Recent developments in Criminological Theory

p 5 RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN CRIMINOLOGICAL THEORY Anthropological research data has shown the violence is an inherent conduct among the primate species (Walker , 2001 . In society , criminal violence is a common occurrence and legislators have suggested that the behavior of criminals be analyzed in to identify any psychological patterns that are consistent among these particular types of individuals . In the past few decades , neurobiologists have proposed that an individual 's condition , which encompasses empathy , morality and free will , is holistically influenced by the frequency of stimulation and assembly of the neurons

of an individual (Raine et al , 2000 . Such notion is contradictory to the concept of Cartesian dualism , which states that the brain and the mind are two independent entities that coordinate with each other (van Elst et al , 2001 . To date , the accumulation of research reports from the field of neuroscience is gradually affecting the concepts and effectivity of the justice system because of the shifting in the concept of human behavior and response to different stimuli . Neuroscience has influenced our current understanding of the multiple factors that govern violent behavior among criminals

The theory of nature versus nurture pertains to the controversy on whether inherent qualities of a biological organism , which is depicted as nature , is related or influenced by the experiences , condition or situation of that particular species ( nurture . The concept the human being develop specific behavioral patterns based on their environment is termed tabula rasa or blank state (Caspi et al , 2002 This notion is considered to be a major influence in the development of an individual . These external settings of an individual play a major role in the psychology of an individual , including his anti-social aggression and criminal behavior (Blair and Cipolotti , 2000 . It has thus been questioned for several decades whether criminals are born or could these particular individuals emerge after successive events in their lives that result in the transformation of a normal individual to a criminal

The self-control theory as proposed by Gottfredson and Hirschi (1990 couples an argument regarding the driving force behind criminality and the features of a criminal act . Gottfredson and Hirschi contend that crime is similar to other out of control and unlawful actions such as alcoholism and smoking because it generates in an individual a temporary yet immediate feeling of gratification . This kind of action is created by a condition that is characterized by low self-control (Piquero et al , 2007 . It has been claimed that the condition of having poor self-control is an innate condition that is set in place during the early childhood at around 7 or 8 years of age . In relation to the mechanism behind criminality , the authors explain that crime is a straightforward action to results in gratification in an individual Such perception of crime is associated with a number of implications to the general theory of crime . Firstly , the general theory of crime presents that crime is an licated action that does not need any strategic preparation or intricate knowledge . Secondly , the...