Free Crime Theories Essay Examples & Topics

Free Crime Theories Essay Examples & Topics

139 samples

A crime is an act that contradicts the law. It causes harm to an individual, a group of people, or an entire community. Defining it might be challenging because the line between a criminal offense and a civil wrong is very narrow. Thus, it is essential to determine the crime correctly and apply the appropriate punishment. Each case should be studied individually, but some come up with unifying theories regarding the nature of criminal behavior.

Several crime theories create the ground for criminology. They help investigate the nature of crimes, their causes and effects, etc. Moreover, they are handy for categorizing the types of crimes and distinguishing offenses from civil wrongs.

For centuries, people have wondered why individuals do bad things. Some claim that the problem is in the structure of our society. Others argue that people have a biological predisposition for committing crimes. Our experts have analyzed the most popular sociological theories of crime in this article. They will be helpful if you are studying criminology or law.

If you need to write theories of crime essay, we have provided a list of topics. You can also explore our collection of samples on the page.

5 Main Criminology Theories

In fact, there are numerous criminological theories. Each has its own approaches and views. Here, we have listed the most famous ones. Study the main ideologies behind them to know what to write in your essay about crime.

  1. Biological

The biological theory of crime aims to explain unlawful acts by exploring the criminal’s characteristics. This approach relies on a paradigm called positivism. According to it, law-violating behavior results from biological factors beyond individual control. For example, criminals may share similar facial features and body structure.

  1. Rational Choice

Rational choice theory (RCT) suggests that there is no difference between criminal and noncriminal behavior. It is a person’s intentional choice to commit a crime. They assume that such acts may be more rewarding than noncriminal behavior.

  1. Strain

According to strain theory, people commit crimes due to stress. In other words, individuals may become criminals just to reduce or escape the strain they are experiencing. For example, a person might steal jewelry to break away from poverty.

  1. Labeling

Labeling theory suggests that people start behaving under the labels that others put on them. This approach is often associated with the sociology of crime. Labeling an individual as a criminalist often leads to poor conduct.

  1. Conflict

Conflict theory argues that material inequality leads to criminal behavior. The deviance of political and social groups creates a ground for conflicts. That’s because the members of one unit perceive their interests in competition with others.

17 Fascinating Crime Essay Topics

All these theories are interesting enough, and there is a lot to say about them. Therefore, we have brought together the criminology theory paper topics for your consideration. Also, you can use our title generator to get even more ideas!

  1. Theories of crime causation and their application in real life.
  2. The reliability of the psychological theories of crime.
  3. Cesare Lombroso’s role in creating the Italian School of Positivist Criminology.
  4. Cybercrimes: their rising rates and possible ways of their prevention.
  5. The ethical side of punishing criminals.
  6. Qualitative research in investigating crime patterns.
  7. The issue of the reliability of eyewitness testimony.
  8. How media influences crime in the 21st century.
  9. The functionalist approach to evaluate crime and deviance.
  10. Death penalty: should it be allowed or banned?
  11. The role of feminist criminology in establishing gender equality around the globe.
  12. Youth crime prevention programs in the UK.
  13. The danger of domestic violence. Why is it crucial to raise awareness around this topic?
  14. The issue of power abuse in the criminal justice system and possible solutions to this problem.
  15. Are criminological theories always applicable in practice?
  16. Power abuse among police officers: can media influence the problem?
  17. Theories and causes of domestic abuse.

Thank you for reading our article! Below, you can find crime essay examples. Use them for study and inspiration.

139 Best Essay Examples on Crime Theories

Rational Choice Theory: Paul Bernardo

In order for the rationality of the crimes to be identified and examined, it is important to provide an overview of the violent offenses that made Paul Bernardo one of the most infamous serial killers [...]
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1733

The Neurological Theory of Crime

Modern scholars have been interested in a wide range of attributes that have the potential to influence their behaviors, such as the chemicals found in the brain and neurotransmitters.
  • Pages: 11
  • Words: 3032

Trait Theory: The Theodore Bundy Murders

Considering the murders of people by Theodore Bundy, the problem may be discussed from biological and psychological perspectives as all murders may be characterized by the "trait theory", which is going to be characterized by [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 859

Solving the Issue of Crime

As the director of the county juvenile court, the research question related to the problem at hand should state as follows: What are cost effective methods of solving the proliferation of violent street gangs in [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 554

Feminist Theory of Delinquency by Chesney-Lind

One of the core ideas expressed by Chesney-Lind is that girls are highly susceptible to abuse and violent treatment. At the same time, scholars note that girls do not view delinquency as the "rejection of [...]
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 308

Drug, Crime and Violence

This essay offers a brief discussion of how the abuse of illegal drugs is related to both crime and violence. It is prudent to mention that drug and violence have been noted to be closely [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 570

