Biological Theories
 Franz Joseph Gall (1758 – 1828)
– Phrenology - study of the shape of the
head and its relationship to human
behavior
 Cesare Lombroso
– “atavism” – A condition characterized
by the existence of features thought to
be common in earlier stages of human
evolution (throwbacks).
Biological Theories
 William Sheldon
– somatotyping – classification of people into
types according to body build
 Bertillion Measurements
– Criminality based on physical features, and
measurements
Criminal Families
 Richard Dugdale study, 1877
• used family tree method to study
the Juke family
 Henry Goddard study, 1912
• Goddard studied two lines of the
Kallikak family.
Psychobiological Theories
 Chromosome Theory
– 1965 – Patricia Jacobs discovered
“supermales.” supermale – Men with an
extra “Y” chromosome (XYY).
 Biocriminology
– A field of study that has made attempts at
linking violent or disruptive behavior to
eating habits, vitamin deficiencies, genetics,
inheritance, and other conditions which
impact body tissues.
FACTORS LEADING TO GANG
INVOLVEMENT
 Frequent exposure to crime and violence during formative
years, results in desensitivity to such occurrences
 There are few positive role models, particularly of their own
ethnicity; negative influences are more common than
positive ones
 They come from unstable families, with little parental
control
 They live in an environment lacking economic activity
conducive to lawful self sufficiency; environment breeds
hopelessness and offers few reasons to believe that
success can be achieved through conventional means
FACTORS LEADING TO GANG
INVOLVEMENT
 Their environment lacks constructive social and
recreational activities for youths
 Their social environment has a distorted set of moral
values in which selfish, antisocial conduct is accepted and
promoted as the accepted norm
 The youth believe they have matured as far as possible;
that there is not much more to look forward to except they
perceive as “low level” jobs
 They are entrapped into selling drugs by the lure of “living
large,” despite inadequate skills, education, or
qualifications
 They suffer from low self-esteem
FACTORS LEADING TO GANG
INVOLVEMENT
 They inhabit a culture that highly values immediate
gratification, both materially and sensually
 There is an absence of respected adult figures to give
youths the “right word,” or to affirm traditional values and
standards, and to encourage youths to keep their conduct
within bounds
 There is a natural need to ensure physical safety, to have a
sense of belonging, and to form secure emotional
relationships with others
 Because they feel insignificant and powerless, youths are
attracted to the power of gangs because gangs exercise
considerable control over the lives of others and command
the attention of public officials and the news media
SOCIAL DISORGANIZATION
THEORY
 Crime stems from certain
community or neighborhood
characteristics
– Dilapidated housing
– Poverty
– High density
– High crime rates
– High mobility
– High rates of unemployment
SOCIAL ECOLOGY THEORY
I
II
III IV V
SHAW & McKAY
SOCIAL ECOLOGY
CONCENTRIC CIRCLES
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I
II
III
IV
V
Center City
Zone in Transition
Blue Collar Worker’s Zone
Residential Zone
Commuter Zone
STRAIN THEORY
 Cultural norms of “success”
emphasize such goals as money,
power, status
 Means to obtain such success are not
equally distributed
 As the result of blocked opportunities
many among the disadvantaged resort
to illegal means
MERTON
STRAIN THEORY
Mode of
MEANS
GOALS
Adaptation
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Conformist
Innovator
Ritualism
Retreatism
Rebellion
MERTON
+
+
+/-
+
+
+/-
SUBCULTURES OF DEVIANCE
 Special vocabulary, or argot usually concerning
the activities that differentiate the group from
those around it
 A set of shared beliefs and norms which contrast
in direction or emphasis with the norms of other
groups, such as the larger society
 Contacts between members through which
behavior is learned and membership in the group
id confirmed
 Sometimes a specialized way of dressing and
acting, that serves to distinguish the members
from those of other groups and to assist in
identifying members to one another
LOWER CLASS DELIQUENCY
 Lower class boys being evaluated by
middle class teachers in a middle class
standard
 Lower class boys are usually not
socialized by their families believing that it
is important to:
– Be ambitious, get ahead, be someone
– Take responsibility – minimize reliance on
others
– Become skillful in those things that have
economic value
– Postpone immediate gratification – focus on
long term goals
– Be rational, plan, and budget time
– Cultivate manners and courtesy in order to
get along with people
– Keep physical aggression under control
– Play constructively and wholesomely, not
destructively and wastefully
– Respect the property rights of others
*
