Essay on "Theories of Crime"

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[EXCERPT] . . . .

respect to the State of Connecticut's juvenile diversion programs, the best way to ensure that these are producing the desired goal is to determine how such programs impact the tendency toward juvenile delinquent or, in eventuality, adult criminal recidivism. A study on the program would use one diversion program as a pilot, with all individuals entering into this program being part of the experimental group. A control group would be comprised of a set population of individuals entered into traditional juvenile detention settings.

Using a meta-analysis design to assess outcomes, the research study would compare the proclivity amongst members of both the control and experimental group toward criminal behavior and incarceration. It is anticipated that those in the experimental group would be less prone to recidivism during the subsequent two years during which measurements would occur. The independent variable is the type of juvenile program into which the subject is placed and the dependent variable is the tendency toward recidivism. The t-test would be the most suitable mode of statistical analysis for contended with two sample groups that are largely independent of one another.

2.

The mayor's effort to better understand the forces that motivate or cause crime should begin with a clearer understanding of 'strain theory.' This implies that while it may be our sense in mainstream society that certain criminal acts are inherently 'wrong' or deviant, within certain cultural contexts these behaviors become more socially acceptable. For instance, in inner-city neighbhorhoods where drug trade and gang violence are the norm, individuals may grow up without a se

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nse of these activities as inherently criminal. Or, where there is a recognition of the criminal nature of these activities, this is largely subsumed by the cultural and social pressures to assimilate to encompassing circumstances. Truly, where strain theory is concerned, the only way of undermining its impact is to improve the circumstances and contexts in which these behaviors have become normative. This means that the mayor's program should focus on bringing jobs, assistance and opportunity to those contexts where criminal activity has become the only clear and apparent opportunity. Success should be defined in these contexts by reduced rates of criminal incarceration and in specific categories such as violent crimes.

Control Theory is another criminological theory, but one which departs significantly from the ideas of strain theory. This concept denotes that individuals prone to criminal activity are the subjects of their own poor will power or limited self-control. This may be derived circumstantially or completely from within the illegally acting individual. However, control theory suggests that as opposed to far-reaching sociological patterns, some individuals are simply more prone to criminal activity or, due to their circumstances, are particularly vulnerable to falling into a pattern of criminal activity based on certain personality dimensions. This theory suggests that crime most typically occurs at the individual level and that if we as a town are to eliminate these acts, police presence as a deterrent is the key. The best way to determine if this method is working is to measure the rate of crimes in a given context. Reduced rates of crime in areas where police presence is heightened may be used to evaluate the success of preventing individual acts of crime.

3.

Determining the competence of defendant is critical to protecting individual rights under the terms of the Constitution. One of the most critical aspects of a fair and equitable system is establishing certainty that the individual on trial understands the nature of the charges brought before him and the potential legal consequences of these charges.

Competence is generally determined by an assessment tool intended to measure the defendant's mental faculties. This differs from a determination of insanity, which measures the defendant's capacity to differentiate between right and wrong. With competence, the question revolves more directly on the comprehensive capability of the individual to understand his actions and their consequences.

4.

For many juvenile offenders who engage in criminal activity, the behaviors that transgress legal standards are frequently done consciously and even as a… READ MORE

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Quoted Instructions for "Theories of Crime" Assignment:

“

1. The State of Connecticut has chosen to create a new pilot program that diverts troubled

adolescents from Juvenile Courts into community based juvenile diversion programs.

These new community diversion programs are primarily designed to reduce the expected

negative impacts of labeling; opponents of the program are concerned that the diversion

*****"program will reduce the deterrent impact of the court system. Describe how you would

design a study to determine the effectiveness of this new program. Include the

specification of outcomes, the best type of research design, measurement issues

associated with independent and dependent variables and the statistical tests you would

expect to employ.

2. You have been hired as an advisor to the Mayor of *****"Our Town*****" Connecticut. The Mayor

is going to create a program to reduce crime as part of the plan to revitalize *****"Our Town.*****"

The mayor would like to know what we can do about crime and has asked you to prepare

a report on the causes of crime and what could be done to reduce crime, your task is to

select two different theories of crime from different perspectives (Rational Choice

Psychology; Biology; Strain; Control; Critical; Social Learning) and prepare a summary

for the Mayor of how each theory explains crime and how you would recommend

mayor use each theory to develop programs/initiatives to help reduce crime.

will make the final program selection and also wants to know how he *****"will tell

if the program is working (how will you evaluate the program). I chose strain and control theory

3. Discuss the concept of competence to stand trial, why is it important to the criminal

justice process? What is the standard used to determine competence to stand trial? How

is the concept of competence to stand trial different from the concept of insanity?

4. Routine Activity Theory is an important type of rational choice theory of crime.

Describe the rational choice model of crime and describe how Routine Activity Theory

differs from Deterrence and Incapacitation based models of crime control. Assume that

your police department has developed a crime prevention program for predatory crime

based on Routine Activity Theory and is going to target juvenile offending, outline the

steps that would need to be taken to implement the program and evaluate the

effectiveness of the program.

5. Describe two different standards for insanity that are used in the United States, and

discuss the requirements for each standard. Compare and contrast the two standards,

including a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of each standard and examples of

the application of each standard. How might we be able to evaluate the impact of

changing from one standard to another in a jurisdiction? (the state decides to change

standards and we would like to measure the impact of the change).

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