Chapter 1 The Causes of Crime

Causes of Crime

Classical Theory

behavior stems from free will

people choose to commit crime after weighing costs and benefits

punishment deters crime

Causes of Crime

Positivist Theory

Human behavior is controlled by physical, mental, and social factors (not free will)

Women and Crime

Little crime research is focused on women prior to 1970

It was assumed women didn’t/don’t commit crime because they are nurturing

Women’s Rights Movement in the 1970s led to women’s changing role in crime

Arrested women tend to come from poor families where there is physical and substance abuse