Social Learning Theory and the Explanation of Crime - Essay Example

Victimization Theory Summarize the theory of victimization, describing its meaning and core concepts as it relates to the nature of crime. Identify subcategories of the theory and describe each. Apply the theory to one (1) real life example or scenario. Briefly explain why the theory applies to the example you identified. Rational Choice Theory (This theory is completed for you as an example of how to complete the remaining theories) According to this theory, crime is a matter of personal choice and the criminal makes a rational decision to commit the crime. This view is that If a person is motivated, considers the choices, and they believe crime will benefit them without risk. (Siegel & Worrall, 2013, p. 45) This view is that for the criminal, the profit outweighs the punishment. One sub-category is the “Deterrence Theory” which aligns itself by indicating crime would not be a “rational choice” therefore not chosen if there was a strong enough fear of punishment, acting to deter the criminal activity. (Akers, 1990, p.2) One real life case was that of Ariel Castro. This is the nationally televised case of a man who kidnapped and held three (3) women captive in his Cleveland, Ohio home for over 10 years, during which he physically and sexually assaulted, fathered a child and kept these young women captive until one managed to escape 2013. Castro pleaded guilty to 937 counts including murder, rape, and abduction, to avoid Ohio’s death penalty. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole + 1,000 years by Judge Russo, Cuyahoga County, Cleveland where the crimes were committed. After being in prison only 30 days in Franklin County, Castro hung himself in his prison cell, ending his own life. I believe it relates to rational choice theory, Castro made a calculated choice to kidnap the missing teens and commit these crimes for over a decade, while working and interacting in the community. His motivation for the benefit of committing these crimes over a decade was stronger than fear of getting punished. Biosocial Theory According to this theory, genetics and environmental elements act together to enhancing the development of disruptive, rebellious and harmful behavior (Beaver and Walsh, n.d, p.5). The view of this theory is also based on the postulation that predisposition of an individual to antisocial conduct is dependent on the extent or range of interaction between genetic and environmental factors (Beaver and Walsh, n.d, p.5). A sub-category of the biosocial theory is situational action theory. According to this theory, antisocial behavior is a product of "Perception-choice process" that is shaped by the predisposition of an individual to crime and contact with criminal facets (Oxford University Press, 2010, p.4). Therefore, the view of situational action theory is that crime is either inferred or premeditated. An individual will identify and weigh all available options and pick a preference depending on the surroundings, background and situation. A real life criminal case depicting a crime aroused by a combination of environmental and genetic factors is the case of Abdelmalek Bayout in Italy in 2007 who confessed of assault and murdering Walter Felipe Novoa Perez for affronting him due to his preference of eye make-up (Feresin, 2009). In his appeal hearing, findings tabled by a neuroscientist in court established presence of genes associated with antisocial behavior in Abdelmalek Bayout's brain. An example of such a gene cited by Feresin (2009) is the "Gene encoding the neurotransmitter-metabolizing enzyme monoamine oxidase A (MAOA)". The presence of these genes, according to the neuroscientist, increased the likelihood of behaving violently if aggravated (Feresin, 2009). This is a clear case of genetic and environmental factors acting together. Psychological Theory According to this theory, the capacity of an individual to control, contain or hold back their desire, wish or inclination is dependent on their level of intelligence (Bohm and Vogel, 2010, p.53). The view of this theory is that 'street crime' is a product of individuals incapable of controlling their desires (Bohm and Vogel, 2010, p.53). A sub-category to this theory is psychodynamic theory coined in Sigmund Freud. Sigmund Freud postulated that individual connections and relationships during childhood directs individual relationships and connections during adulthood (Bohm and Vogel, 2010, p.61). Therefore, an individual is unable to control his personality in adulthood. A typical case illustrating an application of psychological theory is the case of a 40 year old man outlined by Thompson (2006).A tumor in the man's brain applied pressure on the "Prefrontal lobe of his brain, the area responsible for self-restraint". As a consequence of the tumor, the man had uncontrolled desires for child pornography and sexual desires towards his step daughter, and also uncontrolled desires to rape his landlady. In essence, the pressure on his brain exerted by the tumor affected the man's level of intelligence and thus the lack of control. Social Structure Theory According to this theory, "Social Learning is the primary process linking social structure to individual behaviors" (Akers and Jensen, 2007, p.180). The view of this theory is that differences in social construction, traditions, and background between individuals or groups of people causes the dissimilarities in the prevalence of crime between individuals or groups of people (Akers and Jensen, 2007, p.180). A sub-category to social structure theory is the anomie theory that hypothesizes that human beings behave and reflect based on collective characterization of various aspects and also common practices and shared beliefs (Bernburg, 2002, p.729). A typical case showing application of social structure theory is the case of French vegan parents charged in 2011 for feeding their 11 month old infant solely on breast milk (International Natural Hygiene Society, n.d). The couple had a