To say that a specific action or event causes criminal behavior in an individual is an absurd notion. There are many variables that contribute to criminal behavior; however, a known cause is still up for debate. The events this literature review focuses on is traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and its correlation with criminal behavior. There are theories as to why TBI promotes criminal behavior and the connection always comes back to the frontal lobe of the brain. The frontal lobes control motor function, problem solving, judgment, impulse control, and social behavior and when damage is inflicted upon this area, an individual is affected in the way they react and think due to the cognitive impairment.
Perspectives of Social Problems and Social Responsibility Within criminology there has been multiple theories suggested to explain the numerous motives behind why crime exists in our world. The two most central arguments surrounding criminal activity is whether the crime is the individuals fault, or if it is the fault of the society that they grew up in. These views are termed social responsibility and social problems, and will be discussed in this paper along with their respected perspectives that withhold why their view on criminology is the paramount reason on why criminals commit crimes. The view of social responsibilities approach to crime termed by Schmalleger essentially states that crime is an individual responsibility, and in terms of the criminal, victim, and justice system we all play a role within the social aspect of criminal behavior. Although he feels that this way of looking at crime is not fair to the victim or the justice system, but that the media over the years has influenced this way of thinking, giving the conception that certain conditions surrounding when, where, or how the crime took place may be the factor in why it happened in the first place.
Along with a brief description of the criminological theories, an attempt to show how they differ from one another and discussion of one strength and one weakness unique to each theory will be made. Finally, I will provide my opinion as to which of the two philosophies (classical or positivist) explains criminal behavior in a much more complete manner and why. The first of the criminological theories is called Social Control Theory. What makes a person not a criminal? This is the main question asked in control theories.
Whether an individual will adapt or stray from the law is all determined by the balance of these two attitudes. If a person engages with an excess of this newfound attitude, then criminal behavior is more likely to manifest. Sutherland basically framed his various ideas into a broad theory that would encompass numerous realities known about criminality into one large arrangement. Essentially, the key postulation regarding this theory is whether or not deviant conduct is learned through association. One major criticism of the differential association theory is that it is very difficult to actually put to a test.
“The machinery of criminal justice—police, prosecution, courts, and corrections—is the formal means by which order is maintained in our society” (Zalman, 2008, p. 4). These workers of the justice system use some components of each model some of the time depending on individual preferences regarding the criminal process (Packer, 1968). Although there is division within these models, there is some agreement on some aspects. For instance, both models believe the consent of criminal behavior and identifying a criminal are different processes, when probable cause has been established criminal processing is enforced and the government has limited powers of investigation and apprehension. There is also agreement on an adversary system, procedural due process, and one’s day in court (Zalman, 2008).
Edwin H. Sutherland, a renowned criminologist, developed the theory of differential association, where deviance is explained in terms of the individual’s social relationships. This theory differed drastically from the typical justification of crime relating to biological and psychological issues. Differential association states that an individual’s delinquency can be attributed to an excess of definitions favorable to the violation of laws versus definitions unfavorable to the violations of laws. Sutherland based his differential association theory on the basis of three lines of consideration: symbolic interactionism, cultural transmission and culture conflict (Brown 321, “Edward Sutherland”). Symbolic interactionism is a belief that as individuals and groups interact, peoples’ selves are formed as social products.
Outline and assess functionalist explanations for crime and deviance (50marks) When regarding crime and deviance, there is on-going debate between Functionalists, Marxists and Interactionists. Functionalism is a structural approach that sees human behaviour as shaped by external factors and is a consensus theory whereby it sees society as built by shares values that maintain order, this has influenced approaches such as Right Realism. Functionalist such as Durkheim and Merton view social structure within society as an explanation of crime and deviance rather than the circumstances of the individual. On the contrary, Interactionists hold an interpretivist approach and believes that the explanation of crime and deviance is due to how we label individuals and how those individuals live up to their self-fulfilling prophecy. Whereas, Marxists believe that capitalism creates potential criminals.
This helps to define why some individuals with similar strains commit crimes and why others chose legal manners in which they deal with their strains and emotions. General Strain Theory can help to explain any act that is considered deviant by society, and carries with it some sort of punishment, either formally or informally (Agnew, 2006). Failure to achieve
Through the entwining of subjective, communal, intellectual, and situational factors, developmental theorist identify the characteristics that cause criminals to persist in their criminal behaviors. Under the umbrella of developmental theories there are three distinctive views, the life course, latent trait and trajectory theories. According to the life course view the
Social Deviance and Social Control Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Social Deviance and Social Control An assault is a threat or a deliberate attempt to inflict bodily harm or offensive physical contact on a person hence putting the person in apprehension or danger of such contact or harm. It is both a tort and a crime, and consequently it may either lead to civil or criminal liability. It is a social deviance as it goes against the norms of the society; also, it involves actions of threat and violence either by show of force or sometimes causing another person to apprehend immediately. An assault may include either of the following cases: when one inflicts serious bodily injury