Sociological Theories of Crime

I will begin by giving an overview of Sociological Theories and then move on to the theories that I believe are contributing to the recent burglaries. "Sociological Theories of crime causation look for elements in social structure and processes that create motivation and provide the opportunity to commit crime" (http://online.morainevalley.edu). I also want to remind everyone that Psychological, Biological, and Physiological Theories all need to be incorporated when trying to determine the causes of crime. Anyhow, there are four types of Sociological Theories. Social structure theories, social process theories, social conflict theories, and the rational theory make up sociological theories.

Two social structural theories I will discuss are the Social Disorganization Theory and the Strain Theory. The social disorganization theory focuses on urban conditions that affect crime rates. The theory holds that high unemployment, high school drop out rates, low income levels, and large numbers of single parent households contribute to crime. The strain theory holds that crime is a conflict between people's goals and the means they can use to legally obtain them. Basically the strain theory holds that people in a low socioeconomic class have less opportunity to achieve their goals so they will commit crime to do so. Social process theories contend that crime is a function of individual socialization (http://online.morainevalley.edu). The interactions that people have within their environment lead them to criminal behavior. Social learning theory states that crime, like everything else, is a learned behavior (http://online.morainevalley.edu). A person's family members, peer groups, as well as other groups within a community influence their behavior.

Social conflict theories state that crime arises in response to political and economical conditions. An example would be if a person robbed someone, the conflict theories contend that the criminal was "forced" to do so because of economic conditions brought on by the inequitable distribution of wealth (http://online.morainevalley.edu). The Marxist Theory sees crime as the rebellion of the lower class. The last theory I will discuss is the Rational Theory. This theory contends that law-violating behavior occurs after offenders weigh the rewards with the risks. So if the rewards outweigh the risks, a crime is committed.

The Strain Theory (a social structural theory) seems rather logical for this type of crime. An individual from a lower class has less opportunity to achieve goals than individuals from a higher class. Usually money, power, wealth, prestige, and material possessions are the goals people try to achieve. The Social Learning Theory (a social process theory) can also contribute to burglary. The individual may have peers or even family members that commit crimes and he or she has learned from their criminal actions. The Marxist Theory (a social conflict theory) states that crime is rebellion from the lower class. The individual may believe that he is justified in his criminal behavior because of his or her position in society. Last but not least, the Rational Theory may also be a reason for the burglaries. If the individual is walking home from the bus stop and sees a car door unlocked with a twenty dollar bill lying in the floor board his or her mind begins outweighing the rewards for the risk. Since the door is unlocked and no one is around, he or she will then open the door and take the money.

Moraine Valley Community College, 2004. Explanations of Crime and Criminal Behavior. Retrieved July 31, 2006 from http://online.morainevalley.edu/Fall/2002/CRJ105-300/lesson41.htm#Sociological%20Explanations