apply to explaining female criminal
behavior. One significant theory integrated into feminist thought is JOHN HAGAN’S
POWER-CONTROL THEORY.
- The creation of this theory stems from the women’s liberation movement.
Power-control theory sets out to explain the gender differences in delinquency
based on the power play going on in the family structure, as well as the parental controls
exercised on boys versus girls.
Hagan states that the “fundamental premise of power-control theory is that
mothers relationally and instrumentally control their daughters more than sons”
12. CONTAINMENT THEORY

The deviant behavior is define in the context of relationship between personal and
social control. It also assumes that for every individual there exists a containing structure
and a protective internal organization both of which provide defense and security against
delinquency and behavior.
Walter Reckless, an American criminologist known for his containment theory of
criminology, which stated that juvenile delinquency commonly arises from a breakdown
in moral and social forces in the organization that otherwise ”contain” an individual
deviant behavior.
Causes:
 Presence of out of school youth (OSY)
 No Recreational facilities for the young OSY
 Presence and tolerance of vices
 Slum areas
13. NEUTRALIZATION THEORY

This theory was developed in 1957 by Dr. Gresham Sykes and his former student,
Dr. David Matza. Their theory presented a different perspective on social control which
was first explained by Edwin Surtherland in 1947 through his Learning Theory.
Neutralization and Drift Theory proposes that juveniles sense an obligation to the
law. This obligation to the law remains in place most of the time. However, when this
obligation is strained, juvenile delinquents tend to drift into crime. This strain is best
explained by Sykes and Matza’s example of justified theft. When an employee sees their
wages cut they are able to rationalize stealing from their employer because they are
earning less money than before, essentially, the employee feels they “deserve” it.
According to Sykes and Matza, most delinquents have the same values, beliefs and
attitudes as those of law-abiding citizens. Some juveniles, however, learn techniques that
allow them to “neutralize” such values and attitudes temporarily.
In the original theory, Sykes and Matza discuss why juveniles experience guilt
and negative self-concepts when engaging in delinquency, why there is a need to
neutralize guilt, and the five neutralization techniques that allow them to do this.
These principals are the basis for how criminals rationalize their actions.
1. Denial of Responsibility: This is where the criminal views himself as a victim

