Theories on Delinquency

A. Early General Theories on the Causes of Delinquency

1) Demonological
 The oldest perspective or theory
 Based on the belief of primitive people that every object and person is guided by a spirit
 Promoted the notion that persons should not be held responsible for their actions when
they do evil things because their body is possessed by evil spirits
2) Classical
 Consistent with the utilitarian view that people weigh benefits and costs of future action
before they decide to act
 Based on the assumption that people are rational, have free will and therefore able to
choose
 Promoted the idea that people choose criminality the same way when they choose
conformity

Hedonism- doctrine that pleasure is the highest good in life and that moral duty is fulfilled
through the pursuit of pleasure.

Classicists’ Four Good reasons why Offenders should be punished:

a) General Deterrence – punishment of delinquent and criminal offenders will strike fear in
the hearts of people, thus, making them less likely to commit acts of delinquency or crimes
b) Specific Deterrence – punishment will strike fear in the hearts of wrongdoers, thus making
them less likely to offend others again
c) Incapacitation – wrongdoers should be locked up in jail since while they are imprisoned in
an institution, they cannot commit offenses against other people in the outside world
d) Retribution – objects the idea that anything good or useful will follow or result from
punishing offenders
- Criminal s are punished because they deserve it
- Punishing criminals has no purpose or no positive effects on the minds and hearts of
the people
3) Positive/ Italian Theory
 Promoted the idea of determinism as a way of explaining crime and delinquency.
Determinism means that every act has a cause that is waiting to be discovered in the
natural world
 Positivists believe that the cause of juvenile delinquency could be identified through the
application of scientific method; once causes are discovered, the individual offender could
be treated or rehabilitated as much as medical doctors can treat the causes of harmful
illness
4) Critical Theory
 View juvenile delinquency as a product of existing social arrangements
  Concepts of power, influence, inequality and conflict guide this theory in exploring and
clarifying the nature of juvenile delinquency
 Blames delinquency on the imbalance of power within the human society

B. Biological Theories
 Early biological theories claim that criminal behaviour is a result of biological or genetic
defect in the individual
 Contemporary biological theories focus more on variations in genetic and other biological
factors in interaction with the environment, and are less likely to refer to biological defects
or abnormalities.
1) Lombrosian Theory – developed by Cesare Lombrosio, a prison doctor in Turin Italy and known
as the father of Criminology
This theory holds the following assumptions:
a) Criminals have many stigmata ( distinctive physical features) such as symmetrical faces,
enormous jaws, large or protruding ears, and receding chins.
b) Criminals are atavistic beings who look differently and think differently. They are incapable
of living in the modern society, having the mentality of primitive people
2) General Inferiority Theory/Hooton’s Theory – proposed by Earnest Hooton
This theory has the following assumptions:
a) Crime is the result of the impact of the environment upon low-grade human organisms and
that criminals were originally inferior people.
b) Crime exists because there are some inferior people who are responsible for them.
c) Men with mediocre builds are people who tend to break the law without preference
because crimes are like physical make-up, characterless.
d) Criminals should be permanently exiled to self-governing reservations, isolated from society,
sterilized to prevent future offspring.
3) William Sheldon’s Theory – according to Sheldon, body type affects a person’s entire personality
or temperament. People are classified in three ways:
a) Endomorphs – people who tend o be fat, round and soft, and to have short arms and legs
b) Mesomorphs – people who have athletic and muscular physique; with active, assertive and
aggressive personality
c) Ectomorphs – people who are basically skinny with lean and fragile bodies
4) Genetic Theory – assumes that:
a) Crime and delinquency is committed by people who have abnormal genetic structure or
chromosomal abnormalities and thus, criminal activity
b) DNA is the transmitter of genetic materials (genes)
c) Extra Y chromosome is responsible for aggressiveness.
Men with extra Y chromosome s are taller and have a 10-20 percent greater tendency to
break the law
C. Psychological Theories
 Assume that:
a) Delinquency is a result of internal, underlying disturbances
b) These disturbances develop childhood and tend to become permanent features of the
individual character
c) Since the individual has problems, he or she must be the focus of attention if the
problem is to be solved
1) Psychogene Theries
2) Low IQ Theory
3) Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity
4) Frustration-Aggression Theory
D. Social Class Theories
1) Social Disorganization Theory
2) Anomie Theory
3) Strain Theory
4) Differential Opportunity Theory
5) Class Conflict Theory
E. Interpersonal Theories
1) Differential Association Theory
F. Situational Theories
G. Societal Reaction Theories
H. Control Theories
I. Other Theories