Based on the readings for unit one, along with your personal/professional life experience identify one theory, which you will provide a theoretical explanation for the status of criminal behavior in your neighborhood.  

MCJ 5135, Theory of Crime and Criminology 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit I

Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

3. Explain the biological and psychological theories of criminal behavior.
3.1 Identify five major theoretical approaches for identifying causes of criminal behavior.
3.2 Relate major theories of criminal behavior to specific issues.
3.3 Analyze whether developmental disabilities are a cause of criminal behavior.

Course/Unit
Learning Outcomes

Learning Activity

3 Unit lesson

3.1 Chapter 1 (selection); Chapter 5 (selection); Chapter 6 (selection); Essay

3.2 Chapter 6 (selection); Essay

3.3 Chapter 6 (selection); Essay

Reading Assignment

Chapter 1: Introduction to Criminology, pp. 11–13 (Crime and Criminal Law), pp. 13–14 (Who Defines Crime?
Criminological Definitions)

Chapter 5: Early and Classical Criminological Theories, pp. 109 (Table 5.1), pp. 112 (Table 5.2), pp. 111–112
(Hedonism and Crime: Jeremy Bentham)

Chapter 6: Biological and Psychological Theories, pp. 128–133 (Biological Theories)

Unit Lesson

How is Criminal Mentality Created?

Every thinking person has a theory on what causes criminal behavior. What is yours? How much of your
current fortune would you be willing to stake on whether your theory is correct? Before you respond, read
Tables 5.1 and 5.2 of the textbook. Do not memorize the data; just get a feel for how humans hoping to find a
solution to stop crime try to explain behavior and the efforts spent on understanding criminals. As you
contemplate your own theory or theories on causation, add the following to your deliberation: the earliest
known tradition of classifying crime and punishment was the Code of Ur-Nammu, King of Ur around 2050
BCE. The fifth king of Babylonia in the kingdom of Mesopotamia, Hammurabi, borrowed some of King Ur’s
ideas and chiseled 282 laws and punishments in stone. For at least 4,066 years, crime and criminal activity
have been of interest to governments, yet, to date, there has been no solution to stopping crime (King, 2008).
Can we not conclude there is no solution to crime—no magic bullet?

Theories of Criminal Mentality Creation

Table 5.1 provides seven theoretical schools of thought on criminology, and except for “demonological (study
of demons)” and “ecological (geographic)” schools, the remaining five provide a basis for classifying criminal
behavior based on one or more of the theoretical schools listed in the right column (Hagan, 2017). Even those
remaining schools could lead to analytical dissection; an example would be a closer look at Karl Marx’s
school of thought that capitalism, social class inequality, and economic conditions cause crime.

Perhaps we must accept there is no one classification that fits all crimes or all criminals, and all humans are
not created equal, not in the sense of the U.S. Constitution, but as we are self-thinkers. No two humans think

UNIT I STUDY GUIDE

Theories of Criminal
Behavior

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exactly alike—it would be rather boring to have a friend that thinks exactly as one does. Note that under the
classical (neoclassical) theoretical approach, the major concepts of criminality are criminals are rational,
hedonistic, and free actors.

Rationalization posits that criminals use logic to justify the commitment of crimes—my company does not pay
me enough money; the company has excess money; therefore, I will take some of the company’s money.

The hedonist thinks primarily of how to find and enjoy pleasure no matter what crime needs to be committed
to achieve the pleasure goal. The concepts of ownership, boundaries, and laws do not deter this criminal.

The free-actor believes there should be no societal restraints on a free person’s action, so the thought of an
act being a crime is never considered (Hagan, 2017).

Who Gets to Decide What a Crime Is?

The simple answer is that each of us decides what a crime is and how we integrate our definition of crime with
our actions when alone and when in society. However, there is then the society of which we are a part, and
society also determines what is a crime. In short, at each level of government, there are institutions that
decide what a crime is. At the local level, this is the city council. At the state level, it is the legislature, and at
the federal level, Congress makes law.

Life runs a smooth course as long as our private definition of crime and society is the same. This thinking
brings us full circle to the major theoretical approaches to understanding criminology because understanding
how we develop our own internal definitions of crime eventually affects society’s definition of crimes.

One also needs to question if there are any members of any society that are not subject to one of the
concepts. The development team of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) would say no.
They do not believe people are always honest when taking this test. The 2016 version of the MMPI is
designed to evaluate 15 separate personality traits such as anxiety, alienation, and anger and to ensure the
subject is telling the truth when responding to the instrument that contains 338 true/false questions. Fifteen
questions are inserted into the test to determine whether a person is attempting to sway the outcome
(Framingham, 2016).

A representative question of this section is about shoplifting. A response admitting shoplifting is expected
from the subject because the creators of the MMPI believe everyone, normally, as adolescents, has shoplifted
at least once. In taking this one data point, it is possible to conclude that a high percentage of members of a
society have committed at least one crime. True, it is a small crime, but the actor can be classified and placed
in one of the theories we are studying.

Purpose of Classifying Why Humans Commit Criminal Acts

Not much analysis is required for this idea; the theoretical approach to criminology is a solid basis for devising
methods for controlling criminal behavior. Keep in mind that no governments or societies have eliminated
criminal activity for more than 4,066 years. The field of criminal justice has always included three divisions:
enforcement of laws, adjudication of guilt, and corrections, usually incarceration. During this course, you will
be required to add one more non-traditional division to these—child development and its effect on criminal
behavior.

