Theories

• Biological explanations of crime

  • Born criminals
  • Physiologically different from those who do not commit crime
• Cesare Lombroso's belief


  The brains of people who commit crimes are more likely to not be fully developed
• Newer biological approaches


  • Focus on biochemical conditions linked to poor diet or hormone imbalance
  • Neurophysiological conditions such as learning disabilities caused by brain damage, genetic inheritance
• Psychological explanations of criminal behaviour

  • Focus on an individual's personality
  • Examine the processes by which behaviour and control on behaviour are learned
• Psychologists often believe crime happens because of the interaction between biological factors and social experiences
• Impulsivity

  A personality characteristic associated with criminality, where people tend to get easily distracted, act without thinking and without considering the consequences
• Sociological theories


  • Support the 'nurture argument'
  • Factors in society and the environment people grow up in, such as poverty, family, peer pressure, use of alcohol and drugs, make some people more likely to commit crime