INTRODUCTION TO

CRIMINOLOGY
 th
Early 20 Century
1. Anomie Theory (Emil
Durkheim) - Absence of
norms in the society provide
setting conducive to crimes
and anti-social acts.
Anomie in the simplest terms
is a lack of social or ethical
norms in an individual or
group.
2. Psychoanalytical Theory
(Sigmund Freud) –
Criminal behaviour is a
form of neuroses.
a. ID – human basic instinctual drives. It is
the source of our bodily needs, wants,
desire, and impulses, particularly our
sexual and aggressive drives. It
contains LIBIDO
b. EGO - acts according to reality
principles. It seeks to please the ID’s
drive in realistic ways that will benefit
in the long term rather than bring grief.
This represents what may we called
reason and common sense, in contrast
to the ID which contains the passion
c. SUPEREGO – it works in contradiction
to the ID. It strives to act in a socially
appropriate manner whereas ID just
wants instant self gratification.
Conscience of men.
Levels Of Awareness
A. The Conscious Level – it consist of
whatever sensations and
experiences you are aware of at a
given moment of time.
B. The Preconscious Level – this
domain is sometimes called
“available memory” that
encompasses all experiences that
are not conscious at the moment
but which can easily retrieved into
awareness either spontaneously or
with a minimum of effort.
C. The Unconscious Level – it is
the deepest and major stratum
of the human mind. It is the
storehouse for primitive
instinctual drives plus emotion
and memories that are so
threatening to the conscious
mind that they have been
repressed, or unconsciously
pushed into the unconscious
mind.
3. Human Ecology Theory
(Robert Ezra Park) –
changes in environment
causes criminality in the
society.
4. Differential Association
Theory (Edwin H. Sutherland
“Dean of Modern Criminology)
– this theory argue that criminal
behaviour was learned. This
theory, modified, remains one
of the most influential theories
of crime causation. Family and
friends are the most influential
to individuals.
5. Containment Theory
(Walter Reckless) – it is view
in which people are expected
to commit crime and
delinquency unless they are
prevented from doing so.
Absence of human control
lead to crime.
 • Containment Theory
• Developed by Walter Reckless
– “Pressures” and “pulls” toward delinquency are everywhere
– Counteracting these pressures and pulls are “containments” of which
there are two types: Walter Reckless
• outer containments--structural buffers, such as intact family,
positive discipline, etc.
• inner containments--internalized values, high frustration
tolerance, etc.
– Reckless identified a positive self concept as the critical containment
insulating against delinquency.
6. Somatotyping Theory
(William H. Sheldon) –
Classifying types of
physique and criminal
temperament:
 Types of Physique
1. Endomorphic- fat, short
limb, small bones,
smooth velvety skin.
2. Mesomorphic- active,
dynamic, large wrist and
hands.
3. Ectomorphic- fragile,
delicate body, small
delicate bones, sharp
nose, fine hair, sickly.
7. Strain Theory ( Robert King
Merton) – the contradiction
between the cultural goal of
achieving wealth and the
social structures' inability to
provide legitimate
institutional means of
achieving the goal.
8. Sub-Culture and
Delinquency Theory (Albert
Cohen) – lower class cannot
socialize effectively as the
middle class in what is
considered appropriate
middle class behaviour.
9. Differential Opportunity
Theory ( Lloyd Ohlin) –
legitimate and illegitimate
means.
10. Instrumentalist Theory
(Earl Richard Quinney) –
upper classes create laws that
protect their interest and the
same time the unwanted
behaviour of all other
member of society
11. Labelling Theory (Frank
Tennebaum, Edwin Lemert,
Howard Becker) – this theory
argues that once a person
commits a first criminal act,
they are labelled negatively as
a criminal. The label becomes
a self fulfilling prophecy.
• Deviance is a label created by society
• He says labels, for example a deviant drug addict, once he/she is
called a drug addict and the label placed on the individual or group,
then there behaviors tend to steer them towards making the labels
fit. It is in a sense an subconscious self-fulfilling prophecy
mechanism. This is why a convict, labeled a criminal, tends to
commit more crime. For example, a drug addict, commits more
drug usage.
• The problem pointed out by Becker then is that people may not
very easily break the cycle because they have a self concept or
view of self based on labels and don't see themselves outside of the
label and not doing things to maintain the label.
Other Criminological Theory
• Modern Biocriminology
- ongoing research has
revealed numerous
biological factors
associated either directly
or indirectly with
criminal or delinquent
behaviour.
• Hormones – criminal
behaviour have also been
associated with hormone
abnormalities especially
those involving:
– Testosterone ( a male sex
hormone)
– Progesterone and estrogens
(female sex hormones)
– Administering estrogens to
male sex offenders has been
found to reduce their sexual
drives.
• Learning Theory – is a
theory that explains
criminal behaviour and its
prevention with the
concepts of positive
reinforcement, negative
reinforcement, extinction,
punishment, and modelling
or imitation.
• Conflict Theory – a theory
that assumes that society is
based primarily on conflicts
between competing
interest groups and that
criminal law and the
criminal justice system are
used to control subordinate
groups.
• Radical Theory – argues
that capitalism requires
people to compete
against each other in
the pursuit of material
wealth
Other Pioneer of Criminology
▪ Charles Darwin Theory-
claimed that human, like
other animal are parasite.
Thus man kills and steal to
live.
▪ Charles Goring Theory –
criminals are physically
inferior to normal individuals
in the sense that criminal
tend to be shorter and less
weight than non criminals.
▪ Ernest Hooton Theory –
▪ Tall, thin men tend to
commit forgery and fraud
▪ Undersized men are
thieves and burglars
▪ Short heavy persons
commit assaults and rape
▪ Mediocre physique
founds around other
crimes.
• Adolphe Quetelet –
pioneered Cartography.
He said crimes against
persons increased
during summer and
crimes against property
increased during winter.
• Thomas Hobbes – held
that man has the ability
to reason. Man has also
a natural desire to
power.
• Jean Jacque Rousseau –
insisted that man was
basically good and was
guided by his power to
reason, but he also has
instincts that could be
destructive.
• Ernest Kretchmer
• Pyknic Type – those who are
stout and with round bodies.
They tend to commit deception,
fraud and violence.
• Athletic Type – Those who are
muscular and strong. They usually
connected with crimes of
violence.
• Aesthetic Type- Those are skinny
and slender. Their crimes are
petty thievery and fraud.
• Dysplastic or mixed Type – those
who are less clear evident having
any predominant type. Their
offenses are against decency and
morality.