Criminological Theories: A Comprehensive Exploration
Criminological ideas help to explain the frequently unfathomable and to analyze the cruelty, oppression, or even evil some humans inflict on others. Choice theories, which include rational choice, routine activities, general deterrence, particular deterrence, and incapacitation theories, imply that criminals carefully consider whether to do unlawful acts (Thomas et al., 2020). Choice theories are based on the idea that the likelihood of a crime being controlled increases with the severity, certainty, and speed of the punishment. This theory explains how persuasion and negotiation may prevent the criminal from negative actions. These ideas have their roots in the traditional criminology of the 18th-century social theorists, Beccaria and Bentham, which manifest that criminals carefully analyze their targets before deciding on a course of action (Zhao et al., 2021. Choice theorists see crime as being offense- and criminal-specific, implying that corruption can be avoided or diminished by persuading potential offenders that the risks of breaking the law outweigh the advantages.
A new multidisciplinary theory called “life course theory” aims to comprehend the various forces that influence people’s lives from conception to death by situating individual and family development in cultural and historical settings. The theory acknowledges that no two people are the same and demonstrates that there are everyday life experiences that follow common patterns (“Life course criminology,” n.d.). There are social passages that one must travel through within these patterns, and as a result, one must abide by the social compact that society has implicitly constructed. The life course approach in criminology is an attempt to provide a holistic outlook to the study of criminal behavior. It takes into account the vast array of factors that influence offending across various time periods and contexts. This theory’s fundamental tenet is that changes with age and criminal and delinquent behavior take place in a predictable pattern.
References
Life course criminology. (n.d.). Web.
Thomas, K. J., Loughran, T. A., & Hamilton, B.C. (2020) Perceived arrest risk, psychic rewards, and offense specialization: A partial test of rational choice theory. Criminology, 58, 485– 509. Web.
Zhao, J., Wang, X., Zhang, H., & Zhao, R. (2021). Rational choice theory applied to an explanation of juvenile offender decision making in the Chinese setting. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 65(4), 434–457. Web.