Criminal Justice Theories Essay

A brilliant philosopher once remarked that world is by temper good. Evil, jibe to him is the result of ignorance or the lack of knowledge. When crime is committed it is because of the limitation and dent of his present knowledge. Though it may be true that no man is morally corrupt by nature, Socrates explanation of the presence of crime and shabbiness in our edict does non suffice to answer the question wherefore pile offend and commit crime. Why is it that til now the highest ranking CEOs of transnational companies manage to steal property from their investors and stockholders?It does non explain why even educated batch become criminal offenders and violators of the law. This could only mean that there is to a greater extent to crime than just the goodness or badness of the individual. It is because of this former that Sociologists have turned to other causes or factors that may check human behavior into committing crimes. This has resulted in several theories atte mpting to explain crime and deviance. These theories atomic number 18 mixer look into surmisal and Labeling Theory which result be discussed in this essay. genial Control Theory proceeds from the assumption that man is by nature delinquent and is capable of committing crimes. Instinct drives human behavior to commit crime. Travis Hirschi, the index of neighborly Control Theory, asserts that despite mans inclinations to commit crime, it tolerate be controlled and his behavior can be regulated so as to make man adapt to indisputable loving rules or laws. He says that this could be done by streng and thening mans mixer bonds with the people around him. These social bonds include attachment, commitment, closeness and belief.The stronger these social bonds are, the more committed a person is to conventional activities and the greater his attachments to his parents and friends, the less liable(predicate) it is that he will engage in delinquent behavior. Conversely, once this social bond is vulnerableened then it is likely that individuals will engaged in delinquent behavior. (Reginald J. Alston, 1995, p. 3) Thus, according to E. A. Ross the most effective means for controlling and regularisation behavior is not the enactment of laws and the threats of punishment but the belief and regard as dusts that helps man imitate with the rules.Labeling Theory Labeling Theory did not give oft cartridge holders attention to crimes but to the labels that people attach to certain individuals or to certain acts. For example all people have at one time violated rules. still not all persons are labeled as criminals. Only those people who are actually caught or whose deviant acts are disclosed to the public that are considered criminals. A person who is labeled as a criminal begins to think of himself as a criminal and begins to class with other deviants thus reinforcing the stigma that familiarity attaches to deviants.According to the results of a necessitate conducted by Mike S. Adams (2003) perceived negative labels were related to increased involvement in self-reported delinquent behavior. The study also showed that teachers and peer groups are of import sources of negative labels which can lead to the adoption of a deviant self-concept. (p. 4) Labeling Theory states that the labels we apply to certain individuals have a significant influence his behavior. It is inwrought to classify or categorize things the problem with this is that the people do not realize the negative unintended make of these labels.There are time when this labeling could scare a person and help him or her conform to the norms of the society. But most of the time labeling has the effect of pushing the person farther out from the society. The effect of this is that the person loses interest in conforming to the laws. He then places himself in the shoes, so to speak, of the label that society has imposed and he acts in such a way that is consistent with his la bel. Comparison and ContrastThe starting time foreshadow of comparison between these twain theories is that they both acknowledge the societys influence on human behavior. In the case of Social Control Theory, socialization and fundamental interaction with other members of the society helps in regulating human behavior so as to make man conform to and obey social rules. It reduces mans propensity to engage in deviant behavior. On the other hand, Labeling Theory affirms the societys influence on the way a person sees himself and the way he thinks and behaves. invalidating perception of the society leads to negative behavior on his part. The second point of comparison is that both these theories see the individual as the result of his interaction with the community. In the case of Social Control Theory, man is defined by his relationships with other, his commitments, values, norms and beliefs. If he has a strong bond with the society it is likely that he will conform to existing r ules or laws but if this bond is weak then he becomes more vulnerable to committing deviances and crimes.On the other hand, in Labeling Theory, the individuals construction of self-identity is seen as a result of his interaction with the members of his community and the way others perceive him. (Craig Calhoun p. 1) If he is judged and labeled by the society as a criminal then it is likely that he will think of himself as a criminal and act like one. . These two theories can be distinguished in the sense that Social Control Theory focuses on the reason why some people attach and conform to existing rules.It is not actually a theory that explains why people commit crime but it explains the reasons why some people obey the laws. (Paul Delfabbro, 2004, p. 4) On the other hand, Labeling Theory focuses on why people commit crimes. It does not explain why some people obey laws but it does explain why some of us commit crimes. another(prenominal) distinction is that Labeling Theory is a po litical rather than a sociological attempt to explain deviant behavior since political relations within the society have so much to do with the adult of labels.It does not deal with the morality of human action but rather it deals with the effects of the attitudes and perceptions of people and defines criminals not as evil persons who engage in impose on _or_ oppress acts but as individuals who had a criminal status placed upon them by both the criminal justice system and the community at large. (Overview of Labeling Theories) expiration The theory which best explains the reason why people engage in delinquent behavior is the Social Control Theory. Not only that it explains why crime does happen in the society but it also provides for the resultant role to this problem.This theory supports the proposition that a punitive model of our justice system is not an effective solution to crime. Due attention must be given to alternative forms of response to crime such as giving more fo cus on rehabilitation and social integration. It would be break down if the state instead of allocating millions of dollars for our penal system to allocate some of this money to educating parents and strengthening of communities by means of various sports and recreational program for the youth.