UNIVERSITY OF THE CORDILLERAS

COLLEGE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE EDUCATION

THEORIES OF CRIME

Theory of crime Advocator/s Concept/s

- Individuals were thought to be possessed by good or evil
Demonological Theory ____________ spirits, which caused good or evil spirits

- Children and lunatics cannot calculate pain and pleasure,

Neo-Classical Theory ____________ therefore, must be exempted from criminal liability.

- Utilitarian Hedonism which explains that a person always

Classical Theory Cesare Beccaria and acts in such a way as to seek pleasure and avoid pain.
Jeremy Bentham (Bentham)
- Men are rational being who has the freewill to choose
between good or evil. (Beccaria)

Positivists Theory Raffaele Garofalo, - Criminals are like sick people who require rehabilitation
Enrico Ferri and Cesare rather than the imposition of punishment.
Lombroso

Anomie Theory Emile Durkheim - Crime is an important ingredient to all healthy societies.

Psychoanalytical Theory Sigmund Freud Crime is a symbolic expression of one’s inner tension which
a person but fails to control.
Somatotyping Theory William Sheldon - Heredity is the primary determinant of one’s behavior and
- body physique is a reliable indicator of one’s personality.
 Theory of crime Advocator/s Concept/s
Differential Edwin Sutherland - Criminal behavior is learned through social interaction in
Association Theory the process of communication.

Strain Theory Robert King Merton - It maintains that the failure of a man to achieve a higher
status of life caused them to commit crimes in order for
that status or goal to be attained.

Cartographical School of Adolphe Quetelet - Crimes against person increase during summer and
Criminology crimes against property increase during winter.

General Inferiority Theory Earnest Hooton - Criminals are originally inferior and that crime is the result
of the impact of the environment.

Evolution Theory Charles Darwin - Humans, like other animals, are parasites.
- Man is an organism having an animalistic behavior that is
dependent on other animals for survival. Thus, man kills
and steals to live.

Labeling Theory Frank Tannenbaum, - Behavior becomes criminal if it is labeled as such.

Edwin Lemert and
Howard Becker

Differential Opportunity Lloyd Ohlin - It explains that society leads the lower class to want things
Theory and society does things to people.

Human Ecology Theory Robert Ezra Park - It maintains that crime is a function of social change that
occurs along with environmental change.
- It maintains that isolation, segregation, competition,
conflict, social contract, interaction and social hierarchy of
people are the major influences of criminal behavior and
crimes.
 Theory of crime Advocator/s Concept/s
Containment Theory Walter Reckless - This theory is a form of control, which suggests that a
series of both internal and external factors contributes to
criminal behavior.

Social Class Conflict and Karl Marx, Frederick - claim that the ruling (nobles) class in a capitalist society is
Capitalism Theory Engel and William responsible for the creation of criminal law and their
Bonger ideological bases in the interpretation and enforcement of
their laws.

Subculture Theory Albert Cohen - He claims that the lower class cannot socialize effectively
as the middle class in what is considered appropriate
middle class behavior. Thus, the lower class gathers
together to share their common values forming a
subculture that rejects middle class values.

Neutralization Theory Gresham Sykes - It maintains that an individual will obey or disobey societal
rules depending upon his or her ability to rationalize
whether he is protected from hurt or destruction.