based on circumstance.
2. Denial of Injury: This is where a criminal feels like the actions committed were
victimless because no one was physically hurt or the crime committed was
committed against another criminal.
3. Denial of Victim: This goes back to circumstances. Victims in this case are
considered outcasts by the general population so they deserved this type of
treatment.
4. The Condemnation of the Condemners: This is when the criminal sees the labeler
as a deviant in disguise, they are just out to get them, or by attacking them the
wrongfulness of their behavior is confused.
5. Appealing to Higher Loyalties: The requirements of larger society have to be
pushed to the side because of affiliation in smaller groups, who directly provide
fidelity and protection to the individual, e.g., gangs What a criminal is doing
when applying these techniques is not trying to justify their actions as “normal”,
but trying to lessen the punishment that goes along with whatever crime they have
committed.
- Drift proposes that the techniques of neutralization are a way for adolescents to find
release from conventional restraints of society. Findings suggest that when these
techniques are present, there is a weak sense of social control.
14. CRIME PATTERN THEORY
 It is a way of explaining why crimes are committed in certain areas. Crime is not random;
it is either planned or opportunistic.
 According to the theory crime happens when the activity space of a victim or target
intersects with the activity space of an offender. A person's activity space consists of
locations in everyday life, for example home, work, school, shopping areas,
entertainment areas etc.
 Crime Pattern Theory claims that a crime involving an offender and a victim or target can
only occur when the activity spaces of both cross paths. Simply put crime will occur if an
area provides opportunity for crime and it exists within an offender's awareness space.
 Therefore, crime pattern theory provides analysts an organized way to explore patterns of
behavior. Criminals come across new opportunities for crime every day. These
opportunities arise as they go to and from personal nodes using personal paths.
 This theory aids law enforcement in figuring out why crime exists in certain areas. It also
helps predict where certain crimes may occur.
15. BROKEN WINDOWS THEORY
- It is a criminological theory that visible signs of crime, anti-social behavior, and civil
disorder create an urban environment that encourages further crime and disorder,
including serious crimes.
- The theory thus suggests that policing methods that target minor crimes such as
vandalism, public drinking, and fare evasion help to create an atmosphere of order and
lawfulness, thereby preventing more serious crimes.
- The theory was introduced in a 1982 article by social scientists James Q. Wilson and
George L. Kelling. It was further popularized in the 1990s by New York City police
commissioner William Bratton and Mayor Rudy Giuliani, whose policing policies were
influenced by the theory.
Theoretical explanation
1) The reason the state of the urban environment may affect crime may be three factors:
2) social norms and conformity,
3) the presence or lack of routine monitoring, and
4) Social signaling and signal crime.
 Under the broken windows theory, an ordered and clean environment, one that is
maintained, sends the signal that the area is monitored and that criminal behavior is not
tolerated. Conversely, a disordered environment, one that is not maintained (broken
windows, graffiti, excessive litter), sends the signal that the area is not monitored and
that criminal behavior has little risk of detection.
 The theory assumes that the landscape "communicates" to people. A broken window
transmits to criminals the message that a community displays a lack of informal social
control and so is unable or unwilling to defend itself against a criminal invasion.
 It is not so much the actual broken window that is important, but the message the broken
window sends to people. It symbolizes the community's defenselessness and
vulnerability and represents the lack of cohesiveness of the people within.
 According to some criminologists who speak of a broader "backlash," the broken
windows theory is not theoretically sound. They claim that the "broken windows theory"
closely relates correlation with causality, a reasoning prone to fallacy. David Thacher,
assistant professor of public policy and urban planning at the University of Michigan,
stated in a 2004 paper.
16. SITUATIONAL CRIME PREVENTION (SCP)
- It is a criminological perspective that calls for expanding the crime-reduction role well
beyond the justice system.
- SCP sees criminal law in a more restrictive sense, as only part of the anticrime effort in
governance. It calls for minutely analyzing specific crime types (or problems) to uncover
the situational factors that facilitate their commission.
- In theory, this approach reduces crime by making it impossible for it to be committed no
matter what the offender’s motivation or intent, deterring the offender from committing
the offense, or by reducing cues that increase a person’s motivation to commit a crime
during specific types of events.
- SCP has given rise to a retinue of methods that have been found to reduce crime at local
and sometimes national or international levels. SCP’s focus is thus different than that of
other criminological theories because it seeks to reduce crime opportunities rather than
punish or rehabilitate offenders.
- SCP is a theoretical; it is actually based upon a well-developed interdisciplinary model
