According to German sociologist Henner Hess, the emergence and consolidation of criminal behaviour can be explained by careers. The actor glides processually, pushed through the outside world and situation, but ultimately individually chosen, into a delinquent role. Main proponent Henner Hess Theory Hess’ basic assumption regarding crime theories is that
punitive
Delinquency and Drift (Matza)
Matzas work Delinquency and Drift, published in 1964, is a critique of positive criminology (e.g. Lombroso’s anthropological/anthropogenetic crime theory) as well as of the then prominent explanatory approaches to juvenile delinquency (theory of differential opportunities of Cloward & Ohlin and subculture theory according to Cohen). At the center of the
Radical labelling approach (Sack)
[According to Fritz Sack, the term “labelling” is unnecessarily narrow. He therefore proposes the term “Marxist-interactionist”.] According to Fritz Sack, crime is a pure attribution process. In this attribution process, a physical event is linked to a mental state. This physical event thus goes through a social career. This attribution
Feminist Criminology
Theory A large part of feminist criminology has arisen as a result of radical crime theories. Feminist crime theories investigate the influence of gender differences on crime phenomena. The advocates of this approach criticize that in other approaches and crime theories a transferability of the postulated connections – which are
Marxist theory of crime
Marxist theories of crime aim at the power difference between different social classes. Laws and their enforcement serve to maintain these power differences. Main proponent Richard Quinney, William Chambliss Theory The contents of Marxist crime theories do not always automatically go back to the social theorist Karl Marx. Rather, the
Labelling – primary and secondary deviance (Lemert)
Edwin M. Lemert distinguishes between primary and secondary deviance. An individual first commits primary deviance. Through a process of labelling the individual is forced to play the role of deviant. As a reaction to this role assignment (“You are criminal!”), the labelled person adapts his behaviour according to the role
