MODULE 1

1st Prelim

Lesson’s Objective:
1. Define what crime is;
2. Discuss the approaches in the study of criminology;
3. Discuss what theory is;

THEORIES OF CRIME CAUSATION

CRIME may define as:

1. an action or omission that constitutes an offense that may be prosecuted by the state and is
punishable by law.
2. An anti-social act; an act that is injurious, detrimental or harmful to the norms of society,
they are the unacceptable acts in its social definition.
3. Psychologically, crime is an act, which is considered undesirable due to behavioral
maladjustment of the offender; acts that are caused by maladaptive or abnormal behaviors.
CRIME is also a generic name that refers to offense, felony and delinquency or misdemeanor.
Theory - a supposition or a system of ideas intended to explain something, especially one
based on general principles independent of the thing to be explained.

- Is any system of ideas arranged in rational order that produces general principles which
increase our understanding and explanations.
- The general principles in a theory are derived from, and representative, of particular facts,
but those principles are not dependent upon the particular thing to be explained.
- Theory is the foundation of criminology and of criminal justice, and we study theory to know
why we are doing what we do.
- Theory without research is not science.
- The most important task of theory is an explanation called prediction.
There are many approaches in the explanation of crimes in order to come to an answer to
questions. Among them are the following;
APPROACHES IN THE STUDY OF CRIMINOLOGY
Subjective Approach – it deals mainly on the biological explanation of crimes, focused on the forms
of abnormalities that exist in the individual criminal before, during and after the crime (Tradio,
1999). Included under this approach are:
a. Anthropological Approach – the study of the physical characteristics of an individual
offender with non-offenders in the attempt to discover differences covering criminal behavior.
(Hooton)
b. Medical Approach – the application of medical examinations on the individual criminal,
explain the mental and physical condition of the individual prior and after the commission of
the crime. (Positivist)
c. Biological Approach – the evaluation of the genetic influences on the criminal behavior. It is
noted that heredity is one force pushing the criminal to the crime.
d. Physiological Approach – the study of the nature of human beings concerning his physical
needs in order to satisfy his wants. It explains that the deprivation of the physical body on
the basic needs is an important determiner of the commission of the crime.
 e. Psychological Approach – it is concerned about the deprivation of the psychological needs of
a man, which constitute that development of deviations of normal behavior resulting to
unpleasant emotions.
f. Psychiatric Approach – the explanation of crime through diagnosis of mental diseases as a
cause of the criminal behavior.
g. Psychoanalytical Approach – the explanation of crimes based on the Freudian Theory,
which traces behavior as the deviation of the repression of the basic drives.
Objective Approach – deal with the study of groups, social processes and institutions as influences
to behavior. They are primarily derived from the social sciences. Under these approaches are:
a. Geographic Approach – this approach considers topography, natural resources,
geographical location, and climate lead an individual to commit crime. (Quetelet)
b. Ecological Approach – it is concerned with the biotic grouping of men resulting migration,
competition, social discrimination, division of labor and social conflict as factors of crime.
(Park)
c. Economic Approach – it deals with the explanation of crime concerning financial security of
inadequacy and other necessities to support life as factors to criminality. (Merton)
d. Socio – Cultural Approach – those that focus on institutions, economic, financial,
education, political, and religious influences to crime. (Cohen)
Contemporary Approach – modern days put emphasis on scientific modes of explaining crime and
criminal behavior. This approach focuses on the psychoanalytical, psychiatric, sociological
explanations of crime in an integrated theory – an explanatory perspective that merges concepts
drawn from different sources.