Integrated Theories of Crime

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Integrated Theories of Crime
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Major Factors in Development

• Limitations of Existing Theories
• Criminal Careers Approach
• Developmental Criminology

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Integration

• Conceptual concepts from one theory overlap in
  meaning with concepts from another theory.
• Propositional relates propositions from
  different theories. How two or more theories
  make the same predictions.

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Integrated End-to-End Model

• Social Control
• Strain
• Social Learning

Criminal Behavior
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Nonintegrated Theories

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Integrated Theory

• Family Social Strain
• Social Bonds
• Delinquent Peers
• Delinquency

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Elliot, Ageton, Cantor

• Strain (in family school) weakens
• Social Bonds to conventional society, which in
  turn promotes
• Strong bonds to delinquent peers that are
  principal factors in
• The commission of delinquent behavior

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Elliot, Huizinga, Ageton

• Strain

Weak Conventional Bonding
Strong Delinquent Bonding
Inadequate Socializaton
Social Disorganizaton
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Pathways in the Life Course to Crime Terrie
Moffitt

• Persistent antisocial behavior is a product of
  the interaction between individual traits and
  social environment.
• Biological deficiencies exacerbate environmental
  conditions creating individuals that become
  offenders.

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Two Types of Antisocial Personalities

• Life Course Persistent
• Continuity
• Adolescent Limited Persistent
• Social Mimicry
• Maturity Gaps
• Discontinuity

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Crime and the Life CourseRobert Sampson John
Laub

• Quality of social bonds influence social control
  (especially informal controls) which explains the
  onset of, persistence of, and desistance from
  criminal behavior.
• Social Capital resources gained through quality
  social relationships.

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Sampson and Laub

• Trajectory pathway of development
• Transitions life events
• Turning Points change in the life course

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Sampson Laub's Development Model
ADOLESCENCE 10-17 YEARS)
CHILDHOOD (0-10 YEARS
MIDDLE ADULTHOOD (32-35 years)
YOUNG ADULTHOOD (17-32 years)
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The Futility of Integration Thomas
Bernards Risk Factor Approach

• Characteristics of individuals that increase the
  probability of engaging in criminal behavior,
  regardless of the situation.

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• Childhood problem behaviors, poor parenting,
  school failures, failure to learn moral
  reasoning, empathy, problem solving.
• Neurotransmitter imbalances, hormone imbalances,
  central nervous deficiencies, autonomic nervous
  system variation.
• Thinking patterns that focus on trouble,
  toughness, smartness, excitement, fate,
  exaggerated sense of manliness.

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• Chronic physiological arousal and negative
  emotions.
• Association with others who are engaged in and
  approve of criminal behavior.
• Weaker attachments to other people and weaker
  beliefs in the moral validity of the law.
• Frequently being away from home engaging in
  public activities, criminal associations.

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Situations that have higher crime rates,
regardless of the people

• Economic modernization development-higher
  property crime rates.
• Economic inequality-higher rates of violence.
• Cultures which emphasize the goal of material
  success
• Neighborhoods with poverty, residential mobility,
  family disruption.
• Poverty, urban environments, racial
  discrimination, social isolation-higher rates
  of extreme violence.
• Media dissemination of techniques
  rationalizations favorable to law violation.
• Societies that stigmatize deviants.