drawing from criminology, economics, psychology, and sociology. Importantly, a
growing number of empirical studies and scientific evaluations have demonstrated SCP’s
effectiveness in reducing crime.
- Finally, the SCP approach inevitably leads to a shifting of responsibility for crime control
away from police and on to those entities, public and private, most competent to reduce it
17. LEFT REALISM
Focus on street crimes, like robbery and assault, and how we can reduce the amount of
street crimes that occurs. Left realism theorist argue that the focus has been on financial
crimes and should instead be on victimization. According to left realist, street crime is due to
the feeling of the offender being deprived in comparison to others.
According to left theory, the justice system respond to high levels of street crime by
changing the response by police, which usually means police officers stop trying to build
relationship with the community and develop strict policies that end up in high arrest rates.
Left realism argue this does not work and the way to reduce crime in areas with high levels
of street crime is to build trust and bonds with the community.
Pat Carlen (1992) suggests that the main tenets of left realism are:
Theoretical
1. The basic triangle of relations which is the proper subject-matter of criminology [is] - the
offender, the state and the victim' (Young, 1986) (since altered to include society at large,
see The Square of Crime)
2. Theoretical explanations must be symmetrical - there must be the same explanation for
social action and reaction.
3. Man is a creator of human nature’ (Young, 1987), and therefore explanations of crime
should not be deterministic and people should be seen as being responsible for their
actions.
Political
1. Crime is a real problem and especially to working-class people who suffer
disproportionately from personal crime, such as robbery, assault, burglary and rape.
2. The 'left' should attempt to develop a credible (populist?) approach to crime control in
order to prevent the 'right' from having a monopoly of the 'crime problem'.
3. The purpose of theorizing should be to make practical interventions into law and order
issues.
4. In order to reduce crime there is a need to achieve a higher level of cooperation between
police and public, and this will be best achieved by a democratization of local control of
the police.
A Balance of Intervention
Central to the left realist crime control strategy is the proposition that crime
requires a comprehensive solution where there must be a ‘balance of intervention’. The
Square of Crime is designed as a reminder that crime is the outcome of a number of lines
of force and intervention to prevent it must take place at different levels in order to be
effective.
Left realists propose that crime is a function of four factors. First, there is the
state, principally through the capacity of its front-line agents to label individuals and
groups as offenders which is a major factor in recidivism. Second, there is the victim who
may actually encourage offenders through inadequate defence or may even precipitate
crime through his or her lifestyle or personality all which determine the impact of crime.
Third, there is society, through which the various forces of informal and formal social
control are exercised. Fourth, there are the offenders themselves (their number, their rate
of offending, the type of crimes they commit, etc).
Crime occurs not only as a product of these individual four factors, but also as an
outcome of the relationship between them. The relationship between the police and the
public that left – and indeed right – realists argue, determines the effectiveness of the
former in preventing crime, can be described as state– society interplay. The actions of
the criminal justice system are state–offender interplay. Fundamentally, all crime
prevention efforts, of whatever type, involve some relationship between the four corners
of the square. In short,
To control crime from a realist perspective involves intervention at each part of
the square of crime: at the level of the factors which give rise to the putative offender
(such as structural unemployment), the informal system (such as lack of public
mobilization), the victim (such as inadequate target hardening), and the formal system
(such as ineffective policing). (Young, 1986)
SQUARE OF CRIME
THE STATE
THE VICTIM THE OFFENDER
SOCIETY
Three main policies of left realism according to John Lea and Jock Young
1. Demarginalization
 Realists would argue for alternatives to prison", they would advocate
"measures such as community service orders, victim restitution schemes,
and widespread release from prison" which would stop "the severance of
the moral bond with the community.
2. Pre-emptive-Deterrence
 Environmental and public precautions against crime are always dismissed
by left idealists and reformers as not relating to the heart of the matter.
Environmental and public precautions against crime distract us from the
real concerns... On the contrary, the organization of communities in an
attempt to pre-empt crime is of the utmost importance.
3. The Minimal Use of Prison
 Prisons should only be used in those circumstances where there is extreme
danger to the community... Life inside should be as free and as 'normal' as
possible. Such a demand is not humanitarian idealism - it is based on the
simple fact that the result of prison experience is to produce pitiful
inadequates or hardened criminals.
18. DEVIANT CULTURE THEORY

