Running head CAUSES OF CRIME .docx

Running head: CAUSES OF CRIME
Thomas 1
Causes of crime
2
Causes of crime
Jonathan Thomas
CRJ 475
Mount Olive College
Causes of crime
Crime is generally referred to as the commissioning of an act
that violates the law causing injuries to the society.
Contemporary scholars from all over the world have debated
this subject for ages with the aim of trying to unearth the causes
of crime but many have gone ahead to conclude that it is a
motivation of various factors. The factors are nevertheless
numerous and there is no single study that accurately proves the
current theories. All in all these theories have been used by

scholars and researchers across the globe and have been widely
accepted as the most probable sources of criminology. This
study will indulge explicitly into some of these theories that
form the basis of criminology together with some of the most
profound programs and policies that would reduce the rising
rates of crimes around the world.
These theories can be classified into three major theories;
theories that attribute the act of crime to some congenital or
biological defects by the defender, theories that may emanate
out of a mental or a psychological disorder and theories that
emanate from social or environmental factors. This study will
begin by looking into the biological theories of crime.
There are two or more theories that currently exist in the
biosocial world today and one or two set of these theories lays
more emphasis on the genetic factors basically the traits that are
transmitted to the child from the parents (Perez, 2011). Other
studies assert that a criminal behavior may be triggered by
defects in the neurology set up which may inhibit the factors
that aid in self control which limit the probability of indulging
in a criminal behavior. The irregularities may result out of
defects in the structure and the chemical composition of the
brain.
Genetic factors
This study shows that the effect of biological inheritance
tending towards criminality is high in conjunction with the
social environment of an individual. Studies in the
interrelationship of criminal inheritance between parents and
children proves that children whose parents had a background of
crime or who are criminals themselves were more likely to
engage in criminal activities compared to parents who abided by
the law.
Finally there is a research that has been carried out between
parents and their adopted children and parents and their real
children. The research proved that the children with their
biological parents had a higher risk of indulging in criminal
activities if their parents were criminals than the adopted

children (Ramdhan, 2011). However, there is little genetic
predisposition to prove this and hence more study is needed to
reaffirm these assertions.
Abnormalities in Neurology
There are a number of people who suffer from abnormalities in
the way their brain is structured. Researchers around the globe
have discovered that there is a close correlation between
criminal activities and impairment in the cerebrum part of the
brain. This means that those people with an aggressive behavior
may have developed those behaviors as a result of an
impairment of the frontal lobe in the brain’s cerebral part.
Another factor that can contribute to indulgence in these
criminal behaviors is imbalances in the chemical set up of the
brain. This is mainly due to the fact that all the thoughts in a
human brain, including the emotions and behaviors are
dependent on the impulses that are transmitted in the central
nervous system (Perez, 2011). Synapses are the gaps that are
found between the cells of the central nervous system while
neurotransmitters are the electrical impulses that form around
these impulses. Scientists assert that if the above transmitters
are low, then there is a high likelihood that the flow of electric
impulses in the brain will be interrupted and hence the thoughts
and actions of an individual will be affected as a result of this.
The empathy and sympathy areas may be affected triggering an
aggressive behavior in an individual which may make him/her
to indulge in crime (Ramdhan, 2011). There is sound evidence
in many laboratories across the world of a relationship between
some levels of transmitters for instance serotonin and
aggressive behaviors including violence.
The psychological theory
Psychologists around the world evoke that there are certain
individual behaviors and actions that develop from the social
background of an individual. These theorists assert that certain
traits in an individual for instance impulsiveness increase the
chances of an individual to indulge in a criminal activity.
Moral development factor

