THEORIES

OF CRIME
CAUSATION
KIM ROSARY S. GERODIAZ RCRIM MSCJ
LECTURER
WHAT IS THEORY?
 CRIMINOLOGICAL THEORY
A proposition/assumption that attempts to explain criminal
behavior (crime) and crime behavior of key factors (e.g.
attorneys, prosecutors, judges, social welfare officers, victim,
witnesses, accused, and etc.,) in the criminal justice system.
Basically, theories about the causes of crimes are based
on
 Religion
 Philosophy
 Biology
 Politics
 Economy
 Social Forces
 PSYCHOLOGICAL DETERMINISM
What is psychological determinism?
FREE WILL DOESN’T REALLY EXIST

The general position that psychological phenomena, including

behaviors, are fixed, resulting from physical and other factors outside the
control of the person.
For example, a determinist might argue that a person's genes make him
or her anxious. An extreme determinist would argue that gene-based
anxiety cannot be altered, while a moderate determinist would argue that
anxiety's genetic basis makes it more difficult to change.
PSYCHOLOGICAL DETERMINISM IN RELATION TO CRIME
CAUSATION

LITTLE ALBERT EXPERIMENT 1920

WAYNE&RAYNER
SOCIOLOGICAL DETERMINISM
 What Are The Three Major Psychological
Theories of Crime?
What Influences Behavior in Criminals?

Psychodynamic Theory 
This theory largely comes to us from the mind of noted psychologist
Sigmund Freud. He argued that everyone has instinctual drives (called the
“id”) that demand gratification. Moral and ethical codes (called the
“superego”) regulate these drives, and adults later develop a rational
personality (called the “ego”) that mediates between the id and superego.
Based on this idea, criminal behavior is seen primarily as a failure of the
superego.

More generally, psychodynamic theory sees criminal behavior as a conflict

between the id, ego and superego. This conflict can lead to people
developing problematic behavior and delinquency. The challenge with this
theory is it is difficult to test.
 What Are The Three Major Psychological
Theories of Crime?
What Influences Behavior in Criminals?
Behavioral Theory
This theory revolves around the idea that human behavior develops through
experience. Specifically, behavioral theory focuses on the idea that people
develop their behavior based on the reaction their behavior gets from those
around them. This is a form of conditioning, where behavior is learned and
reinforced by rewards or punishment.
So, if a person is in the company of those who condone and even reward
criminal behavior – especially a figure of authority – then they will continue to
engage in that behavior. For example, social learning theorist Albert Bandura
maintains individuals are not born with an innate ability to act violently. He
instead suggests people learn violent behavior through observing others.
Typically, this comes from three sources: family, environmental experiences and
the mass media.
What Are The Three Major Psychological Theories of Crime?

What Influences Behavior in Criminals?

Cognitive Theory 
Cognitive theory focuses on how people perceive the world and how this perception governs their actions,
thoughts and emotions. Most cognitive theorists break down the process into three levels of what is called
“moral development.”

• Pre-conventional level. This involves children and how they learn the external consequences of their
actions.
• Conventional level. This involves teens and young adults, who begin to base behavior on society’s views
and expectations.
• Post-conventional level. In those over the age of 20, the focus is more on judging the moral worth of societal
values and rules and how they relate to values of liberty, human welfare and human rights
•  In the area of crime, cognitive theorists argue that criminals do not develop moral judgment  beyond a pre-
conventional level.
 Biological theories of crime
The basic tenet of biological theories in criminology holds that
crime is caused by a genetic or physical defect, and treatment is only
effective in the reduction of aggression » (Schmalleger, 2007).
Indeed, biological theories assume that the people who commit
crimes are ‘born criminals’ and their biological features differ from
non-criminals.
This difference, considered as an inferiority, leads to criminal
activity. Biological theories are categorized with a paradigm called
positivism, which contrasts with classicism. Unlike the classical
thought, developed during the Age of Enlightenment in the 1600s,
which asserts that humans operated on a basis of rational thought
and free will, guided by the calculation of risks and rewards over the
course of their actions (Beccaria, 1764), positivist theories believe
that criminals are born as such, it is their nature and not nurture that
results in criminal tendency
 LOMBROSO’S POSITIVIST THEORY
Essentially, Lombroso believed that criminality was inherited and that
criminals could be identified by physical defects that confirmed them as being
atavistic or savage. A thief, for example, could be identified by his expressive
face, manual dexterity, and small, wandering eyes.
What is Cesare Lombroso's theory of atavism?
Cesare Lombroso's atavism theory argues that criminals are primitive
savages who are evolutionarily backward compared to normal citizens.
According to Lombroso, born criminals possess an array of stigmata or
markers that may be considered putative evidence of their criminality.
GALL AND THE CONCEPT OF PHRENOLOGY

