The functionalist theory explains crime as a result of the lack of moral regulation within a society which is produced by structural tensions within a society. Durkheim initially introduced a term, “anomie” which described a feeling of disorientation and anxiety as a result of the “breakdown of traditional life in modern society” (Giddens, Duneier, & ...
When American Criminologist Edwin Sutherland first proposed his theory of differential association, his intention was to create a theory that explained why some members of a community become criminals and some do not. Sutherland realized that even though certain crimes are more common in minority communities, not all members of that community are criminals. This ...
To date, it has not been possible to define the specific meaning of abnormal behavior, and considering the many variables involved, it is unlikely that there will ever be any one specific answer. What appears to be abnormal behavior to some people may be considered normal by others; however, the four Ds can help to ...
As with many disciplines, theories about how police corruption comes about have flourished over the years. The three theories that are often in evidence in the criminal justice field are the society at large theory, the structural/affiliation theory and the rotten apple hypothesis. Each of these theories takes a different perspective about how police corruption ...