Three Theories of Crime, Research Paper Example

In this paper I will compare and contrast three theories of the origins of crime. I wasn’t familiar with them enough to start with what I knew, so I started with what I thought I knew. So I chose latent trait theory to begin because the word latent made it sound Freudian, and it was my very vague impression that Freudian theories are now somewhat obsolete. This turned out to be basically correct. Although Freudian psychoanalysis is still practiced, its limited application to criminal offenders is widely accepted, although some of its key concepts are still in wide use among criminologists (Jones and Bartlett, p.205).

There is more than one kind of latent theory, but in the criminal field it generally means that at birth there is a master trait that stays with a person, and if that trait produces criminal behavior, then that person’s criminal career will more or less depend on opportunities produced by circumstances encountered. However, such a life might also depend on that person’s ability to exercise control and so create opportunities. But generally, criminal traits are based on a negative: a lack of intelligence, a lack of self control, a lack of emotional attachment. Over the years, these lacks will tend to produce deviant behavior that repeats itself (Siegel, 2009, p. 118).

Reading about this latent trait made me think about what kind of personalities such people would have. This interests me because in my grade school, middle-school, and high school there was a student my age with a totally obvious psychopathic personality — you knew it with everything he said and did. The school system didn’t know what to do with him, and just let him drift on and off campus. What did criminology have to say about such personalities? Pretty much what you would expect: Those suffering from this personality disorder are believed to be dangerous, aggressive, antisocial individuals who act in a callous manner. Low socialization, a low level of arousal in certain situations, and brain dysfunction: research shows that psychopaths may have brain-related physical anomalies (Siegel, 106). So it is clear that both the latent trait and personality theories take in both social causes (upbringing, etc.) as well as physical (biological) ones. This must also mean that categories like latent trait theory and personality theory are not necessarily distinct from one another in theory and practice.

With this in mind, I took a look at the biological theory, to see if it encompasses the personality theory. I wondered if it had changed since its early days, back when the eugenics movement was getting started. Eugenics was certainly a part of early biological theories of crime, both as prevention and treatment. Reading about those early theories reminds one of even earlier quack ideas, like phrenology. What I found now is easily the most interesting of the three theories, if only because it does have the most colorful history, and officially combines hard science with conjecture. According to one psychologist, Keith Rice, biological theories demonstrate a deterministic approach in that they assert criminal behavior has a physiological origin (Rice). Not surprisingly, he adds that many biological theories are concerned with genetics. One of the later questions was whether an extra Y chromosome predisposed men to crime (the jury is still out). Today, the biological theory also involves how drugs interact with the body, and how this affects thinking, both in criminals and non-criminals. There is of course much work being done in this area, but nothing definite has been accomplished, nor is anything definite in sight. The problem is complexity. Who can say which genes and chemicals make way for hopes and dreams? There will be no vaccine against criminal behavior in the near future.

The one question that occurred to me in reading about biological theories and their reliance on determinism is whether that preference will ever definitely win out over the more Freudian-type theories, the theories that rely more on unquantifiable aspects of human thought, and so promise much work for future generations of therapists, academics, and prisons guards.

References

Jones and Bartlett. (n.d.) Psychology and Crime. Retrieved from http://www.jblearning.com/samples/0763730017/30017_ CH05_THIRD_ secure.pdf

Rice, K. (n.d.) Biological Theories of Crime. Retrieved from http://www.integratedsociopsychology.net/crime-biological_theories.html

Siegel, L. (2009). Introduction to Criminal Justice. Cengage Learning. Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.