Crime, Harm and Justice (Essay Sample)

CRIME, HARM AND JUSTICE by Your Name Course/Code Professor’s Name University City, State Date Crime, Harm and Justice Introduction An effective crime response depends on the correct determination of the causes of crime. Most world criminologists, when ranging sociological direction theories of the causes of crime, isolated group of "socially of process" theories - those that in contrast to the "social structure" theories (which focus on explaining fluctuations crime with structural terms) and try to explain how individuals become violators of the law. The theory of control belongs to "social process" theories of crime causes, analysis of which is the purpose of criminologists’ study. The main provisions of the theories of control in criminology are based on research of the socialization process - the process of mastering the individual patterns of behaviour, attitudes, social norms and values, knowledge and skills that allow him to function successfully in society. So, "successful operation" may be achieved with the compliance of "conformity" in behaviour. The choice of the conformal behaviour is the result of decisive influence control. Among the existing controls as one of the functions of the control system or automated dialling influence over the under controlled facility for reaching the specific purpose, it is appropriate to distinguish two main types that may have decisive value to select the type of behaviour: 1) social control (system of methods and strategies, with the help of which society makes individuals’ behaviour); 2) self-control (moderation in action and manifestation of emotions). They formed the basis of theories of control as social causes of crime. Social control theory Analysis of the evolution of the theory of social control has allowed scientists to identify an early form of the theory in 1960 in the article of the American sociologist and criminologist Albert. He defined the delinquency as the behavioural result of personal failure and social control, with the further determination of personal and social control. Thus, personal control, in his opinion, is the ability of a person to refrain from the necessary methods that conflict community rules and regulations, and social control - the possibility of social groups or institutions to make effective rules and regulations (Reiss, 1960). Continued development of the theory of social control was advanced in further researches and namely in the article by Jackson Toby "Social Disorganization and Stake in Conformity: Complementary Factors in the Predatory Behaviour of Hoodlums". The youth without obligation was claimed to be a part of gangs, which resulted in delinquency (social disorganization), and had interest in conformity behaviour to faster gang involvement. Mark S. Hamm focuses on the idea that there is no empirical information showing an immediate tie between cutting-edge mass media presentations of terrorist style and positive meanings of terrorism along these lines taking off unanswered inquiries like those about the prize structure and about the relationship between presentation to the supremacist skinhead groups and the inclination to participate in terrorist acts (Dobratz, 564). Nevertheless, the basic idea is that the predatory crime occurs when a social vigilance is weakened. In 1958, Francis Nye attempted to improve social control theory as a theory of delinquency and identified three types of control: 1) direct control (sanctions and incentives); 2) indirect control (facial identification with common people); 3) internal control (conscience or guilt). In addition, the delinquent behaviour was the result of inadequate social control. “Among other things, this theoretical formulation explains why an act of violence between intimates is less likely than an act of violence between strangers to be regarded as a criminal offense…” (Tucker, 2015, p. 293). In 1969, an American criminologist Travis Hirschi expressed the ideas about the causes of delinquency, criminology that exist today as a theory of social connection. The essence of this theory is that a man is free to commit delinquent acts because of the damaged links with the conformal state. An understanding of the essence of social connection in this theory is very important. Thus, social relations do not reduce the existing level of evil-motivation but reduce the likelihood that a person subjected to this motivation. Hirschi identifies interrelated elements of social communication. Thus, the commitment is based on the respect of the opinion of others. The superpower of a person takes the form of perceptions of social norms and social consciousness. The perception of social norms, values, surroundings, internalization, and development of social consciousness depend directly on the commitment of parents, peers and the community (society). Nevertheless, the most important for youth is the commitment to parents, because the loyalty of peers and community is based on it. Commitment to conformal parents is the key to the conformal behaviour of the person in future. General Theory of Crime including self-control The criticisms expressed by criminologists to address the general theory of Hirschi pushed the theorist to explore new ideas in an attempt to explain the causes of criminal behaviour. As a result, Hirschi proposed the scientific theory of general criminal world. General Theory of Crime offers the idea, that the crime is the result of a collision situations or circumstances for people with low self-control, in which crime will produce immediate satisfaction with the relatively low levels of risk. Hirschi identifies four interrelated elements of social communication: Attachment, Commitment, Involvement, Belief (Hirschi, 2002). The General Theory was performed exceptionally well empirically. In all these observational tests, low poise and wrongdoing, or degenerate conduct, have scarcely ever been adversely related. Irrelevant discoveries are additionally uncommon. In many studies, low discretion has the normal constructive outcome on the recurrence or the seriousness of a crime (Engel, 2012). Low self-control consists of six components: impulsiveness, simple task, searching for any risk, physical activity, egoism, and temper. People with low self-control are trying to demonstrate minimum tolerance in minor cases frustration and to respond to conflicts by using verbal than physical means that characterizes their temper. Consequently, the low self-control of man is his individual feature (Gottfredson & Hirschi, 1990). Hasan Buker expressed essential issued criticism to the theory of Hirschi in 2011: the problem of the emergence of self-control is more complicated for the proposal made by the general theory of crime. In addition, the scientist mentioned that, except parental socialization processes (in theory as the main factors of self-control person), there are thoughts about the availability of factors of the socialization context, the educational process, biological and neurological factors (Buker, 2011). It is considered necessary to stress that, given the recent behavioural, genetic and neuroscience researches, a biogenetic factor is responsible for the development of self-control. “Thus, the characteristics that give rise to antisocial conduct in a criminological context should also relate to interactions with treatment and correctional practitioners in a criminal justice context” (DeLisi, 2011, p. 103). Therefore, self-control, in terms of biologists and criminologists is only a part of the executive functions of man governed by the cortex. It is also believed that the category of self-control is more appropriate to analyse as a situation concept rather than as an individual property. Therefore, individual applications, the ability of self-control are the result of the interaction between his / her capabilities to act (personal property) and his / her environment. The general empirical finding from restraint examination was that people with low discretion lead lives described by antisocial conduct and its grievous results (DeLisi & Berg, 2006). In addition, criminologists believe, that the ability to use self-control is an important factor of crime when a person is considering on crime committing (Wikstrom & Treiber, 2007). The situational approach that is offered to use in the analysis of self-control, forms the basis of the theory of the causes of crime, developed in the situational action theory. Speculations or just clarifications of wrongdoing serve as the focal ...