Faced with constant threats to their selfesteem, many lower class boys retreat to the
one group where they can find status – the
delinquent gang
COHEN
DIFFERENTIAL OPPORTUNITY
 Access to any opportunity, whether legitimate or
illegitimate, varies according to time and place
 In neighborhoods where adult criminal subculture
is strong, youths will have both the role models
and the means for becoming successful
innovators
 Faced with frustration of having legitimate or
illegitimate means, some boys will turn to
violence and crime or retreat into alcohol and
drugs
CLOWARD & OHLIN
THEORY OF DELIQUENT
SUBCULTURE
 TROUBLE
 TOUGHNESS
 SMARTNESS
 EXCITEMENT
 FATE
 AUTONOMY
W. MILLER
THEORY OF DELIQUENT
SUBCULTURE
 NONUTILITARIANISM
 MALICIOUS
 NEGATIVISM
 SHORT-RUN HEDONISM
 GROUP AUTONOMY
COHEN
DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION THEORY
 Criminal behavior is learned
 Criminal behavior is learned in interaction with
persons in a process of communications
 The principle part of the learning of criminal
behavior occurs within intimate groups
 When criminal behavior is learned, the learning
includes;
– Techniques – simple and complex
– Specific direction of motives, drives, attitudes
 The specific direction of motives and drives is
learned from definitions of legal codes as
favorable or unfavorable
DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION THEORY
 A person becomes delinquent because of an
excess of definitions favorable to violation of law
over definitions unfavorable to violation of law
 Differential association may vary in frequency,
duration, priority, and intensity
 The process of learning criminal behavior by
association with criminal and anti-criminal
patterns incorporate all the mechanisms that are
present in any other learning
 While criminal behavior is an expression of
general needs and values, it is not explained by
those general needs and values, since noncriminal behavior is an expression of the same
needs and values
SUTHERLAND
BONDING THEORY
 Attachment
– Closer one’s ties to society, especially
parents, more likely one will conform to
society’s expectation
 Commitment
– The more one aspires to invest in
legitimate activities, especially in terms
of success aspirations and long range
goals, the more likely one will conform
BONDING THEORY
 Involvement
– The more time and energy one spends on
legitimate activities, the more likely one
will conform
 Belief
– The more one attaches moral validity to
society’s norms, the more likely one will
conform
LABELING THEORY
• Primary Deviance – An individual
commits deviant act, but does not
view him or
herself as deviant.
• Secondary Deviance – An individual
commits a deviant act and sees him or
herself as a deviant.
MASLOW’S HEIRARCHY OF NEEDS
SELF-ACTUALIZATION
SELF-ESTEEM
LOVE - BELONGING
SAFETY AND SECURITY
PHYSIOLOGICAL - BIOLOGICAL
Developmental Process of
Criminal Patterns
 Traits Learned – Ages 3 - 8
– Begins to manipulate parents
– Enjoys toys which are weapons and has an
interest in violent heroes
– Violent video collection or a preoccupation
with violent video games
– Steal change from family members
– Begins to lie on a consistent basis
– Begins to develop negative attitudes towards
community, authorities, school teachers
Developmental Process of
Criminal Patterns
 Traits Learned – Ages 9 - 11
– Has begun minor shoplifting from store
– Engaging in acts of vandalism which may or
may not have come to the attention of the
parents or authorities (breaking windows,
graffiti, etc.)
– Begins occasional truancy / skipping school
– More involved with friends than parents
Developmental Process of
Criminal Patterns
 Traits Learned – Ages 9 - 11
– Begins to develop “street” personality
– Has joined a pseudo gang / friends are
questionable
– Begins to challenge authority, overtly, and
breaks established rules
– Becomes more inquisitive about sex
– Becomes proficient with street language
Developmental Process of
Criminal Patterns
 Traits Learned – Ages 12 - 15
– Is aware of community hang outs
 Liquor stores, arcades, bars, drug houses
– Begins to pick on weaker kids
 Taking money, candy, clothing
– Begins to see humor in violence and harming
others
– Begins to experiment with cigarettes, interest
in alcohol – experimentation
– Befriends and is drawn to older kids
 Drop outs, drug dealers / cool
Developmental Process of
Criminal Patterns
 Traits Learned Ages 12 – 15
– Sexual interest increases – experimentation
– Preoccupation with the police and is now on
the “look-out”
– Has begun cursing regularly with peers
– Becomes more proficiently with street
language
– Spends much leisure time hanging out in the
streets
Developmental Process of
Criminal Patterns
 Traits Learned Ages 16 - 21
– Is ready for street gang activity
– Commits burglaries
– Has become clothes conscious
– Is either establishing or has established a
“reputation”
– Has spent time in foster homes, group
homes, or juvenile institution
– Pre-occupation with weapons and violence