According to a research carried out by Jean Piaget, there are
basically four stages that are association with the growth of a
child. He asserts that children below two years of age
experience the world only through their senses and little
abilities. On the other hand those between the age of two and
seven years only think and understand things according to the
knowledge they had in their previous years. During this age the
children tend to be egocentric and believe that whatever they
experience or believe is what is being experienced by everyone
around them. From the age of seven to the adolescent ages the
child begins to think logically and to classify his/her objects in
an organized manner. After the adolescent age, the child is able
to think more logically and develops a better understanding of
the future theoretical concepts. In the first stages children are
subjected to rules that they have to follow without question,
later after the adolescent age they get the notion that they too
have the ability to set and modify rules and lastly all humans
are subjected to the fact that there are rules to be followed and
they slowly understand the importance of following rules.
Influenced by this theory by Piaget, an American psychologist
by the name Lawrence Kohlberg developed a moral theory in
the mid-1960s that was based on the four stages by Piaget. He
proposed that in the first stages of development children are
striving to enjoy satisfaction and avoid punishment by all means
possible. In the next stage, these children who are slowly
maturing begin to see the need for rules and begin to
demonstrate their respect for those in the authority and try all
means possible to avoid any form of disagreement with the
authority (Vogel, 2010). As the child grows he begins to
discover that the moral judgment in the society will be based on
the ability by an individual to respect the rule of law since these
rules are for the benefit of all.
The moral development process forms the basis of criminology
in that those who lack the ability to conform by the set rules
and regulations are more prone to indulge in criminal acts and
hence the study above proves that the inability to conform to the

general moral development process will increase your risk of
indulging in crime.
Social learning factor
This theory proves that an individual behavior is shaped by the
social interaction in an individual or the lack of it. It proposes
that an individual learns a lot from his/her social interaction
with others rather a predestined or set process. Primarily
sociologists assert that the behavior of an individual is greatly
shaped by the way he/she is treated by the response of their
elders towards his/her violations and compliance with the set
rules. Rewards for conforming to the suitable rules and the
social sanctions that will be imposed for the failure to do so
will greatly shape or determine the destiny of an individual’s
behavior. Repeated rewards set the standards for this behavior
and children begin to control themselves to the state that will
align them with the moral and legal standards.
Studies have proved that youths who engage in delinquency acts
were treated differently than those youths who showed no form
of felony (Benson, 2012). The social life of the delinquent
individuals is often dominated by a slipshod life with an erratic
discipline record which ultimately translates to a harsh
treatment by their parents that may include physical
punishment.
The social life by these individuals shapes their life and
increases their probability to indulge in crime. This social
learning theory clearly evoke that if the social development
process is marked by indiscipline and punishments then there is
a big likelihood of that individual to indulge in a criminal act.
Personality theory
This theory attempts to explain how certain individuals tend
towards certain behaviors through acquired predispositions.
These acquired predispositions are mainly the personal traits for
instance stubbornness and impulsiveness together with other
personal behavior types like being extrovert (Benson, 2012).
Scientists are of the feeling that certain acquired predispositions
may increase or decrease the chances of an individual to indulge

in crime.
Freud Sigmund an Australian physician evoked that emotional
development is the process where you achieve a balance
between the conflicting desires (Benson, 2012). Freud evoked
that for humans to achieve a balance between their self interests
they must first combine their moral attitudes with their
conscience which is referred in most quarters as the superego.
As the child is developing, a conflict emergences between
his/her ego and his/her self interest which instigates a balance
between the society and the child between his/her desires and
the desire to replenish these desires (Joyce, 2012). Freud
concludes by asserting that a personality disorder that affects
this development process may increase the tendency of clinging
towards a criminal behavior.
Environmental and social theories
Social causes
One of the most profound theories that describe the association
of crime with criminal activities was instigated by a French
sociologist Gabriel Tarde who evoked that criminal activities
were chiefly instigated by the social factors. He believed that
people who indulged in criminal activities were inspired by
their fellow criminals and he was also of the opinion that
certain criminal activities were an imitation of criminal
activities that had happened before.
This crime predisposition is mainly explained by the social
environment that surrounds an individual and more so the
environment of his/her yester years particularly when he/she
was young (Joyce, 2012). He also evoked that certain criminals
pursue criminal activities like their careers particularly due to
the social environment where he/she is residing.
Another French theorist by the name Emile Durkheim has also
added a voice to this subject of criminology by evoking that
crime mostly emerges as a result of a loss in social stability.
Durkheim asserted that this loss of stability results to alienation
and confusion.