shared belief that consumption of animal products was unethical based on the way animals were slaughtered. This caused a infant's death. This is a typical case of an infant death as a result of neglect exacerbated by a shared belief that consuming animal products was unethical. Social Process Theory According to Cole and Smith (2007, p.56), social process theory "Assume that any person regardless of education, class, or upbringing, has the potential to become a criminal". The view of this theory is that individuals are prone to antisocial conduct due to situations and conditions surrounding their lives (Cole and Smith, 2007, p.56). One sub-category of social process theory is the labeling theory that postulates that society is responsible for creating antisocial behavior. The view is that organizations mandated to control manners of conduct within the society enforce laws that label certain individuals as criminal. Conversely, these individuals accept this labeling as factual and end up being criminals (Cole and Smith, 2007, p.56). A good example of social process theory is the case of Lawrence King, a fifteen year old boy killed in school laboratory in Oxnard for being openly gay. In essence, the society had not fully accepted gays as illustrated by the fact that Lawrence King was openly harassed and bullied in school (Cathcart, 2008). Failure to accept gays led to labeling of being gay as a crime and hence the Lawrence King's murder. Social Conflict Theory According to social conflict theory, "Capitalistic economic systems necessarily produce income inequality and lead to the exploitation of the working classes" (Gaines and Miller, 2007, p.47). The view of this theory is that crime is exacerbated by the huge differences in levels of income between individuals within the society. A sub-category of social conflict theory is racial threat theory. Racial threat theory works under the postulation that as the dimension or magnitude of marginal groups of individuals swells, the preponderance group implements strategies to limit or suppress the influence of the marginal group (Gaines and Miller, 2007, p.48). The murder of Joseph Stewart, a millionaire car dealer in Houston is a good example of a murder that can be construed to have been caused by social conflicts (ABC News, 2015). This case can be viewed in the perspective that Joseph Stewart was targeted owing to his financial situation. In other words, his murder was termed an attempted robbery, meaning, individuals in low economic levels attempting to rob an individual considered of high economic status. Developmental Theory According to this theory, criminal conduct "Has to develop and is not simply the manifestation of some underlying or primordial condition" (Developmental Theory and Its Application, 2004, p.52). The view of this theory is that an individual must go through certain experiences in his or her life for criminal conduct to develop. One of the sub-categories of developmental theory is Patterson's Coercion Theory. According to this theory, the social and academic abilities of a child is dependent on parental supervision (Developmental Theory and Its Application, 2004, p.56). The view of this sub-category is that indoctrination of positive skills influences positive accomplishments. A real life example of a crime applying developmental theory is the case of Christian Fernandez, a twelve year old convicted of beating his 2 year old half-brother (Hunt, 2011). Christian's grandmother was reported to have been a drug addict, his father was reported to have spent time in prison, and his step-father was reported to have shot himself. In explication, Christian's case typically represents a murder case caused by lack of parental supervision. This means that he lacked a figure to help him adopt acceptable behavior. References ABC News. (2015, May 2015). Millionaire Car Killed Inside Home Weeks After Attempted Armed Robbery. abc News. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/US/millionaire-car-dealer-killed-inside-home-weeks-attempted/story?id=30935564 Akers, R. L., & Jensen, G. F. (eds.). (2007). Social Learning Theory and the Explanation of Crime. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers. Beaver, K. M., & Walsh, A. (n.d). Biosocial Criminology. Retrieved from http://www.ashgate.com/pdf/samplepages/ashgate_research_companion_to_biosocial_theories_of_crime_intro.pdf Bernburg, J. G. (2002) Anomie, Social Change and Crime: A Theoretical Examination of Institutional-Anomie Theory. British Journal of Criminology, 42, 729-742. Bohm, R. M., & Vogel, B. (2010). A Prime on Crime and Delinquency Theory. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Cathcart, R. (2008, February 23). Boys Killing, Labeled a Hate Crime, Stuns a Town. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/23/us/23oxnard.html?_r=0 Cole, G., & Smith, C. (2007). Criminal Justice in America (5th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thompson Higher Learning. Feresin, E. (2009, October 30). Lighter sentence for murder with 'bad genes'. International Weekly Journal of Science. Retrieved from http://www.nature.com/news/2009/091030/full/news.2009.1050.html Gaines, M., & Miller, R. (2007). Criminal Justice in Action (8th ed). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning. Hunt, D. (2011, June 3). Defense: 12 year-old charged in toddler's death was abused, neglected as child. Jacksonsville. Retrieved from http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2011-06-03/story/defense-12-year-old-charged-toddlers-death-was-abused-neglected-child International Natural Hygiene Society. (n.d). Vegan Parents on Trial-Dead and Injured Children. Retrieved from http://naturalhygienesociety.org/diet-veganbaby.html Oxford University Press. (2010). Situational Action Theory: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Thompson, N. (2009, January/February). My Brain Made Me Do It. Legal Affairs. Retrieved from http://www.legalaffairs.org/issues/January-February-2006/feature_thompson_janfeb06.msp Read More