The central thesis of spatial theories—often referred to as theories of social disorganization—is that crime is rooted in specific social and structural characteristics of certain environments. In short: some environments foster crime more than others. Context This theoretical approach originated in the United States, with the city of Chicago playing
Theories of Crime
Sanctioning
Theories of sanctioning are developments from labeling theories. In contrast to labeling or deterrence theories, sanctioning theories assume that punishment can have different effects in different contexts. Theories of sanctioning examine the effect of punishment. As a further development of labelling approaches, their main focus is on the re-integrating function
Rational Choice
Rational crime theories, often referred to as neoclassical, are based firstly on the individual’s freedom of will and thus on his personal responsibility for his own actions. In this respect, they differ substantially from etiological theories, which speak of a determinism of the individual. Criminality is the result of a
Learning/ Subculture
Learning theories suggest that both deviant and conformist behaviors are learned through interactions with other members of society. Learning theories explain delinquency as behaviors that are processually transmitted in groups and communities. Criminal behavior is thus learned in the same way and through the same mechanisms as any other behavior.
Culture/ Emotions/ Situations
The crime theories represented here understand criminal behaviour as a pleasure-oriented activity whose meaning and significance can be explained by the concrete action situation. These theories thus distinguish themselves from explanatory approaches that understand criminal behaviour alone as an expression of a class-specific condition and the associated social and economic
Control
In contrast to most other crime theories, control theories do not try to explain deviant behaviour, but conformal behaviour. So the question asked here is: Why do some people not become criminals? Control theories assume that basically everyone would be motivated to behave differently. Different forms of control prevent them
