Criminology: Analyzing Crime Theories and Criminal Behavior

This essay delves into the multifaceted realm of criminology, addressing five key issues related to crime and criminal behavior. It begins by analyzing Jeremy Bentham's utilitarianism, exploring the concept of individuals as calculating entities balancing pain and gain before committing crimes, and offering a critical perspective supported by research. The essay then examines the link between developmental disabilities and criminal behavior, taking a definitive stance supported by research. Following this, it provides an opinion on the development of a criminal personality, offering insights without requiring external sources. The essay further explores the societal impact of class division on crime, proposing a viable alternative and analyzing its merits and drawbacks. Finally, it identifies and describes five major theoretical approaches to understanding the causes of criminal behavior, offering a comprehensive overview of the subject matter. References are included to support the arguments made within the essay.

Running Head: THEORY OF CRIME AND CRIMINOLOGY 1
Theory of Crime and Criminology
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

THEORY OF CRIME AND CRIMINOLOGY 2
Theory of Crime and Criminology
Introduction
Crime is caused by various factors in the society. Several theories analyse the criminal
behaviours of individuals within a society as discussed below;
Utilitarianism vs criminology
I agree with the above argument, man will always consider and weigh the gain versus pain and
suffering that will be meted on him before committing any crime. The society when forming the
criminal laws considered what is morally right to be an action that will bring utility in terms of
general happiness to majority of the society as opposed to pain and suffering (Brandit, 1995).
The relation between developmental disability and criminal behaviour
Mental retardation results to intellectual deficiency which is a form of developmental disability.
Mentally retarded or deficient persons have mental limitations as well as behavioral limitations
hence cannot weigh or balance the consequences of their actions. Therefore lack capacity to
determine actions that bring gain and happiness to the society at large as opposed to pain and
suffering. People with developmental disabilities face psychological issues such as low self-
esteem hence they are more prevalent to criminal acts (Shereen Hassan & Robert Gordon, 2003).
Development of a criminal personality
Personal traits are biological and intrinsic. Most traits are inbuilt while a few are acquired.
Criminal activities of a person are largely associated with personal traits which are not virtues
but vices such as dishonesty, lying, stealing and others. Individuals with good character traits
which translates to virtues like integrity are less like to commit crimes because of their inner
positive conscience which will prevent them from committing a criminal act since their inner

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feeling and thoughts are resistant to such negative action whose results may be both detrimental
to the individual committing them and the society at large.
Class division and crime causes
There are four major theories explaining the causes of crime. They include rational cause or
choice theory, sociological positivism, biological positivism and psychological positivism. The
best way to control class divisions in order to avoid crimes is through imposition of fiscal
policies and sanctions. Class divisions will always exist in a capitalist society and the alternative
to that is having socialism where all members in the society live as one group of people with
common goals and a community of interests (Gordon, 2018).
Sociological positivism theory explains that people commit crimes because of social influence.
The influence comes from social structures such as family, peer groups, socio-economic status,
levels of education, and cultural background. According to sociological theory, a person is a
product of his social surroundings. A poor person who sees peers enjoying a good life and in a
different social status may decide to steal just to achieve the same life status. As a result we
should ensure that a capitalist society is well regulated to allow those who are not well off to
survive. An alternative could be creating a socialism society where the success and well-being of
each and every person is the concern of the whole society (Singer, 2017).

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References
Brandt, R. B. (205). Conscience (rule) utilitarianism and the criminal law. Law and Philosophy,
14(1), 65-89. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf01000525
Gordon, T. (2018). Constituting capitalist order: Criminality, state violence and market relations.
Capital & Class, 42(3), 542-547. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309816818803020a
Shereen Hassan & Robert M. Gordon. (2003). Developmental Disability, Crime and Criminal
Justice: Literature Review. Occasional Paper, Simon Fraser University.
http://www.sfu.ca/crc/papers/hassangordon.pdf
Singer, S. (2017). Middle-class crime and criminality. Oxford Bibliographies Online Datasets.
https://doi.org/10.1093/obo/9780195396607-0212