Criminological Crime Theory

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Throughout history society’s perception of crime and deviance has adapted to fit within the societal model of control. The continual advancement of both medical understanding and technology has also played a major role in how the legal system identifies individuals considered to be criminals. Just as society’s perception and understanding of criminal activities has changed, so too has the criminological theories that attempt to explain it. Today all theories (old and new) are studied in order to assist in the creation of new theories and help determine possibly why criminal behavior is taking place. This paper will compare criminological sub theories such as Anomie, Subculture, Biological, Social Disorganization/Chicago school, Learning, Labeling,…show more content…
Tre is not a trouble maker but seems to hang out with a group (including Doughboy and Ricky) who are continually getting into trouble. Despite Furious best efforts to keep Tre out of trouble he is learning from his friends what he perceives to be appropriate behavior. Learning theory suggests an individual does this in order to conform and feel part of a group. The learning approach considers crime to be something one learns from a person or group in which they feel a strong connection towards (family, friends, and teachers). Social control theory can also be very closely related to Tre as it focuses on the conformity of individuals within society. Social control theory takes place when an individual has a strong need for belonging and they are reinforces doing well in school, hard work and presenting himself better then his friends do. Social control theory is often discredited because it does not point to political or economic standards that play a major role in…show more content…
Ricky is faced with a lot of pressure because he must perform well on his SAT test in order to qualify for a scholarship. He also has the added pressure of a young baby he must take care of. The SAT test is another example of the middle class measuring rod and subcultures theory in the film and how it is used to control populations. It suggests because the likelihood of the lower class succeeding in passing is smaller they are more likely to turn to crime and gang behaviour in order to fill that void. This theory does a good job of incorporating the individual and society together however it fails to represent racial discrepancies that can play a large role in society and individuals
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