- There are different deviant subculture explanations of crime and criminal behavior but all
share a common perception that certain social groups have values and attitudes that
enable or encourage delinquency.-
- This theory also states that the individual is not responsible for their deviance as much as
the community within which they reside. People influenced only by the place, people and
social structure of the community in which they reside.
THERE ARE FIVE EXPLANATIONS?

1. First, there was Merton’s concept of anomie with its proposition that people may either
turn to various kinds of deviant conduct in order to gain otherwise unobtainable material
rewards or, failing that, seek alternative goals.
2. Second, there were the case studies conducted by the Chicago School that had suggested
that young males living in socially ‘disorganized’ areas had different moral standards
from other people and these helped facilitate their willingness to become involved in
offending behavior. Moreover, some of these patterns of conduct were passed on – or
‘culturally transmitted’ – from one generation to the next.
3. Third, there was the ‘masculine identity crisis theory’ outlined by the then highly
influential functionalist sociologist Talcott Parsons (1937) during a period when his work
was highly influenced by Freud. Parsons argued that the primary social role of the adult
male is job-centered while that of the adult female is home-centered.
 The outcome is that children of both sexes identify with their
mother to the exclusion of their father and this is particularly
problematic for the male child who encounters strong cultural
expectations that he adopt a masculine role but has no real concept
of what this involves. Offending behavior satisfies these criteria of
masculinity.
4. Fourth, there was the ‘differential association theory’ that Edwin Sutherland had
developed from the social disorganization which proposed that a person was more likely
to offend if they had frequent and consistent contact with others involved in such
activities.
5. Fifth, there were the early sociological studies of adolescent gangs carried out in the
social disorganization–cultural transmission tradition developed by the Chicago School.
Thrasher (1947) thus argued that the adolescent gang emerged out of spontaneous street
playgroups of young children in relatively permissive and socially disorganized slum
areas but the young males involved were neither ‘disturbed’ or ‘psychopathic’ nor
‘driven’ by socio-economic forces beyond their control, they were simply looking for
excitement, adventure and fun.
ASSIGNMENT 1:
CASE ANALYSIS
Directions: Applying the different principles of crime, identify what theory is applicable
in story,
“ I accept failure. Everyone fails at something, but I cant accept not trying” by Michael
Jordan
One day, a school principal in one of the remote areas in the Cordillera Adminitrative
Region (CAR) called the attention one of his staff in the name of Hamling regarding bullying
inside his classroom. Allegedly, Mr. Hamling just allow harassment and hounding in his class.
Discrimination, belittling one another with the display of deviant behavior. Imagine the student
in a class who are from different origin with distinct upbringing and training and even in
financial capability. Some cannot just sit down and listen to all the screaming coming from other
students inside the classroom but, Mr Hamling has no action and doesn’t care about the noise
brought by the act of bullying and hounding.
One early foggy morning, a mother of one of his students dropped her son in school and
stayed there for a while to observe if her son is really participating in their class, Unfortunately,
she witnessed how Mr. Hamling treated his students as if he has no sense of sight and of hearing
because he do not caution the students who created extra ordinary noise and shouted to every
students inside the classroom. This prompted the mother to start questioning the teacher
regarding the supposed move and action. At the end of the day, the mother was not able to get an
answer.
As a concerned mother, she reported the same to the principal reiterating that her son is in
school to learn not only in terms of academics, but more on the moral aspect of life and on how
value respect without causing harm to anyone.
The teacher Mr. Hamling, instead of settling the issue, he get revenge and threatened the
mother to fail her son in his class. In this case, the mother filed a case against Mr. Hamling and
the school Principal.
Questions:
1. What Theory/ies is/are applicable in the story cited?
a. ____________________________
b. _____________________________
c. ___________________________
d. ______________________________
e. ______________________________
2. What deviant behavior was shown? By the teacher and the students?
a. _______________________________
b. _____________________________
c. __________________________________
d. __________________________________
e. __________________________________
3. What is the role of social learning theory in the story?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________
4. What is the effect of differential theory?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________
5. What role did the mother portray?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________
ASSIGNMENT 2:
Read and understand the given items. Give the correct answers by writing the letter only.
A. Labeling theory
B. Proletariat
C. Anomie theory
D. Social learning theory
E. Strain theory
F. Conflict theory
G. Behavior
H. Feminist theory
I. Overvalued beliefs
J. Marxist theory
____1. This theory states that the society puts pressure on individuals to achieve socially
accepted goals though they lack the means
____2. No nurtured value is one of the causes of this theory.
____3. The perspective of this theory is women’s victimization, delinquency and gender
inequality
____4. It is a method of socioeconomic analysis that view class relations and social conflict
using a materialist interpretation of historical development and takes a dialectical view of social
transformation
____5. This includes those considered working class or poor
___6. These are irrational but have been buried deep in the subconscious and accepted as true by
the individual
___7. In understanding this theory, competition between social classes plays a key part
___8. Any act of person which is observable or any observable responses of a person to his
environment.
___9. This theory described of how the self-identity and behavior of individuals may be
determined or influenced by the terms used to describe or classify them.
___10. This theory explains human behavior in terms of continuous reciprocal interaction
between cognitive, behavioral and environmental influences
ASSIGNMENT 3:
Essay: Read the question and write your answers legibly in paragraph form.
1. Explain strain and anomie theory in your own point of view. illustrate a scenario
wherein the said theory exist.
2. According to Edwin Sutherland “Criminal behavior is learned” agree or disagree?
Justify your answer by giving a concrete example.
3. Our own beliefs influence our values, attitudes, and perceptions. We tend to see what
we believe. Illustrate how does your beliefs influences your behavior and perceptions
in life. Expound your answer.
ASSIGNMENT 4:
Reaction Paper: Write your answer in paragraph form. (minimum of 150 words)
Read a research study related to labeling theory. Highlight the findings and give your reactions.
Indicate your references.

Midterm Module Theories!!!

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UNIVERSITY OF CAGAYAN VALLEY

New Site Campus Tuguegarao City,Cagayan

MODULE IN THEORIES OF CRIME CAUSATION

COURSE TITLE: Theories of Crime Causation

COURSE UNITS: 3 UNITS

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOME:

DISCUSSIONS (See attached outlined)

WHY DO PEOPLE ENGAGE IN CRIME ACCORDING TO STRAIN THEORY?

When faced with strain, people have five ways to adapt:

3. DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION THEORY

PRINCIPLES OF SUTHERLAND ON DAT THEORY

1. Criminal behavior is learned in interaction with others in a process of communication.

4. DIFFERENTIAL IDENTIFICATION THEORY

- This theory of how the self-identity and behavior of individuals may be determined or

There are 2 distinctions in labeling

What is Human behavior?

Social Bond Theory

8. The Brain and Crime

1. Competition: Competition over scarce resources (money, leisure, sexual partners, and so

10. Marxist theory

FEMALE CRIMINALITY (FREDA ADLER)

12. CONTAINMENT THEORY

13. NEUTRALIZATION THEORY

1. Denial of Responsibility: This is where the criminal views himself as a victim

14. CRIME PATTERN THEORY

15. BROKEN WINDOWS THEORY

16. SITUATIONAL CRIME PREVENTION (SCP)

THE VICTIM THE OFFENDER

18. DEVIANT CULTURE THEORY

THERE ARE FIVE EXPLANATIONS?

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