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Running Head: CRIMINOLOGICAL THEORY 1

[Criminological Theory]

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CRIMINOLOGICAL THEORY 2

Section One

Introduction

There are several theories that attempts to explain reasons as to why people begin and

continue to commit crimes. The theories also explain why individual stop engaging in criminal

activities. Some of the theories argue that crime results from individual character traits that lead

the individual to committing certain crimes (Scheuerman, 2014). Some scholars argue that

occurrence of crime may result from community’s culture that may require the individuals to

have financial success without showing them the legal ways if achieving that. There is still a

claim by other scholars that the occurrence of crime may result from socializing of people into

cultures and subcultures that either tolerate criminal behavior openly or actively promote them.

Among the theories that that explains the reasons for committing or desisting crimes is the Strain

Theory.

Strain Theory

Strain theory was developed by Robert K. Merton in 1957. Strain theories states that

particular stressors or strains increase the likelihood of the occurrence of crime (Agnew &

Timothy, 2010). According to the theory, the society exerts pressure on people with an aim of

achieving certain goals that are acceptable to the society. However, they do not have means and

that leads to strain and thus the persons end up in crimes. These strains involve people’s

inability to achieve certain goals among which is the status or the monetary goals. There is also

losing of positive stimuli. Excellent epitomes of loss of positive stimuli are the loss of

possessions that a person loves or the death of a friend. People who experience the strains in

most of the cases become upset. In an effort to cope, they may end up turning into crime. The

CRIMINOLOGICAL THEORY 3

individuals engage in criminal activities in the attempt to escape or reduce the strains. For

instance, individuals who are abused by their parents may steal from them or even decide to

move away from the parents due to the abuse and to areas where they engage in criminal

activities in order to survive.

According to strain theory, crime is also likely to be used to revenge against the source of

strain (Agnew & Timothy, 2010). For instance, when harassed by peers, an individual may opt to

assault them. It has also been found that in certain instances, crime is used to alleviate negative

emotions. That has been witnessed from the individuals who engage in the use of illicit drugs as

they try to make themselves feel better. Moreover, persons experiencing chronic unemployment

are likely to engage in selling of drugs or even theft to get money or even to seek revenge against

the individual who fired them. Strain theory’s major versions describe the particular strains that

have a high probability of leading to crime, the reason as to why stains increase crime and factors

that lead individuals or dissuades them from responding to strain by committing crime. All the

strain theories have acknowledged that only a minority of the persons who are strained engage in

criminal activities.

The strain theory is basically based on the simple idea of the use of commonsense. That

is, in the instance when individuals are treated badly, they are likely to get upset and thus

engaging in crime. These theories elaborates the idea by reporting the various types of negative

treatment that can result in criminal activities, the reasons for these treatments increasing crime

activities and why certain people have a higher probability of responding to these treatments than

others.

The policy implications of Strain Theory

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The policy implications of the strain theory include equalizing of opportunities for success

among individuals, de-emphasizing material success goals as well as re-emphasizing playing by

the rules (Scheuerman, 2014). Since the theory aims at building off the idea that blocking of

goals causes negative emotions and good example being anger, there is need for creating

emphasis that going to anger management is an appropriate route to cope with stress. It is better

as compared to the alternative means such as beating the person who might have committed the

crime. K-12 schools should also be encouraged to teach the students that accumulation of wealth

does not necessarily translate to success are another implication that can be based on strain

theory. By so doing, the children will be encouraged to value the stability of job, family and

good health rather than the accumulation of wealth.

Equalizing the opportunity for success to all, though quite difficult, proves to be very

effective on the basis of the assumptions of strain theories (Agnew & Timothy, 2010).

Equalizing of opportunities may be in the form of paying equal wages to females, providing

intensive education in low income areas in addition to making it easier for persons in low

socioeconomic classes to attend colleges.

Section Two

Connection of Strain Theory and mission of agency

The mission of the agency is to control crimes through social programs and educating the

stress victims. The social programs create equitable chances, prevent exposure of individuals to

stress or strain, provide alternative ways of getting money and attempts to eradicate poverty

(Scheuerman, 2014). Based on the strain theory, crimes that results from stress or strain can be

controlled only if the agency comes up with interventions that can reduce strain. The stressful

CRIMINOLOGICAL THEORY 5

event causes a person to develop bad feelings that creates pressure and frustrations. As a result

the stress victim may result to crime as a means of retaliation. Therefore, the agency is

committed to implement the recommendations postulated through the strain theory in an attempt

to eliminate stress conducive to crimes. Furthermore, in order to effectively manage crimes the

agency takes into account the factors that increase criminal response likelihood described by the

theorist. However, in situations where stress remedy is not possible, the agency helps the

individuals to cope with stress.

Implementation of Public Crime Control Policy

The agency has come up with several ways of controlling crimes. One of the ways is by

implementing social programs to help in reducing stress that is conducive to crimes. One

example of such programs is the parent training program. This is crucial in reducing the

likelihood of parents neglecting or even rejecting their siblings and use of harsh disciplinary

measures when correcting their children. The program is applied by the agency to parents at- risk

(Agnew & Timothy, 2010). This involves parents of juveniles and delinquent youths. The

program educates the parents on how to resolves the conflicts with the teenagers and effective

ways of disciplining. This will prevent the youths from abandoning their home as a way of

evading harassment and engaging in street crimes. Moreover, this program prevents the youths

from stealing money from their parents to buy drugs that appears to eliminate stress and make

them feel better.

Several other programs that are informed by the strain theory in reducing money related

stress are designed to help the poor or the low income earners to achieve their financial goals

through the legal means. One such program is the National Head Start Association. This

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program sponsors pre-school children from poor backgrounds. The children are put in a system

that that equips them with the necessary skills and attitudes in order to promote their well-being.

In particular, the programs help the children to perform better in school giving them a good

background for their future. Another program, Job Corps, for adults and juveniles equips these

individuals with skills to get good jobs. These two programs have effectively addresses the

finance-related stress and played a huge role in controlling crimes (Scheuerman, 2014).

Agency and theorist policies

The crime control policy of the agency fits in the policy implications of the theorist in

that both advocates for programs that aim at disengaging the perpetrator of the crime from crime

environment. This is particularly by providing a chance for the perpetrator to move out of the

stressful environment (Agnew & Timothy, 2010). Once the stress is eliminated the perpetrator is

now ready to engage in right practices. For example if the cause of stress was financial-related

and as a result the individual turned to crime since they lacked a legal means of making money,

they are put under agency support programs that provides skills to enable them make money in

the legal way. Also, the policy of the agency proposes ways of coping with stress for individuals

in dissatisfying situations which is in line with the theorist policies.

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References

Agnew, R. & Timothy B., (2010). Strain theories. In Sage handbook of criminological theory.

Edited by Eugene McLaughlin and Tim Newburn. London: SAGE.

Scheuerman, H. L. (2014). Clarifying criminological and social psychological theory: a second

look at the relationship between injustice and general strain theory. Sociology

Compass, 8(2), 203-218.

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