Child development specialists have established that children develop a unique value system by age 6, and
they practice using this newly developed value and behavioral system from age 6 to puberty (Piaget, 1962).
After puberty, the emerging adult makes very few changes to the value and behavioral system. If this is true,
then some, but not all, of the major theoretical approaches in criminology can be negated by parents
developing value and behavioral systems in their children that are centered on respect for the rule of law.

For example, the positivistic biological school’s mental deficiency subset could not be changed by the
parents, but perhaps it could be diagnosed earlier instead of when the individual commits a criminal act.

Do not be quick to dismiss any of the theoretical approaches. For example, a teacher at a Christian school
may believe that all criminal activities, including terrorist attacks, are caused by the devil. The demonological
theoretical school covers this attitude (Hagan, 2017). In the mid-1900s, the Maya Indians in Guatemala

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offered sacrifices to Mayan gods on the steps of the Basilica of Esquipulas because they wanted to take no
chances by ignoring either the Christian or Mayan deities. They believed crime would run rampant in their
villages if they did. Benjamin Franklin was an agnostic, but believed that religions provided a great service to
society by helping temper humans’ propensity to commit crimes. For practice, can you associate Franklin’s
belief with one or more of the major theorists listed in Table 5.1?

The Value of Understanding the Theories of Criminal Behavior

Review once again the lists of important developments in criminological theory (Table 5.2) and try to
understand the time, effort, and skills required to develop each theory and how the publication of it to the
criminal justice world affected crime. Some argue the crime rate has not improved for more than 4,066 years;
others argue it has. Where would you feel safer taking an evening stroll: West Englewood in Chicago, Illinois,
where the Latin Kings gang reigns, or Yokosuka, Japan? Statistically, West Englewood is the most dangerous
neighborhood in the United States, and Japan is the safest country. Why the difference? As graduate criminal
justice students, the understanding of criminological theories affecting these polar differences is imperative.

Consider the following example. In 1979 at 5 a.m., an American male was riding his bicycle from his home in
Tsukuihama, Japan, on the Miurakaigan Peninsula to a destination 13 kilometers(about eight miles) away.
There were no cars or pedestrians to be seen, so when the man came to a red traffic light, he blew through it
only to be honked at by a local taxi cab driver. The man, realizing that he stood out because he was the only
foreigner living in Tsukuihama, stopped, returned to the cab, and offered an apology for his behavior. The cab
driver and man became friends from that day until the cab driver passed away. Had the man not stopped and
conformed to the Japanese custom, the reputation of Americans on the peninsula would have taken a hit. The
question then becomes what is the difference in behavior instilled in Japanese and not in some Westerners?
Is it parental training? Could it be the stationing of small, three-person police stations, throughout Japan? It
should be noted that these stations act as the main contact with law enforcement. Traditionally, and even
today, the officers working these small stations provide emergency services, deliver babies, police stray
animals, and have been known to provide marriage counseling.

Your goal in this course is to tie theory to practice and real-life situations like the example above and become
a vital part of the criminal justice system. Each of the seven remaining units addresses specific areas of
criminal justice so that you can develop, practice, or refine your skill sets and analyze and argue the issues
presented from both sides. There are no right or wrong distinctions in criminal justice, so practice your skills
and always look at both sides of everything you encounter in your career. Confucius, in Chapter III of Book II
(Wei Chang) gave us his idea of criminology:

If the people be led by laws, and uniformity sought to be given them by punishments, they will try to
avoid the punishment, but have no sense of shame. If they be led by virtue, and uniformity sought to
be given them by the rules of propriety, they will have the sense of shame, and moreover will become
good. (The Analects, Book II, Chapter 3).

References

Framingham, J. (2016). Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). Retrieved from

https://psychcentral.com/lib/minnesota-multiphasic-personality-inventory-mmpi/

Hagan, F. E. (2017). Introduction to criminology: Theories, methods, and criminal behavior (9th ed.).

Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

King, L. W. (2008). The Code of Hammurabi. Retrieved from http://avalon.law.yale.edu/ancient/hamframe.asp

Piaget, J. (1962). The moral judgement of the child. New York, NY: Free Press Paperbacks.

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Suggested Reading

In order to access the following resources, click the links below:

This link will direct you to a list of the 20 safest cities in the world. You are encouraged to explore these crime
statistics:

Bertrand, N., Fuchs, E., & Piquero, A. R. (2015). 20 of the safest cities in the world. Retrieved from

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-20-safest-cities-in-the-world-2015-1

This link will direct you to a list of the persons killed in Chicago for November 2016. Take a few minutes to
view these interesting crime statistics:

DNAinfo. (n.d.) Chicago murders. Retrieved from https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2016-chicago-

murders/timeline?mon=11

Learning Activities (Nongraded)

Nongraded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study. You do not have to submit
them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further guidance and information.

The following resources will help you to prepare for the writing assignments in this course. You are
encouraged to view and complete them to get a head start on the assignments and brush up on the skills you
will need in this course.

Click here to go to the APA page in the Learning Resources section of the myCSU Student Portal. Click on
APA Paper Examples, then view or print the Research Paper Example. After reviewing this example, open a
Word document, and set up a research paper template based on this example. Be sure to add a running
head, title page, and headings. This will give you a template to use for the writing assignments in this course.

Also, click here to access the Legal Citations section created by the CSU Writing Center. This short
presentation (15 minutes) will help you to master the legal citations you will be using in this course.

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-20-safest-cities-in-the-world-2015-1

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2016-chicago-murders/timeline?mon=11

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2016-chicago-murders/timeline?mon=11

https://mycsu.columbiasouthern.edu/student/resources/learning/

http://columbiasouthern.adobeconnect.com/legalcitations/