Economic status
Experts around the world believe that poverty may be
another chief factor that may make people to indulge in acts of
crime and violence. Negative emotions like desperation and
anger and the seething desire for food, money and shelter
together with the common necessities for life may force the
poor to indulge in criminal behaviors. There is a high
correlation between poverty and crime since poverty
undoubtedly inspires people to indulge in crimes like robbery
and theft and other criminal activities like selling illegal drugs
and consumption of the same drugs on which they are highly
dependent on.
Studies have confirmed that worse economic situations will
make many people to turn to criminal activities as a result of
the deprivation that is caused by these callous conditions. All in
all studies in the correlation between crime and poverty has
conflicted over the years since there is enough prove from
around the world of rich people who have been architects of
crime.
In order to lower the rates of crime around the world, some of
the most profound programs that should be incorporated would
be primarily based on the factors above. Psychologists and
practitioners around the world should develop programs that can
address the defects that occur in the brain in order to avert the
probability of an individual developing an aggressive behavior
as a result of a defect in the self control part of the brain
(Vogel, 2010). Children should also be raised with the most
profound parental care and social environment free from crime
in order to avert the probability of indulging in criminal
activities.
To conclude, the study proves that crime can emanate from the
biological, psychological and social nature of an individual to
his/her social status. All in all the research call for an in depth
study on the same to solve the conflicting studies from various
sources that have been emerging over the years.

Reference
Perez, J. (2011). Social Class and Criminal Behavior through a
Biosocial Lens. British Journal of Criminology 4, 115-117.
Ramdhan, S. (2011). The impact of gender, racial/ethnic
background, social class, family and peer influence on juvenile
delinquency. Journal of Genetic Counseling 19, 9-21.
Vogel, B. (2010). A primer on crime and delinquency theory.
Journal of Global Citizenship & Equity Education 12, 213-216.
Benson, M. (2012). Crime and the Life course. Journal of Child
Psychology 5, 11-14.
Joyce, P. (2012). Criminal Justice: An Introduction. Journal of
Social History 8, 13-16.
Running head: CAUSES OF CRIME
Thomas 1
Causes of crime
2

Causes of crime
Jonathan Thomas
CRJ 475
Mount Olive College
Causes of crime
Crime is generally referred to as the commissioning of an act
that violates the law causing injuries to the society.
Contemporary scholars from all over the world have debated
this subject for ages with the aim of trying to unearth the causes
of crime but many have gone ahead to conclude that it is a
motivation of various factors. The factors are nevertheless
numerous and there is no single study that accurately proves the
current theories. All in all these theories have been used by
scholars and researchers across the globe and have been widely
accepted as the most probable sources of criminology. This
study will indulge explicitly into some of these theories that
form the basis of criminology together with some of the most
profound programs and policies that would reduce the rising
rates of crimes around the world.
These theories can be classified into three major theories;
theories that attribute the act of crime to some congenital or

biological defects by the defender, theories that may emanate
out of a mental or a psychological disorder and theories that
emanate from social or environmental factors. This study will
begin by looking into the biological theories of crime.
There are two or more theories that currently exist in the
biosocial world today and one or two set of these theories lays
more emphasis on the genetic factors basically the traits that are
transmitted to the child from the parents (Perez, 2011). Other
studies assert that a criminal behavior may be triggered by
defects in the neurology set up which may inhibit the factors
that aid in self control which limit the probability of indulging
in a criminal behavior. The irregularities may result out of
defects in the structure and the chemical composition of the
brain.
Genetic factors
This study shows that the effect of biological inheritance
tending towards criminality is high in conjunction with the
social environment of an individual. Studies in the
interrelationship of criminal inheritance between parents and
children proves that children whose parents had a background of
crime or who are criminals themselves were more likely to
engage in criminal activities compared to parents who abided by
the law.
Finally there is a research that has been carried out between
parents and their adopted children and parents and their real
children. The research proved that the children with their
biological parents had a higher risk of indulging in criminal
activities if their parents were criminals than the adopted
children (Ramdhan, 2011). However, there is little genetic
predisposition to prove this and hence more study is needed to
reaffirm these assertions.
Abnormalities in Neurology
There are a number of people who suffer from abnormalities in
the way their brain is structured. Researchers around the globe
have discovered that there is a close correlation between
criminal activities and impairment in the cerebrum part of the

