Introduction
In order not to be biased, today specialists are very careful with the assumptions on the idea that criminal and offending behavior stands in the correlation with the factors of racial or cultural belonging. However, the statistical evidence suggests that among the solved crimes, among people of certain races and cultures, the rates of violent behavior are higher than among the others. That is why this paper’s objective is to explore different views on how the factors of race and culture can influence the violent and criminal behavior in people, to analyze the evident correlations between the crime rates and those factors, and to review the theoretical explanations of the correlation between race, culture and crime.
Theories of the race and culture factor in criminal behavior
The first theory that has a lot of influence in this respect is the trait theory. Firstly developed by Cesare Lombroso, this approach suggests that the traits of our appearance have the direct correlation to the possibilities of violent behavior (Siegel, 2007). Nowadays, the adherents of this theory developed many justifications for it, trying to prove that it is more than judging the people based on their appearance. This theory hypothesises that the causation of the crime lies in the biological and genetic factors. However, those biological traits can be recognized in the physiology of the potential criminal. One of the traits of a potential violator is the high levels of testosterone, which according to this theory influences the very neurochemical functioning of the brain, encouraging hyperactivity and impulsiveness (Sampson & Wilson, 1995). Since the levels of different hormones vary from one race or nationality to another, this approach suggests that belonging to one of those races or cultures is a risk factor for committing a crime.
The equilibrium between physiological and social aspects
Ethnic and racial minorities commonly live in worse socio-economical conditions than the majority of the society. On the other hand, they may also have the genetic preoccupation for the violent tendencies in behavior. Thus, in modern trait theories, the scientists try to evaluate how the impact of those two factors combines. Physical traits and social surrounding, according to this theory, produce the behavioral patterns (Siegel, 2007).
The counterargument to this theory is that of two people with the similar physical traits and cultural background, it often happens that one commits a crime, whereas the other one does not indicate criminal behavior. Therefore, there has to be another component defining the patterns of behavior.
Social learning theory
The social learning theory introduces the idea that the behavior is, in many ways, the result of obtaining skills and behavioral patterns from observation and socialization with the surrounding world (Sampson & Wilson, 1995). However, it views the cultural influence not as something genetically inherent in an individual but as a process of learning.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the correlation between the race and culture and higher crime rates cannot be defined unambiguously. The belonging to a certain race or culture for a long time defined the sociological conditions in which the representatives of that race or culture lived. The crime rates caused by the inequality and poverty began to be associated with the factor of race and culture rather than the aspects of socio-economic status. It is easier to try to explain the violent behavior with some race or biological reasons, but it would not resolve the problem of the hard social conditions causing the aggression and anti-societal tendencies.
References
Sampson, R. J., & Wilson, W. J. (1995). Toward a theory of race, crime, and urban inequality. In Gabbidon S. (Ed.), Race, crime, and justice: A reader (pp.177-188). London, United Kingdom: Routledge.
Siegel, L. (2007). Criminology: Theories, Patterns, and Typologies. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth.