Criminology Theories - Essay Example

Criminology theories The body of knowledge which regards criminal activities as social phenomena is criminology. Theories of criminology are crucial in understanding criminality. Criminality entails all matters that have anything to do with breaking the law, making law and reactions that concern law breaking process. Therefore, criminology involves structural arrangements in the society, group roles and other dynamics that affect the society. The film shows what happened in the city of Rio de Janeiro when a bus containing passengers is kidnapped in broad daylight. An armed young man takes bus 174 and threatens to shoot all passengers on board. This occurrence is transmitted live on all Television networks and channels. The broadcast ends up causing a revolt among the people of Brazil. This ending being the most shocking portrait of violence the country has ever experienced. Sandro do Nascimento, who is the kidnapper, terrorizes his victims but finally agrees to surrender. A policeman trying to shoot him at the end shoots one of the hostages instead. This hostage, who is a young woman, ends up dying. This tragic-ending incidence exposes the incompetence of the police force in the recent past. The film focusing on Sandro’s life showing his childhood and how he was doomed to banditry in future (Sadlier, 2008). The strain theory which has its base on the fact that some social structures drive people to commit the crime was first stated by a criminologist, Emile Durkheim. According to this theory, structural institutions could be a source of strain. These institutional structures are processes at the societal level that are transmitted down to individuals that make up the society. The level of regulation of some social structures determines or defines how a criminal perceives their threats and/or opportunities. This theory is also based on the fact that an individual will go through much difficulties and friction in his attempt to meet societal expectations and goals. If the expectations are very crucial to an individual, they might decide to achieve them via any channel possible without considering the legitimacy of the way required to meet it. An individual could lose his sense of purpose especially if he feels ignored or sidelined by the society. This could also be accompanied by a person lack of values. (Aakers, 2004) Within the environment, there are strains that could drive individuals to commit a crime. Sandro is locked up in a youth facility when he is still very young and, this drives him to take this desperate action. The police are believed to be behind the imprisonment and, this shows how societal structures are capable of straining individuals in the society. Dubois in his independent work on this theory found out that, in late nineteenth century, many African Americans were strained by radical changes that occurred in the political system. This led them to committing crimes in order to satisfy their needs. (Schmalleger, 2005) This theory can be analyzed either through structural or functional aspect. The structural aspects emphasize more on the way things work while the functional explanation is based on the reason why certain things happen the way they do. Social systems are often based on the components that make them up and, failure of one component fails to achieve its functions, it results to straining. If the strain persists for a long period, then it is most likely that the whole system will fail. (Akers, 2004) Sandro locked up in jail, and mistreated comes out worse than he was before. Robert Merton had great influence by providing a way of understanding crime resulting from strain. According to Merton there are two main routes through which strain could lead individuals to crime. Expectations associated with culture and the many structural ways that can be used to achieve these goals. He carried out this study during a period when people were to USA to pursue the American dream yet it turns out not to as easy as they had imagined. He asserted that the expectations related to culture did not connect well with the acceptable means of achieving it. Peoples’ aspirations, meeting expectations and the available opportunities created a strain on them making them get involved in criminal activities. This could explain why criminal activities occur less in higher social classes than in lower ones. This is because there are limited opportunities and means of achieving societal goals in low social classes and they end up choosing criminal behaviors. (Pearce, 2003) The pressure that builds up in Sandro after he witnesses the brutal murder of her mother drives him to criminal behaviors. Such people usually lose their sense of purpose and motivation and may end up being frustrated. The society often creates such a situation when it focuses on rewarding those who excel rather than considering all those who had the courage to participate. The social conditions and pressures together with personal trauma are what drove Sandro do Nascimento to his desperate criminal act. The strain that prevails on Sandro from his childhood pushes him to commit this act. The fact that Sandro was imprisoned when he was still young at a youth facility and later in a city jail creates a strain that pushes him to commit the crime (Akers, 2004). The classical and choice theories could also connect with Sandro’s criminal activity. This school of thought is governed by 3 main ideas which are the freedom of people to choose, control choice and certainty and severity of punishment. The fact that individuals have the freedom of choice allows them to become angry and even vengeful. (Siegel, 2006) Since individuals can control the choices means that when the risk of punishment is feared criminal tendencies will be controlled. Individuals are able to look at situations and analyze them on whether its outcomes are positive or negative. One is most likely to commit a crime if the risks involved in participating in a given behavior are less than the benefits. Potential criminals would be discouraged from carrying out their intended criminal activities if the punishment set is certain and severe. In societal arrangements where punishment is considered as fair, the criminal activities or intentions are most likely to be executed. Rational and legitimate administration of punishment is likely to deter criminal activities. (Cook, 2005) Even though interpreting these 3 values of the classical theory has always given rise to different reactions and results it is crucial for the context of a given issue to be considered to understand crime. Sandro could be driven to carrying out this desperate crime from the knowledge that the existing structures on punishment are not severe and certain. He had been locked up in a youth facility and a city jail and understands the severity of the punishment structures. A number of choice theories exist including rational theory and situational crime prevention theory. These are used as a base or premise on which crime is understood. Others that can be considered as classical thoughts are deterrence theories and sanctions theory. This school of thought details that an individual has to be motivated to get involved in criminal activities. Victimization can also be understood by use of this field of thought. Sandro witnessed the brutal murder of her mother and ended up being homeless at a tender age. This means that he became a victim of this occasion which drove him into criminal activities. Individuals in the society who are potential criminals could at a particular time be affected by either values or beliefs in the society. Sandro is affected when he ends up on the street, survives the massacre of the homeless children and sees his mother murdered. Considering the benefits and risks of committing this crime he decides it beneficial. According to this theory, potential criminals should first analyze possible channels of achieving their goals before trying out illegitimate alternatives. Sandro does not consider any legitimate ways of solving his problems but opts for what he considers right. This shows how the existing environment affects our decisions on societal issues. This line of thought assumes that criminals and potential criminals understand the core values of the system or society they live. Some variables such as potential criminal are hard to quantify providing a huge challenge to those using this theory. It is also constructed from the individual ate which it is translated to the whole society. On the other hand, it is considered the best theory as it detects delays and deters criminal activities. The classical and choice theories do not support rehabilitation as a way of enforcing the law. This is because it asserts that some criminals cannot change thus rehabilitation is a waste of resources. Sandro was locked up in a youth facility but, this did not change him. This supports these lines of thought (Siegel, 2006). Social process theories put more emphasis on aspects at the micro level rather than macro aspects. Focus is placed on the role played by an individual and the effect this role has on the society. It fails in that it does not consider the effect of the society on the individual. The structural system in Rio de Janeiro does not consider the fact that the society drives Sandro into committing the crime. His mother is brutally murdered, and the society does not consider how this affects the young Sandro. He ends up being locked up in a youth facility where he is mistreated. He comes out with a vengeful mind and this drives him into committing this criminal activity. This line of thought assumes that socialization is a source of learning which means that an individual can either accept or reject social norms. (Pearce, 2003) Social theories also assert that criminal activities occur in all social classes, lower or upper. Therefore, it does not put emphasis on any group. Sandro comes from a low social class where criminal activities are the order of the day. The large differences that exist between different social classes make people in the lower classes to target those of higher classes in their crimes. This is the reason why Sandro targets a bus full of people from a higher social class and not a bus with individuals from a lower class. Thus, this theory gives consideration to societal factors such as poverty could push individuals into criminal activity (Siegel, 2006). References Akers, Ronald L, (2004). Criminological Theories: Introduction, Evaluation, and Applications 4th Ed, California: Roxbury. Frank Schmalleger. (2005). Criminology Today: An Integrative Introduction, New York. Prentice Hall Sadlier, J. (2008). Brazil imagined: 1500 to the present. Austin: University of Texas Press. Siegel, Larry J. (2006). Criminology: Theories, Patterns, & Typologies, 9th edition. Belmont, Sudbury: Wadsworth Publishing Read More