brain. This means that those people with an aggressive behavior
may have developed those behaviors as a result of an
impairment of the frontal lobe in the brain’s cerebral part.
Another factor that can contribute to indulgence in these
criminal behaviors is imbalances in the chemical set up of the
brain. This is mainly due to the fact that all the thoughts in a
human brain, including the emotions and behaviors are
dependent on the impulses that are transmitted in the central
nervous system (Perez, 2011). Synapses are the gaps that are
found between the cells of the central nervous system while
neurotransmitters are the electrical impulses that form around
these impulses. Scientists assert that if the above transmitters
are low, then there is a high likelihood that the flow of electric
impulses in the brain will be interrupted and hence the thoughts
and actions of an individual will be affected as a result of this.
The empathy and sympathy areas may be affected triggering an
aggressive behavior in an individual which may make him/her
to indulge in crime (Ramdhan, 2011). There is sound evidence
in many laboratories across the world of a relationship between
some levels of transmitters for instance serotonin and
aggressive behaviors including violence.
The psychological theory
Psychologists around the world evoke that there are certain
individual behaviors and actions that develop from the social
background of an individual. These theorists assert that certain
traits in an individual for instance impulsiveness increase the
chances of an individual to indulge in a criminal activity.
Moral development factor
According to a research carried out by Jean Piaget, there are
basically four stages that are association with the growth of a
child. He asserts that children below two years of age
experience the world only through their senses and little
abilities. On the other hand those between the age of two and
seven years only think and understand things according to the
knowledge they had in their previous years. During this age the
children tend to be egocentric and believe that whatever they

experience or believe is what is being experienced by everyone
around them. From the age of seven to the adolescent ages the
child begins to think logically and to classify his/her objects in
an organized manner. After the adolescent age, the child is able
to think more logically and develops a better understanding of
the future theoretical concepts. In the first stages children are
subjected to rules that they have to follow without question,
later after the adolescent age they get the notion that they too
have the ability to set and modify rules and lastly all humans
are subjected to the fact that there are rules to be followed and
they slowly understand the importance of following rules.
Influenced by this theory by Piaget, an American psychologist
by the name Lawrence Kohlberg developed a moral theory in
the mid-1960s that was based on the four stages by Piaget. He
proposed that in the first stages of development children are
striving to enjoy satisfaction and avoid punishment by all means
possible. In the next stage, these children who are slowly
maturing begin to see the need for rules and begin to
demonstrate their respect for those in the authority and try all
means possible to avoid any form of disagreement with the
authority (Vogel, 2010). As the child grows he begins to
discover that the moral judgment in the society will be based on
the ability by an individual to respect the rule of law since these
rules are for the benefit of all.
The moral development process forms the basis of criminology
in that those who lack the ability to conform by the set rules
and regulations are more prone to indulge in criminal acts and
hence the study above proves that the inability to conform to the
general moral development process will increase your risk of
indulging in crime.
Social learning factor
This theory proves that an individual behavior is shaped by the
social interaction in an individual or the lack of it. It proposes
that an individual learns a lot from his/her social interaction
with others rather a predestined or set process. Primarily
sociologists assert that the behavior of an individual is greatly

