CRIM 101 Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: Social Disorganization Theory, Montesquieu, Social Learning Theory
26 Oct 2016
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Chapter 6- theories of crime: a brief introduction. Contemporary social learning theory- involves a combination of sociological, psychological, and biological thinking. Classical school theory- premised on the 18th century notions of free will, hedonism, and utilitarianism. Without a theoretical foundation we could soon find ourselves advancing ungrounded, fragmented opinions rather than a disciplined, scientific approach. Most individuals who experience poor parental control and role modelling during their youth eventually turn out to be law-abiding adults, whereas individuals from seemingly ideal family backgrounds sometimes become adult criminals. A number of sane rational individual may engage in crime if given a good opportunity (few mentally ill individuals become criminal offenders) A theory must be logical, with a valid structure, must follow the most basic rules of critical thinking and logic (can be tested) Parsimonious- if two theories explain the same phenomenon equally effectively, scientists should prefer the one that offers the simplest and most straightforward explanation.
