Criminological Theories on Violent Crime: A Comprehensive Analysis

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Criminological Theory relating to Crimes of Violence
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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
LO1. Understand different criminological approaches that relate directly to violence...................3
1 Explain the types of criminal violence and their impact on victims.........................................3
1.2 Explain social learning and strain theory in relation to violence...........................................3
1.3 Explain control balance and rational choice theory in relation to violence...........................3
LO2 Understand criminological theory in relation to youth violence and drug-related violence...4
2.1 Explain using criminological theory how the characteristics of violent young offenders
differ from those of their victims.................................................................................................4
2.2 Evaluate criminological theory models of alcohol-related violence.....................................4
2.3 Evaluate the psychopharmacological, economic motivation and systematic models of drug-
related violence............................................................................................................................5
LO3 Understand criminological theory in relation to intimate partner violence and sexual assault
.........................................................................................................................................................6
3.1 Explain the risk factors that relate to intimate partner violence and sexual assault..............6
3.2 Explain the existing protective measures for victims of partner violence and sexual assault
.....................................................................................................................................................7
3.3 Evaluate trends in intimate partner violence and sexual assault using statistical information
.....................................................................................................................................................7
3.4 Evaluate criminological theory in relation to intimate partner violence and sexual assault..9
LO4 Understand criminological theory in relation to hate and terrorist violence...........................9
4.1 Analyze criminological theory in relation to hate violence...................................................9
4.2 Analyze criminological theory in relation to terrorist violence...........................................10
LO5 Understand the major causal factors and theories that relate to serial murder......................11
5.1 Evaluate theories relating to serial murder..........................................................................11
5.2 Evaluate the impact of causal factors on serial Murderers in given case studies................11
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Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................12
References......................................................................................................................................13
Introduction
The study, which is related to criminal behavior and science related, is known as Criminology.
There are four types of Criminology. They include Classical Criminology, Biological
Criminology Psychological Criminology and Social Criminology. There are two types of crime
theories includes kinds of people theory as well as kinds of environment theory. In this
assignment many criminological approaches will discussed to save the crimes which are related
to cruel activities and their affect on the sufferer, social awareness and strain theory for brutality,
control balance and rational choice theory in case of inhumanity, to save the sufferer from the
young debtor. This also includes Alcohol related brutal activities, pharmacology, economic
impulse, drug related crime. Besides, it will lead to reduction in sexual offense and evaluate the
relation between domestic violence and sexual offence and to avoid violence and relation
between criminological theory and terrorist violence. This will also provide insight into serial
murder related theories and impact of the factors on serial murderers.
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LO1. Understand different criminological approaches that relate directly to violence
1 Explain the types of criminal violence and their impact on victims
Criminal violence is seen to be highly prevalent in the recent scenario including robbery, sexual
assault, sexual harassment, domestic violence as well as kidnapping. Mental sickness as well as
social isolation can be termed as one of the vital reason for sexual violence. Psychological
problems also lead individuals in committing crimes. The victimized person gets hugely affected
by the criminal act. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder occurs affecting the victims leading to the
change in temperament (Akers and Jennings, 2015).
1.2 Explain social learning and strain theory in relation to violence
In accordance with social theory, the accused individual will gain power in accordance with his
or her courage as well as stamina for leading a stable life. Social learning theory provides a
detailed insight in to the evaluation of attitudes as well as values, which will have punish the
accused person to evolve from the erroneous stage through proper orientation as well as
rationalism with the intention of providing punishments to the individuals who have committed
the crime. Social theory deals with propagating certain theories enabling the victims to come
back to normal life in the following manner:
Beliefs associated with crime- Accused person commits the crime due to several factors
including social ignorance, which is why it is essential to overcome isolation
Differential Reinforcement- According to this theory, several effective teaching practices will
lead to the formation of reflection in accordance with the forms of punishments, which reinforce
alternative manners (Akers and Jennings, 2015).