The Psychology of Serial Killers

These are just a fraction of questions that require answers in order to have a complete understanding of the psychology of serial killers.
  • 5
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 2203

Criminological Theories Evaluation

The cause and effects of young person offending and the state of Victoria's youth justice system have become a subject of broad debate after a series of violent cases in justice centers.
  • Pages: 11
  • Words: 2616

Crimes and Criminal Tendencies: Cause and Effect

The school makes demands of control, discipline, and accountability which are difficult for the low self-control student to meet, and, for this reason, early school leaving is a result of low self-control, not a cause [...]
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1486

Anthropological Theory of Crime

Criminal law is a division of law that elucidates crimes, describes their nature and defines available punishment for a criminal offense.
  • Pages: 11
  • Words: 2862

“Criminology: The Core” by Larry Siegel

The book "Criminology: the Core" by Larry Siegel is the authors investigation of the problems connected with committing the crime and, which is most important, the theoretical aspects of committing a crime.
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 866

Bernie Madoff Ponzi’s Crime Scheme

The image of the American Dream and the Strain Theory works in reverse as well: if a person fails to possess lots of quantifiable treasure, then the social order will consider him as a disappointment.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 618

Latin Kings: Organizational Turning Points

This paper aims at discussing the evolution, relationship to criminal activities, and the effects of the gang's illegal activities on the communities in which they operate, among other activities of the Latin Kings.
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1431

Definition of Linkage Blindness

As a result, unsolved cases usually remain unaddressed, which is partially the causality of the lack of tools that could potentially connect the circumstances, victims, and patterns. Technological advancements and innovative cooperation are two of [...]
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 308

The Biosocial Theory: Key Aspects

The general premise for most of these theories is that social factors have a great influence in the development of antisocial and criminal traits. The biosocial theory incorporates interdisciplinary information to a solitary and rational [...]
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 2034

Howard Becker’s Labelling Theory

Over the centuries, the society has taken steps to respond to this vice that threatens the moral fabric of the society. Becker sought to discover the consequences that the application of the label of deviant [...]
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 1982

Causes of Criminal Behavior

However, poverty may be regarded as the most substantial cause of the majority of crimes as it indirectly leads to non-compliance with the law in multiple ways.
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 310

Anomie and Strain Crime Theories

For example, the theory states that in the US, individuals are likely to engage in crimes to pursue monetary gain because the government promotes monetary success while not stressing the significance of legitimate ways for [...]
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 276

Criminal Activity and Victimization Theory

The murder was the result of an "unconventional" love triangle in which the victim was murdered because she posed a threat to the attacker. On the other hand, active precipitation happens when the victim exhibits [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1103

Robbery and Its Theoretical Explanation

Theories that explain the occurrence of crime in society have been developed to shed light on the increasing cases of criminal behavior. According to Agnew, crime is the outcome of the difficulties that an individual [...]
  • Pages: 11
  • Words: 3053

Crime Prevention With Rational Choice Theory

In addition, pure RCT may be insufficient for explaining nuances associated with the psychological and social profiles of the offenders. In particular, the traditional RCT faces problems explaining violent crime and irrational risk and reward [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 821

General Strain Theory in Criminology

Agnew's general strain hypothesis was an advancement of the strain theory since sought to "expand the strain theory by pointing to new categories of strain including the loss of positive stimuli, the presentation of negative [...]
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2232

Analysis of the Social Context of Crime

Therefore, it is vital to reinforce the legal measures against child abuse, including the enhancement of legal repercussions for the perpetrators of the specified type of crime.
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 295

Processing a Crime Scene

That is why, for the effective investigation, it is important to take all the necessary crime scene processing measures correctly, and the role of the first responding officer is particularly significant.
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 881

The Links Between Gender and Crime

The present paper aims to examine the links between gender and crime through an analysis of a sexual assault case. Identification of crime patterns is a valuable tool to guide criminologists as it helps them [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 575

Crime and Subcultures in the Urban Area

The present paper is designed to use the subculture approach that belongs to the array of ecological theories to explain the emergence of crime in Boyle Heights, composed mostly of citizens of Latino cultural background.
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1205

Aileen Wuornos: Anatomy of a Female Serial Killer

Moreover, feminist scholarship has recently begun to examine serial murder as "sexual terrorism" or as a perpetuation of gynocide, the systematic crippling, raping and/or killing of women by men.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 867

Social Control Theory in Criminology

The main idea of the theory is that social bonds are the most significant factors that can prevent individuals from engaging in unlawful activities.
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 297

The Cause of the Crime

Since it takes a lot of time and resources to get involved in crime, it is evident that involvement in crime is entirely due to decision of the person to gain the rewards that are [...]
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1631