The pseudoscience of phrenology arose from the

observations and intuitions of Franz Joseph Gall (1758-
1828) and his disciple Johann Gaspar Spurzheim (1776-
1832). Gall believed that mental functions are localized
in discrete parts of the brain, which he called organs.
Phrenology, also referred to as crainology, is a theory
of human behavior based upon the belief that an
individual's character and mental faculties correlate with
the shape of their head
After Gall, phrenologists viewed the brain as
malleable and capable of change. This view allowed
phrenologists that criminals were not responsible for
their crimes and that it was possible for people to be
cured of their criminology (Morin, 2014)
 Sheldon’s Constitutional Theory of the Body
the theory that every person possesses some degree of three primary
temperamental components that relate to three basic body builds (somatotypes),
measured on a 7-point scale.
ECONOMIC THEORIES OF
CRIME
There is no specific definition given by any
Criminologists regarding the term ‘economic crime’. The
most commonly accepted definition regarding the term is
that economic crimes are done by the offenders mainly upon
a motivation for economic gain. An economic crime is
conceived of as an offense upon which individuals or group
of individuals purposefully act in an illegal manner to gain
financial returns. The main feature of these types of crimes
is that the offenders in many cases won’t be able to
distinguish between the reasons that persuaded them to do
the crime and the realizations and justifications that follow
them.
 ECONOMIC THEORIES OF CRIME

Crime Causation
• The reasons for the commission of an offense differ and a
discipline like economics predicated on rational behavior
may be disadvantageous in explaining a phenomenon
largely viewed as irrational. Recent survey states that
there are three central issues for the economics of crime:

• The effects of incentives on criminal behavior.

• How decisions interact in a market setting.
• Use of cost benefits analysis for implementing alternative
policies to reduce crime.
 ECONOMIC THEORIES OF CRIME
According to Bonger, the following were to be the major reasons for the commission
of an offense

• Financial necessities economic-crime

• Poverty
• Lack of education
• Egoistic factors
• Inequality among the rich and the poor in the same community
• Lack of social security, etc.
BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL CRIMINOLOGY AND PSYCHOLOGY What Are the Five Biosocial Examples
in Criminology?
Biosocial theories offer a new way of understanding
human behavior. They are grounded in the idea that The five biosocial examples in
Biopsychosocial criminology and psychology is a
biological factors such as genetics and hormones play an criminology include;
multidisciplinary perspective that attempts to understand criminal
important role in shaping people’s thoughts, feelings, and
behavior (and related outcomes, like antisocial behavior and its 1. Evolutionary Theory of Crime
behaviors.
consequences) by considering the interactions between biological
(e.g., genetics, hormones, physiology, brain structure/functioning), 2. testosterone and Criminal Behavior
Biosocial criminology is an emerging field that studies
psychological, and sociological factors.
crime from this perspective. For example, some biosocial
criminologists believe that testosterone levels may be linked 3. Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal
to aggression and criminality among men. This article will (HPA) Axis and Antisocial
Behavior/Psychopathy
delve more into biosocial theories.
4. Cortisol and Psychopathy

5. Oxytocin, Vasopressin, and

Psychopathy
How is Criminality Explained in the Perspective of Biosocial Theory?

 The biopsychosocial model was first proposed by George L. Engel and Jon Romano of the University of
Rochester in 1977.
 As opposed to the biomedical approach, Engel strived for a more holistic approach by recognizing that each
patient has their own thoughts, feelings, and history.[2][non-primary source needed] In developing the
model, Engel framed this model for both illnesses and psychological problems.
 The biopsychosocial model reflects the development of illness through the complex interaction of biological
factors (genetic, biochemical, etc.), psychological factors (mood, personality, behavior, etc.) and social
factors (cultural, familial, socioeconomic, medical, etc.)non-primary source needed.
 For example, a person may have a genetic predisposition for depression, but they must have social factors
such as extreme stress at work and family life and psychological factors such as a perfectionistic tendencies
which all trigger this genetic code for depression. A person may have a genetic predisposition for a disease,
but social and cognitive factors must trigger the illness.
 Theories Of Female Criminality:
As said earlier, when we think of a stereotypical criminal, we tend to
think of a male. It is unlikely to imagine a female as criminal. The 17
prison statistics also justified this stereotype thinking .But now the
trend is changing and this criminal gap between male and female
offenders or conviction is fast closing.
Therefore the question arises is whether this rise is due to reporting
and conviction policies, or whether women are genuinely starting to
commit more crimes.
Considering it's so uncommon for women to commit crime various
theories have evolved to answer, why some18 women do become
criminal. There are traditional as well as contemporary theories
dealing with issue of female criminality. Each theory tends to give its
explanations of Female Criminality through19 observations and
behavioral study.
Traditional Criminological Theories:

Female Criminality was often explained in simple terms,

with simple motivations.
The most important among these theories are as
follows:
1. Cesare Lombroso Theory
2. Self- Control Theory
3. Marginalization
4. Social Control Theory
5. Social Learning Theory