Criminological Theories Essay

Criminology is the scientific study of crimes and criminal behaviour. Criminological theories and research aim at giving us an understanding of the reasons and factors that influence why people commit crimes. There are two main types of crime: Blue collar crime and white collar crime. Blue-collar crimes is the term used to describe crimes that are committed primarily by people who are from a lower socioeconomic class while white-collar crime is usually committed by people in a higher socioeconomic class. The main difference between the two is “white-collar” crime is usually considered to be a victimless crime in which there is no one directly made to be in a worse situation than what they were in before . An example of the more common street

Sullivan. This proposed that individuals learn values, techniques, attitudes and motives for criminal behaviour through their interactions with others . Believing that group-think can possess a large influence on the behaviour of those around people engaging in criminal behaviour . This theory can easily be associated with Albert Banduras observational learning theory that is based on the importance of social factors in learning . It was believed that the reason people start engaging in criminal behaviour is from the group they are associated with. Both theories highlight the importance of observational learning in the younger age bracket. In the case of the crime previously mentioned the youngest member of the gang of thieves was 11 years old. It can rationally be assumed that an 11 year old child does not possess the knowledge to steal a motor vehicle without the explicit teachings of someone older that does possess this “skill”. This exposure to criminal behaviour normalises wrong doings. The more someone is exposed to anti-social stimuli the more acceptable it becomes in their own social world. While Sullivan’s theory has its strong points it also has its criticisms. This critique stems from the idea of rational thought and individualism. Claiming people are independent thinkers with rational actions and individual motives . However, in Banduras Bobo doll experiment the impressionability of children is highlighted and showed that children exposed to certain behaviour are highly likely to repeat the behaviour themselves. Which would ensure a child being directly taught the adverse behaviour would, in turn, be highly likely to repeatedly engage with the same behaviour