Theories on Crime

It is imperative to note that some of these theories are swallowed up in the initial five, and so for the purposes of this paper, only the fundamental aspects of these theories will be discussed.
  • Pages: 12
  • Words: 3362

Criminal Behavior: Role of Environment and Genetics

In the Information age where a person has access to more knowledge about the folly of being involved in criminal activities and the negative impact of having a prison record, it is a mystery why [...]
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2089

Social Learning Theory in Criminology

The paper concentrates on the history of the introduction of the social learning theory to science, its evolution over the years, and its possible application to the analysis of a recent criminal event.
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 923

White-Collar Crime Theories and Their Development

Despite researchers' attempts to argue the effectiveness of Sutherland's controversial approach to discussing the definition of white-collar crime based on status and occupation, they have found out that other factors are irrelevant.
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 275

Serial Killer Profiling Dimensions

In order to better understand their practices and attempt to put a stop to their actions prematurely, there was a need for proper classification and consequent analysis.
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 284

Reasons for Individuals’ Delinquent Behavior

This statement in no way absolves the perpetrator of responsibility for the actions committed but describes that the decisions taken are often motivated by the unconscious part of the personality or the presence of mental [...]
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1669

Injustice in American Prison System

Between the articles of violence and the observations about the extent of injustice in the American prison system, there is a high level of injustice instigated by the U.S.government to the African Americans.
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 285

Feminist Theoretical Perspectives on Rape

There is a number of theoretical perspectives aimed at explaining what stands behind rape, that is, how rape is reinforced by, why it is more widespread in specific concepts, and what a rapist's motivations for [...]
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 316

Behavior: Theory of Differential Association

These activities include the formation of a criminal attitude of the personality, the formation of a criminal motive, the personality of a criminal and a victim, and other means.
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 353

Gangs and Juvenile Delinquency

Hallsworth and Silverstone argues that although there have been a lot of violence, the main source is not quite clear and people live by speculations that the violence is linked to the emergence of a [...]
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 2064

Psychological Foundations of Criminal Behavior

Answer: the examples of the early psychological and psychiatric theories trying to explain criminality are the trait theory, the moral development theory and the cognitive information-processing theory.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 564

Main Aspects of Organized Crime Models

The form of management adopted by an organization, whether legal or unlawful, is determined by the nature of its activities the management experience of its officials."A patron-client organization is a group of criminal patron's who [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 553

Exploring the Phenomenon of Serial Killing

The article claims that both the environment and the person's experiences contribute to the development of serial killer tendencies. It has been noted that the lack of continuity in serial killing is due to a [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 885

Hacking as a Crime and Related Theories

The move to embrace the novel technology has led to the emergence of a new form of crime and behavior referred to as "hacking". Today, the term is used to refer to individuals engaged in [...]
  • Pages: 11
  • Words: 3106

Race and Culture Factors in Crime

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 [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 576

An Ethical System in Criminal Justice

To my firm belief, utilitarian ethical system is more advantageous than the systems proposed by libertarianism and determinism since it accepts human nature and puts the general safety above the individual good.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 581

Criminal Justice: Over Institutional Organization

This is further worsened by the fact that the number of offenders to be monitored after being released is often higher than the number of officers tasked with the responsibility of following up on them.
  • Pages: 9
  • Words: 2526

White Collar Crime Characteristics

It is possible to conclude that white collar offenders are usually well off and have certain status in the society. On balance, it is necessary to note that demographic and psychological characteristics of white collar [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 545

Generalisation of Persons Who Commit Crime

The generalisation about the people who commit crime indicates flaws in the processes of thinking and possible outcomes. It appears that the society chooses to pay attention to crime committed by specific groups, such as [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 573

Criminal Behavior: Criminology Theories

This paper draws the theories discussed herein from a radical orientation; they include radical, feminist and critical criminology theories and present principles that alter the existing and traditional views on the development of criminal behaviour [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 549

Homicide in the White Community

The majority of homicide victimization of the whites is done through poison followed by arson and lastly guns. Although the majority of homicides committed are intra-racial, special focus is usually given by juries in inter-racial [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 544

Challenges of Special Populations

The present paper aims at assessing the unique needs of juvenile offenders with mental illnesses in comparison with their adult counterparts and identifying effective strategies for their rehabilitation. The general requirement that applies to both [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 777

Are Mothers Less Likely to Break the Law?

