causes and theories of crime

Question 1

explain the individualist theory

Which philosopher supports the individualist/nature theory?

Answer 1

Individualists don’t believe that poor people are ‘ pre-destined’ to commit crime. They believe everybody has free will to make a choice whether to commit a crime or not.

Hobbes’s belief is that human nature explains crime; we are all essentially selfish and will break the law if given the chance. Individuals – rich and poor- can be greedy and will commit crimes by working out the benefits to them against the chances of being caught

Question 2

give an example of why the individualist theory may be correct

Answer 2

For example somebody seeing an open window in an isolated house may decide to risk stealing something as they may feel there is little risk of being caught.

-The huddersfeild grooming case where men exploted young females for no reason other than fot their own pleaser. showing a crime committed mealy for the sake hich has nothing to do with povery or upbringing.

Question 3

What disproves the nature/ idavidualist theory?

Answer 3

Yet human nature can’t just explain crime, after all during the London riots there were many people who had the opportunity to loot for their own gain but didn’t, in fact they assisted with cleaning up.

Thus indicating that human nature is not the sole cause as some people have a strong moral code. This would suggest that the most important factors for determining crime are the environmental factors which contribute to a person’s moral code, meaning the way they have been brought up and nurtured.

Question 4

Why might drugs or alcohol be a cause of crime

Answer 4

• change in begavour
• 41% of prisoners reported being drunk at time of offence and 60% of young offenders
• 2017 over 100,000 alcohol related violent crimes took place

to pay for the addiction
- ¾ of male prisoners in Scotland have an alcohol use disorder.

Question 5

But, what might influence a person to take the substances so might infact be the leading cause. however what then disproves this?

Answer 5

• poverty causes one to take the drugs because they are frustrated with there surrounds SO poverty causes crime
• BUT the wealthy aslo turn to drugs as they too have pressures but in different forms.

Question 6

who says we take part in crime because of povery

Answer 6

Marxes and stain

Question 7

Explain marxis idea

Answer 7

our capitalist system creates a an unequal society split between the rich and the marginalised and poor. meaning there is no lagitament way for the poor to make it fananitally so tey must turn to crime

-want for material iteams seen

Question 8

Explain Morton’s Strain therory

Answer 8

Crime is more common among the lower classes because of all the strains society put them threw by putting pressure on them to acevie middle class goals and to obtain all the desired i teams in our materialistic society. Forcing them to turn to crime

Question 9

Examples of why crime is linked to Marxist

Answer 9

-30% or prisoners come from the 5 most deprived areas in Scotland
(Best for Marxist)

Question 10

Examples of strain therory

Answer 10

London riots in 2011 were mostly from poor back rounds and those who took place were angry about the stains of continued deprecation. Showing the strain of society lead to them committing crime

Question 11

But what makes it invalid to argue that poverty causes crime

Answer 11

• not everyone’s goal in life is For money as it might be family, happy listyle or helping others. Such as charity workers, teachers or nurses
• NOT ALL POOR COMIT
• not all crimes to do with money

INFAIR SYSTEM

• kids from poor areas 2x more likely to be involved in police cases and resolve punishment than those who committed the same crime but from better off places says BBC
• MP Cornway stole £45,000 in expenses was banned from parliament for 10 days VS a poor man Tim Harris who was placed in jail for 15 months for a similar amount in benefit fraud

Police just looking out for blue colour crime more and that seems to be more acesable for lower classes

Question 12

Why can it be argued that a lack of education leads to crime

Answer 12

Because

• 25% of Scots youth prisoners had no qualifications
• 13% in prison VS 4% population never had a job

-kids excluded by 12 are 4 times more likely to comite crime as adult
-50% of male prisoners vs 2% of population have been excluded
They are missing out on school during this time and are more likely to fall into crime without education there to stimulate them

Question 13

Why is poverty more important than lack of education

Answer 13

• frequent studies showed that those from better off areas do better at school and will then go on to her all the jobs and the placed in further education
• 20% of those in the least deprived areas scored SQA tariffs of around 550 vs the worst 20% only 280

-kids excluded are 4x more likely to be poor

Question 14

But what might suggest that crime committing has nothing to do with education

Answer 14

• plenty of poorly educated never do anything
• London 2011 Riots- highly educated took part- school counsellor
• WHITE COLLAR- Sainsbury’s it manager found a loop hole allowing him to steal millions threw nectar points ACCTULLY EDUCATION HELPS COMIT BETTER CRIME

Question 15

Explain the the nuture therory

Answer 15

The way in which a child is cared for and brought up effecting what time of people they are when they become adults

Question 16

Explain the social leaning therory

Answer 16

Holstein lean all things by copping others. Meaning those who have seen crimes as a child will then go on the copy it later on. This is particularly relevant for kids who observed violence within the home.

Question 17

What experiment backs up the social learning therory and it’s link to crime and how does it do this?

Answer 17

Banduras ‘bobo doll’ where children were placed in a room with an adult who eather beat the doll or cared for it- they always copied what they saw when left alone afterwards

Question 18

How many prisoners reported to having family members who had been in prison

Answer 18

37%

Question 19

What are the % of prisoners saw violence at home. What year was the study

Answer 19

2012
30% had been abused
41% saw violence in the home

Question 20

Good example of peer pressure and it’s link to people committing crime

Answer 20

Millionaires daughter who drive a car around for looters- said she did it because of peer pressure

Question 21

What can u conclude about the causes of crime

Answer 21

There are many reasons as to why one might take part in crime but it can be argued that there is no real cause of all crime and there will always be people from all walks of life who do or don’t commit crime making it hard to pin point the source. But, the individualised therory is the most effective in explaining most crimes because it can be said that all crimes come with some sort of Benafit HOWEVER maybe the reason why poverty seems to have so many links is because poverty increases the Benefits when they say it up of crime due to the hard way of life. So even though many things may effect the chances of a person choosing to comit the crime or not it is believed in this essay that it all stems down to the idavidual.