Imitation related to criminal models- The demonstration of imitation of forms of behavior will
be projected by this theory, which will relate to the reinforcement regarding crime (Akers, 2017).
1.3 Explain control balance and rational choice theory in relation to violence
Control balance theory reflect the scenario, which is based on the projection of the inadequate
balance that takes place to provide the level of motivation to the accused one on the backdrop of
changing their mind set towards committing the criminal violence. On the other hand, it has
been observed that control balance theory will come up with an intention that delves with the
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changing behaviour and mind set of committing criminal violence. Rational choice theory
presents the decision that will be dealing with the propagation gained form benefits of the
accused person (Berg and Loeber, 2015).
LO2 Understand criminological theory in relation to youth violence and drug-related
violence
2.1 Explain using criminological theory how the characteristics of violent young offenders
differ from those of their victims
From the criminological theories it has been found out that the characteristics of young offenders
differs from those of their victims. As per the opinion of Wang, Cheon and Beckman (2019), the
criminology theory states that the criminal behaviors is uncommon in the children below ten
years of age and is prevalent in the children of 16 to 17 years of age. From the Moffitts
Development theory it has been found out that adolescence limited Young offenders are
sometimes involved in serious crimes because of the desire to show maturity as well as personal
independence. Moreover, from the criminological theories, it has also been found out that the
breaking of bond of the children with their mother and isolations led them to commit violent
crimes. However, most of the victims are matured and they have different biological maturities
from the violent young offenders.
2.2 Evaluate criminological theory models of alcohol-related violence
Various criminological theories and models help to understand the occurrence of alcohol related
violence. As influenced by Link et al. (2016), there is a relationship between the aggressive
behaviors of the individual and consumption of alcohol. From the Roizens theory it has been
found out that increase in alcohol consumption increases the aggressiveness in the individual and
make them commit various crimes. From the Somatotype theory, it has been found out that
individuals with muscular builds are mostly prone to do alcohol related violence. As stated by
Heerde et al. (2018), most of the Heroin users are associated with the violence like property
crimes. From the study of Roizen it has been found out that more than half of the violent
offenders are involved in violent crimes. It has also been found out that the consumption of
alcohol has a correlation type of relationship with the urge of committing violent crimes.
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2.3 Evaluate the psychopharmacological, economic motivation and systematic models of
drug-related violence
From the psychopharmacological, economic motivation and systematic models of drug-related
violence, it has been found out that consumption of various psychoactive substances can cause
excitability and tendency of committing violent crimes among the individual. As per the opinion
of Buckley and Chapman (2018), the psychopharmacological crimes include various types of
crimes like sexual assaults and robbery while the victim is under the influence of drug or alcohol.
The economic motivation based crimes are mainly caused by the criminals for obtaining money
as their fund to drug and Alcohol habit. The systematic models of crime are associated with the
crimes like territorial disputes and crimes related to robbery and theft.
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LO3 Understand criminological theory in relation to intimate partner violence and sexual
assault
3.1 Explain the risk factors that relate to intimate partner violence and sexual assault
Intimate partner violence (IPV) can be classified as one of the most vital criminal offenses,
which is frequently debated to be triggered by a set of risk factors that may or may not directly
cause the situation. In this context, studies have confirmed that the primary risk factors that
contribute to intimate partner violence and sexual assault are composed of individual, communal,
relational as well as societal parameters. In brief-
 Individual factors- There are a brief set of individual factors that trigger tendencies of
intimate partner violence and sexual assault, such as minimal self-esteem, minimal
earnings, minimal qualification level or intelligence quotient etc. Furthermore, secondary
factors also include crucial alcohol dependence or drug abuse, anger issues, impulsive
behavioral traits, suicidal tendencies (Farrington, 2017). Studies further confirm that
people with previous records of having an aggressive personality are also prone to
committing intimate partner violence crimes.