The study will be based on the mixed research method and, the rate of successful participants in the program as well as particular attitudes and ideas of inmates concerning the program.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 569

Theoretical Impact on Sex Crimes Investigations

According to Freud's theory, the "it" component incorporates the biologic, or intrinsic, elements of one's personality, whereas the "ego" constituent of one's personality implies a combination of the influences of the society and the intrinsic [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 577

The Self Control Theory of Crime

In this theory, the level of self control exercised by individuals in the presence of a strong or a weak incentive to commit a crime explains why some people commit crimes while others do not.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 615

Middle Class and Crime: Historical Analysis of Crime

The middle class norms place a high evaluation on the cultivation and possession of skills and on the tangible achievements which are presumed to witness the possession of skills and the application of effort.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 564

Crime Rates in UK: Quantitative Methods

The purposes of the report are thus to analyze the statistical data by the UK Home Office, to compare rates dynamics regarding various crime types, and make respective conclusions that would help in either confirming [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1102

The Death Penalty: Importance and Benefit

Many of the people who are not in favor of such an act believe that hanging a person till death is not the only solution, so I say question them "what could be the other [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1047

Individual and Group Perspective in Gangs

There is a relationship between street gangs and prison gangs as well as the behavior of individuals and the gangs. And in this way the gangs are able to recruit the unsuspecting kids.
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 962

Major Theories of Crime Causation

The conflict theory differs from the biological theory in the sense that it does not locate the criminals in the society but instead, it identifies the major cause of criminal and deviant behavior in the [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1186

The Theory of Criminalization

Thus it is anchored on the notion that criminal law exists for the purpose of deterring public wrongs in doing so the theory is emphatic that criminal conviction stands as long as the defendant has [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 534

Identity Theft as a Problem of Future

The next will extrapolate on several measures that should be undertaken at both individuals and institutional level to ensure that personal information is always safe and out of reach from criminals.
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1459

Financial Cost of Crime to Society

On the other hand, if the crime rate is low in a country, the government need not spend so much on the salaries of policemen and the same money can be utilized to make sure [...]
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1209

War on Drugs in the United States

Satisfaction of rehabilitation costs, salaries, and payment of the government officials and employees involved in the operations and activities related to the war on drugs have been included in the estimation of the cost of [...]
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2303

Crime in Inner City Neighborhoods

The crime and its implications has to be made understood to each and every citizen of the nation right from the stage he or she starts getting the feel of the society and things that [...]
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1751

Date Rape Issue in College Campuses

The decorum of the society was usually controlled by a federal body of the state, and the laws used to be abided by by all the people residing in the society.
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1701

Psychological Theories Explaining Violent Crime

Genetic influences refer to the blueprints for behavior that are contained in a person's chromosomes. It is theoretically possible for a person to carry genes that influence behavior; the behavior they express would be the [...]
  • Pages: 12
  • Words: 2931

Punishment from the Sociological Standpoint

This paper argues that such a measure is vital and has significant benefits for society; it analyzes punishment from the sociological point of view and the perspective of an individual, referring to Kerman's work.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 607

Public Shaming and Justice

The basic principle of this strategy is that shaming is designed not just to condemn a guilty person but also to take specific measures to correct the current situation and prevent crimes in the future.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 594

Crime Theories Differentiating Criminal Behavior

As relates to this theory, the root of the problem is that people will never be the same, enjoy the same comforts or love from other people. This is a character that is grown from [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 833

Social Disorganization Theory in Criminology

According to Cullen, Agnew, and Wilcox, this term describes the emergence of crime as a logical factor, which is manifested in those communities that are unstable or disorganized. While evaluating this crime from a theoretical [...]
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 276

Crime Prevention and Risk Management

This brochure will outline some basic notions of risk management and assessment and crime and victimization prevention; additionally, it will provide the reader with some basic strategies of daily risk management and include sources for [...]
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1671

Hate Crimes in Modern Society

Despite being constantly addressed by different activist groups and getting the response from the legal system, hate crimes are still reported on a regular basis with varying frequency, mostly due to the lack of understanding [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 593

Digital Crime Causes and Theories

The differential association theory, the social learning theory, and the choice theory are some of the theories that researchers use to shed light on the causes of digital crime.
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 884

Pink-Collar Criminal: Gender in White-Collar Crime

The purpose of the article "Gender in White-Collar Crime: An Empirical Study of Pink-Collar Criminals" is to use different feminist theories to describe the major gaps related to the involvement of women in white-collar crime.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 598

The English Influence on Modern Police

The police followed Peel's Nine Principles: preventing crime, depending on public approval, securing the public, securing the public proportionately to the necessity of physical force, demonstrating service to the law, restoring the law with physical [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1166

Sex Offenders Task Force Budgeting Plan

The task force's main priority is the attainment of a dedicated staff that will work hard to tackle the issue of the increasing number of sex offenders within Silver Springs. Most of the task force [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 830

The Prevention of Child Abuse

From the interview conducted with the school administrator of the local elementary school and the director of a local preschool, it is clear that both institutions have some advocacy plans for the prevention of child [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 914

Juvenile Delinquency: Criminological Theories

These include the broken windows theory, the culture of the gang theory and the social disorganization theory. Cohen developed the culture of the gang theory to explain the origin of juvenile delinquency.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 550
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