Background: The theories and content in this course
are not intended for armchair critics. Folks throughout the criminal justice system regularly refer to and rely on these various theories to help inform their practice and program development. In this way, the ideas of our major theorists continually shape the criminal justice field and the communities and individuals impacted by criminal justice institutions. But each theory is unique, so which theories are applied to construct criminal justice policies and programs will result in drastically different sets of prescriptions and recommendations.
Scenario: Imagine that Mary Baldwin University has commissioned a task force to examine why crime occurs on campus and to make recommendations about how to reduce campus crime. You have been appointed to the commission based on your enrollment in this course, and have been asked to speak as an expert about what theories of crime you would suggest to help steer the group’s work.
Prompt: In around 1000 words, choose at least three different theoretical perspectives from across our semester [1) deterrence, 2) biosocial, 3) social ecology, 4) differential association/social learning, 5) social bonds/control, 6) social strain/anomie, 7) labeling] and explain how each would interpret both the cause of crime