 Communal factors- As per studies, the primary communal factors that contribute to
higher rates of intimate partner violence compose of vital issues such as poverty,
unemployment etc. Furthermore, critically low assistance from neighborhood also
encourages intimate partner violence and sexual assault. Communities with
comparatively denser alcohol outlets also tend to witness higher IPV / sexual assault
scenarios (Carrington et al., 2018).
 Relational factors- Relationship factors are highly significant when it comes to IPV and
sexual assault cases, as confirmed by various studies. In brief, marital arguments /
conflicts mostly trigger possibilities of IPV and sexual assault cases. Furthermore, toxic
relationships shared amidst family members also result into cases of intimate partner
violence (Maier-Katkin et al., 2017). Furthermore, post-marital separation / divorce cases
also result into intimate partner violence.
 Societal factors- The role of society is paramount in terms of triggering intimate partner
violence and sexual assault. In this regard, the gender norms play a vital role in this
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scenario, as gender discrimination significantly raises scope of sexual assault in most
cases. Furthermore, various studies further confirm that the cultural and societal earnings
discrimination plays a major role in terms of encouraging IPV (Burke, 2018).
3.2 Explain the existing protective measures for victims of partner violence and sexual
assault
It has been observed that there are significant protective measures that can be undertaken in
order to support the victims of causes related to intimate partner violence as well as sexual
assault. In this regard, there are significant relationships and communal factors that are
undertaken pertinently as protective measures in order to help the victims that are as follows-
 Relational factors- The victims can be supported with significant amount of guidance
from their neighbors, as well as friends. Furthermore, the assistance can be provided in
form of both tangible as well as intangible assistance to the victims. Strong friendship can
also help the victims in coping with the violence in a significant manner.
 Communal factors- Community plays a significant role in order to help the victims
suffering from cases of intimate partner violence and sexual assault cases. In this regard,
the community can form agencies that collectively assist the victims to cope up with
violence with utmost tangible and intangible guidance. The community agencies can
further play a significant role in order to focuses on integration of various resources as
well as services that can be effectively utilized in order to help the victims.
3.3 Evaluate trends in intimate partner violence and sexual assault using statistical
information
As opined by Ons.gov.uk (2019), it has been perceived that in UK, that the graph is a
demonstration of intimate partner violence based on the collaboration 7.7% of females and 4.4%
of males become the subject. This has worked towards the projection of estimation of 1.3 million
that belongs to the part of female victims and whereas, there are 716,000 male victims, who
becomes the subject of domestic violence every year.
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Figure 1: Graphical presentation of Domestic violence
(Source: Ons.gov.uk, 2019)
The other graphical presentation has presented the specification based on the number of
subjected victims, which is differentiated between the two types of genders. The graphical
presentation has come up with the demonstration based on the revelation of numbers of victims
in UK. In the past few years, report has reflected statically that gains the support from Crime
Survey for England and Wales (CSEW), which reveals the victims that are aged around 16 to 59
become subjected to domestic violence (Statista, 2019).
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Figure 2: Graphical presentation of Domestic violence
(Source: Statista, 2019)
3.4 Evaluate criminological theory in relation to intimate partner violence and sexual
assault
There is a collaboration of Social Control Theory and Early Biological Theories that will
demonstrate about the specification of criminological theory in relation to intimate partner
violence and sexual assault. Thus, it can be stated that Social Control Theory will demonstrate
the presence of fragile relationship that takes place in society with individual beings (Hirschi,
2017). This will present the demonstration about the concept of to intimate partner violence. On
the other hand, Early Biological Theories will present the scenario based on criminal behavior
that is associated with psychological imbalance and this is inversely will push the being towards
committing criminal violence (Mesoudi, 2016).
LO4 Understand criminological theory in relation to hate and terrorist violence
4.1 Analyze criminological theory in relation to hate violence
The term hate crime is usually considered new. This was coined in 1980s to recognize the crimes
that occur due to the bias caused by a member of the status group such as a religious community.
