Causation of Crime

What are the different causation theories of crimes? In this chapter, six theories of causation of crime are identified. The six causation theories are: Choice, Trait, Sociological, Social Process, Life Course and Social Conflict. We deal with these causations on a daily basis, whether we know it or not. The two theories that I'd like to discuss are the Choice Theory and the Social Conflict Theory.

The Choice Theory is defined as "a school of criminology that holds that wrongdoers act as if they weigh the possible benefits of criminal or delinquent activity against the expected costs of being apprehended." This theory says that people choose whether or not to commit crimes. It is the difference between right and wrong. Right would be thinking of a crime and not acting on it. Wrong would be thinking of the crime and actually committing it. I believe some people make the wrong decision because they are in desperate need. With the economy the way it is, some people have resorted to commit crimes just to get by. Some need to feed their families so instead of applying for financial assistance or going to a food bank, they choose to steal or rob others for their own needs. They feel as if they have no other choice but to commit the crime, but they do not weigh all their options and consequences for doing so. I do believe that everyone has a choice. It is up to you to make the right decision.

The Social Conflict Theory is defined as "a school of criminology that views criminal behavior as the result of class conflict." This theory states that because of your class, you are more or less likely to commit crimes. I do not believe that this theory is correct. I grew up poor and was not considered high class in society, but my siblings and I turned out fine. We did not resort to committing crimes because we did not have what others had. We did not let the problems in front of define who we were. I believe that people who use this as a defense want to be defined in this manner. You can change who you are. People should not let their environment portray who they are. I worked in a Correctional Facility and a lot of the inmates used this as an excuse of why they committed their crimes. I did not buy it for one second.

A crime trend that I have chosen to relate to is the Race and Crime trend. This trend can actually relate to both theories. This trend is usually something that is used as a stereotype. Usually this is compared between Caucasian and African Americans. I looked up the crime rate between two cities in San Diego County. Coronado is widely populated by Caucasians and National City is widely populated by African Americans and Hispanics. In April 2010 the crime rate in Coronado was a total of 56; the crime rate in National City was 187. The difference between the two cities is 131. This data supports the Social Conflict Theory but it does not say what race committed these crimes. We are going by the people