Criminological Theories - Essay Example

due: Criminological Theories The aim of criminological theory is to enable the understating of crime and criminal justice. These theories cover the creation and the breaking of the law, criminal and unexpected behavior, as well as trends of criminal activity (Akers & Sellers 1). Scenario one One criminological theory that applies to a teenager boy who cannot find acceptable ways to live the life he desires and thus chooses crime to satisfy his desires is the deterrence and rational choice theory. This theory states that human beings are rational and so a crime is committed; as a result, of human behavior aimed at achieving the offenders’ societal needs like status, money or sex (Akers & Sellers 17). Before people commit crimes they have weighed the benefits and consequences of the act and since the teenage boy cannot find other better ways of satisfying his wants, so chooses burglary. Some of the components of the theory are free will which means that the offender (the teenage boy in our case) commits a crime willingly (Akers & Sellers 20). Expected utility principle implies that human beings tend to act, in a way, increases their benefits and satisfies their wants. This theory suitably explains the act of the teenage boy. He chooses burglary at his own will, and the purpose of the acts was to satisfy his want of getting a nice car and clothes so that he may get a girl. He had the option of finishing high schooling and getting a job but instead he, at his own will, choose to commit the crimes instead. The rational choice theory suggests that a crime is committed after the offender has carefully weighed the cost and benefits of the act (Akers & Sellers 30). As an explanation to criminal acts, this theory is valid because, for one, the offender commits a crime to achieve a certain personal goal like satisfying a human want and, therefore, before breaking the law he has to weigh and see if the goal is worth the consequences in case he is caught. Secondly, the theory states that offenders are self-interested, and they freely choose their behavior. This is true because being rational; a person cannot be forced to do something he thinks is not right. According to this theory, potential offenders can be persuaded to desist from committing a crime by increasing the fear of punishment. Since the crime is based on rational decisions made after analyzing the pros and cons of the act, increase the level of consequence can deter many offenders from committing crimes because the consequences will overweigh the benefits. In addition, this theory suggests that’s crimes; as a result, of individual’s personal choice so the punishment for a crime should be directed to the individual offender directly. Other theories that also explain the first scenario include routine activities theory which suggests that a crime is committed due to the availability of targets and a motivated individual. This is because what motivated the teenager was the want to among those getting girl and there and being in a downtown neighbor where some people are well off, the targets for burglary were readily available. In addition, social theory which states that: a crime is committed due the societal learning of an offender on his environment (Akers & Sellers 81). The teenager boy decided to start the crime after learning/ noticing that it was the men with nice cars and nice clothes who got the girls, but he was in no position to compete for a good paying job. Scenario two Scenario two can be explained by the labeling theory. This theory explains how individual behavior can be affected by the terms used to describe them (Akers & Sellers 135). Due to discrimination from his environment and the stigmatization of having been charged with a sex offense, sex offender leaves his medication and resumes the sexual offences. The mistreatment he received from the society made him quit his efforts in trying to rectify his mistakes. The society has already labeled him a sex offender and played a blind eye to all the efforts he made towards rectification. This theory best explains the actions of the sex offender. The theory gives an understanding on the causes of such acts by offenders. And since it points out that the society has a role to play, some solutions can be devised that not only aim at rectifying the offenders’ causes but also the societal cause. Programs like boot camps, public awareness and seminars can be implemented to change the society view of offenders once the complete their agreed punishment. This theory also helps in dividing the blame to both the society and the offender. This will encourage the offender to rectify and join back the society as a changed person. The major components of this labeling theory include incarceration which involves removing an offender from the society. This act gives the society a bad idea about the offender and consequently makes it hard for him to fit back in the society once his punishment is done (Akers & Sellers 136). The other component is secondary deviance which suggests that the label placed of an individual usually results to crime. According to this theory, the causes of crime are not only personal, but the society has a role to play too. As punishments are implemented for the offender, psychologically preparing the society on how to treat the offender who has successfully served their time is a key thing too. Implementing projects like seminars, boot camps and public addressing can be better mean of preparing the society (Akers & Sellers 137). This theory is valid because at first the rape offender was willing and ready to change. He went through therapy and was under medication to keep him chemically castrated. The society through, the landlords who could not rent him a house and the employers who could not give him the job due the fear of being blamed if he repeated the offense, also play a role in the encouragement of crime. This discrimination made him quit his medication and, as a result, he commits rape. Other theories that can explain the third scenario include neutralization theory which suggests that an offender commits a crime to neutralize a bad feeling gotten from his surroundings. This is because the sexual offender decided to stop his medication and committed rape because he felt that that was the world in which he fitted in. In addition, the operant conditioning can also explain the acts of the sexual offender. Operant conditioning suggests that voluntary actions by an individual are propelled by punishments and rewards found in the external world (Akers & Sellers 147). In our case, the discrimination that the sexual offender received from the society acted as punishment which in turn influenced his decision to stop medication and commit a crime again. Work cited Akers, Ronald L. and Christine S. Sellers (2009). Criminological Theories: Introduction, Evaluation, and Application, 5th edition. New York: Oxford University Press. Read More