Cloward and Ohlin argue, that the majority of criminals involved in the drugs trade were unable to succeed within capitalism and were driven to an illegitimate means of obtaining wealth. Cloward and Ohlin further argued that as people were driven into this illegitimate structure they tended to join existing deviant subcultures i.e. the drug subculture as in the case of the drugs trade. The theory does well to explain many crimes of the working class as they are unable to succeed in a society driven by middle class values, however Cloward and Ohlin’s subcultural theory fails to explain the crimes of the powerful whom already have achieved economic wealth through legitimate means. Furthermore the theory
2013) Police often blame the victim of police brutality when accused of being too brutal with their use of force. With this as a common issue, police departments across the United States have decided to fight against that statistic. Many times, when a police officer is accused of police brutality, they are immediately put on suspension. Within the terms of their suspension, either an outside agency or internal affairs department does an investigation determining what may have happened. This would typically include interviewing potential witnesses, determining what happened, and putting the pieces together.
Ever since history and law have been written down, the question of why criminals do what they do has always been difficult to answer. Explanations ranging from physical appearance, genetics and social environment have all tried to help answer the question. Over time, more explanations as to why criminals do what they do have changed and evolved. It doesn’t matter what your opinion as to why criminals do what they do, every circumstance is different. The documentary “High on Crack Street” makes every viewer wonder just what made these somewhat “normal” people turn into what society would see as social deviants.
We can divide realist approaches along political lines: - Right Realists - Share the New Right or neo-conservative political outlook. - Left Realists - Are socialists and favour quite different policies of reducing crime. Right Realism - They see crime, especially street crime, as a real and growing problem that destroys communities, undermines social cohesion and threatens society’s work ethic. - Right realist views on crime correspond closely with those of neo-conservative governments during the 1970s and 1980s. The Causes of Crime - Right realists reject the idea put forward by Marxists and others that structural or economic factors such as poverty and inequality are the cause for crime.
Violent Crimes and Theories Violent crimes are a major concern for United States citizens. Although there has been a decrease in violent crime, it is still a huge problem nationwide that needs to be under more control. What causes a person to become criminal is a question that many theorists would love to fully understand. In the past, criminologists believed that people were simply born criminals. Today, there are several theories on why people commit crimes.
3. Biological- theories that claim that your biological inheritance or genes may have an influence on your criminal behaviour. Biological theory; William Sheldon Body Shape Theory (1897-1998) William Sheldon’s work originated from Cesare Lombrosso’s work. Lombrosso looked at a large amount of prisoners and concluded that a person’s character could be determined by the shape of their skull and other physical characteristics; he believed that criminals were less evolved than normal people. This is no longer a satisfactory explanation of crime, this is because William Sheldon didn’t think this was a valid theory and wanted to get more in depth and produce a valid theory.
Capital punishment does not deter crime; instead it increases the murder rate and there is a chance of error. Therefore, capital punishment should not exist in today’s society because it is an unconstitutional punishment. Capital punishment it’s not necessary and it is also unfair. There is a chance of error, you can execute the wrong person and later on find them innocent. Even though some may argue that death penalty deters crime, studies have shown that it does not.
Cesare Lombroso (CL) was a Psychiatrist that believed that criminals had common facial characteristics and that they were “born criminals” which he also referred to as “atavisms”. His theory was that genetic factors or abnormalities that are inherited influence individuals to commit crime and that it was the individuals destiny to become a criminal`. This can be identified through the shape of their skulls, large ears and lips, long arms and a flattened nose. He also believed that men were more likely to commit crime than woman as they were more narrow-minded of their interests. CL theory has been largely criticised as it is very much descriptive based rather than experimental.
Before, that individuals were believed to have control over their moods and directional approaches. Relating a criminal’s action to biology was not considered a defense. It was believed that crime originated from sin and moral failing. This view was changed when advancements in the social and natural sciences, mainly in genetics started to happen and more people started to accept that certain biological traits can cause crime, such as hormones or genetics. (Ferris, David, August 25, 2013) Hormones are not determined by the environment but instead biologically.
Describing crime and deviance is varied across different cultures; history; social situations and place. It will look at the bodies that measure crime and look at the reasons why they are not accurate. There are several differences between crime and deviance, deviance is a violation of the social norms whereas crime is a violation of the laws of the land. Society has no power for deviance but the government can punish with crime. Much behaviour that was seen as deviant in the past has today become a criminal offence, as with crime behaviour seen as criminal is now seen as deviant.