shaped by the way he/she is treated by the response of their
elders towards his/her violations and compliance with the set
rules. Rewards for conforming to the suitable rules and the
social sanctions that will be imposed for the failure to do so
will greatly shape or determine the destiny of an individual’s
behavior. Repeated rewards set the standards for this behavior
and children begin to control themselves to the state that will
align them with the moral and legal standards.
Studies have proved that youths who engage in delinquency acts
were treated differently than those youths who showed no form
of felony (Benson, 2012). The social life of the delinquent
individuals is often dominated by a slipshod life with an erratic
discipline record which ultimately translates to a harsh
treatment by their parents that may include physical
punishment.
The social life by these individuals shapes their life and
increases their probability to indulge in crime. This social
learning theory clearly evoke that if the social development
process is marked by indiscipline and punishments then there is
a big likelihood of that individual to indulge in a criminal act.
Personality theory
This theory attempts to explain how certain individuals tend
towards certain behaviors through acquired predispositions.
These acquired predispositions are mainly the personal traits for
instance stubbornness and impulsiveness together with other
personal behavior types like being extrovert (Benson, 2012).
Scientists are of the feeling that certain acquired predispositions
may increase or decrease the chances of an individual to indulge
in crime.
Freud Sigmund an Australian physician evoked that emotional
development is the process where you achieve a balance
between the conflicting desires (Benson, 2012). Freud evoked
that for humans to achieve a balance between their self interests
they must first combine their moral attitudes with their
conscience which is referred in most quarters as the superego.
As the child is developing, a conflict emergences between

his/her ego and his/her self interest which instigates a balance
between the society and the child between his/her desires and
the desire to replenish these desires (Joyce, 2012). Freud
concludes by asserting that a personality disorder that affects
this development process may increase the tendency of clinging
towards a criminal behavior.
Environmental and social theories
Social causes
One of the most profound theories that describe the association
of crime with criminal activities was instigated by a French
sociologist Gabriel Tarde who evoked that criminal activities
were chiefly instigated by the social factors. He believed that
people who indulged in criminal activities were inspired by
their fellow criminals and he was also of the opinion that
certain criminal activities were an imitation of criminal
activities that had happened before.
This crime predisposition is mainly explained by the social
environment that surrounds an individual and more so the
environment of his/her yester years particularly when he/she
was young (Joyce, 2012). He also evoked that certain criminals
pursue criminal activities like their careers particularly due to
the social environment where he/she is residing.
Another French theorist by the name Emile Durkheim has also
added a voice to this subject of criminology by evoking that
crime mostly emerges as a result of a loss in social stability.
Durkheim asserted that this loss of stability results to alienation
and confusion.
Economic status
Experts around the world believe that poverty may be
another chief factor that may make people to indulge in acts of
crime and violence. Negative emotions like desperation and
anger and the seething desire for food, money and shelter
together with the common necessities for life may force the
poor to indulge in criminal behaviors. There is a high
correlation between poverty and crime since poverty

undoubtedly inspires people to indulge in crimes like robbery
and theft and other criminal activities like selling illegal drugs
and consumption of the same drugs on which they are highly
dependent on.
Studies have confirmed that worse economic situations will
make many people to turn to criminal activities as a result of
the deprivation that is caused by these callous conditions. All in
all studies in the correlation between crime and poverty has
conflicted over the years since there is enough prove from
around the world of rich people who have been architects of
crime.
In order to lower the rates of crime around the world, some of
the most profound programs that should be incorporated would
be primarily based on the factors above. Psychologists and
practitioners around the world should develop programs that can
address the defects that occur in the brain in order to avert the
probability of an individual developing an aggressive behavior
as a result of a defect in the self control part of the brain
(Vogel, 2010). Children should also be raised with the most
profound parental care and social environment free from crime
in order to avert the probability of indulging in criminal
activities.
To conclude, the study proves that crime can emanate from the
biological, psychological and social nature of an individual to
his/her social status. All in all the research call for an in depth
study on the same to solve the conflicting studies from various
sources that have been emerging over the years.

Reference
Perez, J. (2011). Social Class and Criminal Behavior through a
Biosocial Lens. British Journal of Criminology 4, 115-117.
Ramdhan, S. (2011). The impact of gender, racial/ethnic
background, social class, family and peer influence on juvenile
delinquency. Journal of Genetic Counseling 19, 9-21.
Vogel, B. (2010). A primer on crime and delinquency theory.
Journal of Global Citizenship & Equity Education 12, 213-216.
Benson, M. (2012). Crime and the Life course. Journal of Child
Psychology 5, 11-14.
Joyce, P. (2012). Criminal Justice: An Introduction. Journal of
Social History 8, 13-16.

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