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However, Mills et al. (2017) opined that crimes caused due to hate violence are not always
motivated by bias. Braddock (2017) revealed that primary research on the recently evolved term
hate crime focused on the threats associated with criminal justice in response to new crimes.
Additionally, Allison (2018) stated that hate crimes can also be committed in an international or
comparative context. In this regard, some authors have denoted hate crime as bias crime as they
believe that it can capture appropriately the attention of the criminals. Both the terms can be used
in an interchangeable manner wherever required. Hate crimes are usually used in alignment with
the criminal law. The matter of responding to this view can appear normative from the initial
stage. This activates a huge range of ideals and values that can be applied or rejected. Obscuring
related to the normative standards of hate criminality has led to differences regarding the merits
of hate crime. This can be considered as the penalty enhancement that is found across the
criminal legislation across the world. These underlying differences with respect to the moral
outlook can be put together with the conceptual dissimilarities that already exist within the
system. However, they are denoted as the fundamental risks associated with disagreements in
their individual rights. The hate crimes usually unfold the preliminary tensions and clashes
between morality and law. It can also occur between significant societal values.
4.2 Analyze criminological theory in relation to terrorist violence
The practice of terrorism is the most controversial topic when related with criminological theory.
Terrorism cannot be defined specifically or it is not possible to explain the actual meaning of
terrorist. Thus, terrorism is often considered as a controversial term when it is aligned with
criminal justice aspect. Terrorism can be international as well as domestic that is often related
with single threat or expanded ideologies. A terrorist violence can be explained from the
sociological as well as psychological perspectives. Welch (2016) opined that terrorism and its
adversities can be explained by evaluating the numerous crimes caused by a terrorist. On the
other hand, King et al. (2016) stated that the relationship between a terrorist and religion can be
established by evaluating the criminal activities that have taken place targeting a religious
community. Criminological theories can be used to understand the performance of terrorism.
LaFree and Dugan (2015) stated that strain theory, differential association theory, anomie theory
etc. can be utilized to analyze the terrorism violence.
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LO5 Understand the major causal factors and theories that relate to serial murder
5.1 Evaluate theories relating to serial murder
The theories that relate to serial murder can be primarily classified into two distinctive
approaches, which compose of both biological as well as sociological theories.
 Biological theories- The born criminal theory developed the Lombroso states that
criminal behavior is biologically identified. In brief, Lombroso believed that criminality
can be inherited, and that the physical characteristics of an individual can help in
acknowledging whether they are criminally influenced or not. In other words, the shape
of an individual’s skull, nose shape etc. can be recognized as the traits of a potential
criminal (Baysan et al., 2018). Lombroso had further suggested that the brains of
criminals were not entirely developed, due to which he used to classify the criminals as
“evolutionary throwbacks”. Nevertheless, the biological theories continued to evolve in
the near future, due to which characteristics such as genetic inheritance, neurological
imbalance, hormonal imbalance and various other parameters were used to identify
criminals.
 Sociological theories- The social disorganization theory developed by Shaw and
McKay suggested that criminals are influenced by the societal factors such as individual /
family / other external experiences that directly pursue them towards such gruesome
violence (Eck and Weisburd, 2015). On the other hand, the strain theory developed by
R. Merton states that crime is but a result of the wide gap amidst the goals set by the
society and the means and resources required for accomplishment. Such situations trigger
frustration, which comes out a hostility and violence.
5.2 Evaluate the impact of causal factors on serial Murderers in given case studies.
 Jeffrey Dahmer- From the case study, it has been identified that Dahmer was severely
affected by biological and family experiences factors, which drove him towards
criminality. Jeffrey Dahmer was noticed to be changed after his surgery. Furthermore, he
was traumatized by the separation of his parent’s marriage, which reflects signs of social
disorganization (Palermo and Bogaerts, 2015). The impact of adverse family experiences
on the psyche of Dahmer was vital, which consequently pursued him to turn towards
criminality.
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