Several different approaches are used in criminology to understand and explain crime and criminal behavior. Sometimes referred to as schools or perspectives of criminology, the approaches provide frameworks for considering the reasons why individuals might commit crime and thus for understanding criminal behavior.
Although a person may choose to engage in criminal behavior, there are factors that increase the chance for involvement in criminal activity. These factors include biological (psychiatric), psychological, and social forces, and may be studied by criminologists using biological, psychological, and sociological approaches, respectively. The approach that a criminologist uses to investigate criminal behavior guides and influences his or her research and ultimately may have implications for the information discovered about an individual who commits a crime.
By Day 3
Post a brief description of the approach (biological, psychological, or sociological) you think best helps explain the causes of crime and criminal behavior and why you think this is the best approach. Justify your position using specific examples. Then, based on this approach, answer the questions “What is a crime?” and “Who is a criminal?” making sure to justify your answers using theories and/or data.