CRIMINOLOGICAL THEORY - THE SEARCH FOR CAUSATION (FROM FUNDAMENTALS OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE - A SYLLABUS AND WORKBOOK, 1977, 2D ED., BY DAE H CHANG - SEE NCJ-44045)

• NCJ Number: 44047
• Author(s): M ZACHARIAH
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 20 pages
• Corporate Author: Paladin House Publishers
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Historical Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE DEVELOPMENT OF CRIMINOLOGICAL THEORIES IS TRACED, AND THE STRUCTURE AND ELEMENTS OF MAJOR THEORIES EMPHASIZING BIOGENIC, PSYCHOGENIC, OR ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ARE REVIEWED.

Abstract

THE HISTORY OF CRIMINOLOGICAL THEORIES ENCOMPASSES FIVE MAJOR SCHOOLS: CLASSICAL AND NEOCLASSICAL; CARTOGRAPHIC; SOCIALIST; TYPOLOGICAL; AND SOCIOLOGICAL/SOCIOPSYCHOLOGICAL. IN CONTRAST TO DETERMINIST APPROACHES TO CRIMINOLOGY IS THE MULTIPLE FACTOR APPROACH, BASED ON THE NOTION THAT NO SCIENTIFIC THEORY OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR IS POSSIBLE BECAUSE CRIME IS A PRODUCT OF MANY FACTORS. THEORIES MAY BE CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO THEIR EMPHASIS ON BIOLOGICAL FACTORS (THE IDEA THAT PHYSICAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL VARIATIONS DISTINGUISH 'BIOLOGICALLY DETERMINED' CRIMINALS FROM 'NORMAL' PEOPLE); PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS (E.G., FREUDIAN EXPLANATIONS OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR, STRESS THEORY, ROLE THEORY); OR ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS (GEOGRAPHIC DETERMINISM, ECONOMIC THEORY, DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION, ANOMIE, SUBCULTURAL THEORY, CONFLICT, CULTURAL CONFLICT, DIFFERENTIAL OPPORTUNITY, CONTAINMENT, SOCIOPSYCHOLOGICAL THEORY, VICTIMOLOGY, THE MULTIPLE FACTOR APPROACH). CRIMINOLOGY IS CHARACTERIZED BY CONFLICTING PRACTICES AND ORIENTATIONS. THE FIELD IS METHODOLOGICALLY STRONG BUT THEORETICALLY WEAK. MOST AMBIGUITIES ARE ATTRIBUTABLE TO VARYING DEFINITIONS OF SUCH TERMS AS 'CRIME,' 'DEVIANCE,' 'DELINQUENCY,' AND 'NORMAL.' APPLIED RESEARCH MAY LEAD TO AN INTEGRATED THEORETICAL SYSTEM IN THE FIELD OF CRIMINOLOGY. REFERENCES ARE LISTED. A CHAPTER TEST IS INCLUDED.