Criminal Justice Theories Essay

A brilliant philosopher at once remarked that humanness is by disposition good. Evil, according to him is the top of ignorance or the lack of knowledge. When abhorrence is airted it is because of the confinement and imperfection 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 evil in our society does not suffice to answer the caput why state offend and break crime. Why is it that even the highest be CEOs of multinational companies manage to steal m 1y from their investors and stockholders?It does not explain why even educated sight become cruel offenders and violators of the law. This could further remember that there is more to crime than just the goodness or harshness of the individual. It is because of this reason that Sociologists have turned to former(a) causes or factors that may enamour human behavior into exerciseting crimes. This has resultant roleed in several theor ies attempting to explain crime and deviance. These theories atomic number 18 mixer Control Theory and Labeling Theory which will be discussed in this essay.Social 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 proponent of Social Control Theory, asserts that despite mans inclinations to commit crime, it can be controlled and his behavior can be regulated so as to make man set to certain companionable rules or laws. He says that this could be done by strengthening mans social bandages with the people around him. These social bonds include attachment, commitment, involvement and article of belief.The stronger these social bonds ar, the more committed a person is to conventional activities and the greater his attachments to his p atomic number 18nts and friends, the little in all probability it is that he will lodge in in delinquent behavior. Conversely, once this social bond is weakened then it is homogeneously that individuals will sedulous in delinquent behavior. (Reginald J. Alston, 1995, p. 3) Thus, according to E. A. Ross the most effective means for imperative and regulating behavior is not the enactment of laws and the threats of punishment but the belief and value systems that helps man obey with the rules.Labeling Theory Labeling Theory did not acquaint much 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. But not all persons are designate as criminals. Only those people who are actually caught or whose degenerate 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 associate with other abnormals thus reinforcing the stigma that society attaches to deviants.According to the results of a study con ducted by Mike S. Adams (2003) perceived negative labels were related to increase involvement in self-reported delinquent behavior. The study likewise showed that teachers and peer groups are important 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 solve his behavior. It is natural to classify or categorize things the problem with this is that the people do not realize the negative unintended effects of these labels.There are times 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 far away 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 label. Com parison and discriminateThe first point of comparison between these two theories is that they both make love the societys influence on human behavior. In the bailiwick of Social Control Theory, socialization and 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 carry 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.Negative perception of the society leads to negative behavior on his part. The indorse 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 outlined by his transactionhips 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 rules or laws but if this bon d 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 both(prenominal) people adhere and conform to existing rules.It is not actually a speculation that explains why people commit crime but it explains the reasons why somewhat 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 distinction is that Labeling Theory is a political earlier than a sociological attempt to explain deviant behavior since political relations within the society have so much to do with the free 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 wrong acts but as individuals who had a criminal status set upon them by both the criminal justice system and the community at large. (Overview of Labeling Theories) Conclusion 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 solution 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 essential be given to alternative forms of response to crime such as giving more focus on rehabilitation and social integ ration. It would be better 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 computer program for the youth.