is any theory which attempts an overall explanation of social life, history, or human experience. It is normally contrasted with empiricism,positivism, or the view that understanding is only possible by studying particular instances, societies, or phenomena.

General Strenght Theory- argued that behavior deliquent is the product of fustration and strain in response to social ties

• 1 loss + stimuli
• introduction of - stimuli
• failure to achieve + goals

try to keep number of variables down

ex) suicidal rates is greater between high achievers ...4.0 

• target population (young males, disadvantaged, etc.)
• told by society that cannot succeed. Thought how to behave and act according to stereotypes by society. Poor area. Language is not proper. Structure reason

• middle class value system is do well in A and it will lead to B and reach ultimate goal.

Forming of subcultures

Corner boy

• Most common response, not chronic, engages in petty or status offences (precocious sex, drug use); loyalty to peer group (support motivation, interest); values are like those with whom he is in close contact; aware of failures, menial job, marries, stays in community

•  Embraces middle class, strive for these standards; almost hopeless path

  Delinquent boy

•   Values direct opposite those of society hendonistic; tomorrow will take care of itself group autonomy resist authority are keys, “reaction formation” (over raction to middle class); sneer at college boy, scorn corner boy’s passivity

§  Miller vs. cohen social structure possible exam question they are about the same but some differences.

Cohen- Structure

·       Institutional Anomie
o   Messner
o   Rossenfeld
o   The American Dream
o   It has become a singular goal
o   American Identity goal= economic success

 Social Process

o   Learning
o   Ecological/ Chicago Model
o   Sean McKay (S+M) interaction between individuals lead to certain behaviors
o   Can easily be mistaken with a structural argument
o   Concentric Model- the circular graph
o   Zone 2 fill with characteristics negative. 

The Chicago School and Ecological Theories

·       Basic Argument

o   social disorganization

·       social stratification

·       concentric circles & the Chicago School

o   Central Business

o   -> Zone of Transition <-

o   Working-Class Homes

o   Commuters Homes

Bursic

 3 levels of social order

o   Ex) how much time is a kid being watched at home

o   The level of private control. 

o   General

o   Extensions to other cities, But more importantly, perhaps one of the most powerful foundations, set stage for numerous schools of sociological criminology and delinquency theory.

Ex)

§  System shock/urban change: transition to service industry and decline in available work for unskilled laborers

§  Locational/ spatial analyses of crime

ú  Blends into rational choice, ecnomic and opportunity theory

ú  Victimology research; may or may not be directed related to locational/spatial arguments

Learning Theory

Tarde

·       Imitation theory; people are not born criminal, they become criminal

·       Distinguished between fashion and custom

·       First law of imitation

o   “men imitate another in proportion as they are in close contact”

·       Second law of imitation

o   The inferior imitates the superior

·       Third law of imitation

o   Law of insertion

Albert Bandura

·       The modern media and imitation

·       Television has 4 types of effects on social behavior of adolescents

o   The teaching of aggressive styles of conduct

o   The lessening of restraints on aggression

o   Desensitization and habituation to violence

o   The roaller coaster effect- First ride is scary. Second time not any more and need a scarier ride.  becoming disentized.

·       The shaping of images of reality

·       Analyzed the relationship between the media and criminal behavior

o   We are more aggressive socially because of the mass media

Edwin Sutherland

·       9 propositions

o   1. Criminal behavior is learned.

o   2. Criminal behavior is learned in interaction with other persons in a process of communication.

o   3. The principal part of the learning of criminal behavior occurs within intimate personal groups.

o   4.When criminal behavior is learned. The learning includes techniques of committing the crime, which are sometimes very complicated, sometimes simple and the specific direction of motives, drives, rationalizations, and attitudes.

o   5. The specific direction of motives and drives is learned from definitions of the legal codes as favorable or unfavorable.

o   6. A person becomes delinquent because of an excess of definitions favorable to violation of law over definitions unfavorable to violation of the law.

o   7. Differential asscociations may vary in frequency, duration, priority and intensity.

o   8. The process of learning criminal behavior by association with criminal and anti-criminal patterns involves all of th mechanisms that are involved in any other learning.

o   9. While criminal behavior is an expression of general needs and values, it is not explained by those needs and vaules, since non-criminal behavior is an expression of the same needs and values.

§  Ex) not everyone that steals a loaf of bread is hungry and not everyone that is hungry steals.

 Miller’s Focal Concern Theory

Routine Activity Approach

·       Criminal behavior can be seen in some areas and some areas have none.

·       What is about some areas that are fertile to crimes?

·       Motivated offenders

·       Attracted targets

·       Absences of authority

Matza & Sykes

o   Teaching of Neutralization

§  Excuses juveniles used to excuse their delinquent behavior.

§  Age 16-28

Drift/Soft Determinism

§  Human behavior is determined but to some extent is driven by free will and forces outside.

o   Routine Activities

o   1. Motivator Offender

o   2. Available targets

o   3. Absence of guardians

Soc. Control Theories

·       ex) its not why Jon is committing a crime the question is why aren’t we all out there doing the same thing.

Reckless

·       Inner- self concept.

·       Outer- what others mightss think.

Hirshi Social Bond

·       Attachement- tricky to measure.

·       Commitment

·       Involvement- how many hours

·       Belief

o   Internalization of social norm, has to believe in behavior.

Label Theory

·       If someone is label a behavior than it becomes who they are label.

·       Due to authority

·       Stereotypes

·       Society

·       Being Sane in Insane Places

o   Wanted to test out Labeling Theory

o   Went into mental facilities

o   They were labeled insane

o   This guys were phD students

Primary Deviance

·       Getting caught first

Secondary Deviance

Socializing Agents

·       Family

·       Religion

·       School

·       Government

law reflects interest of powerful, Morality of groups,

Marxist Theorist

society based on capitalist society, dominant group, class interest Marxist- he didn’t deal with a bunch with criminology. 

Instrumental Marxist 

its like bat. The elite are using the bat to keep those out of power out of power. Submissive. 

Write in response to instrumental Marxist. But we can find members of the power elite gets caught up. 

prevented small companies from becoming larger because of the elite. 

·       Grew up in Wisconsin

·       Well known case

·       We see in retrospect rough childhood -> alcoholic parents, abusive father, etc.

·       Good relationship with mother

·       Gein’s mother pushed negative ideals on Gein.

·       Isolation from society and everyone else

·       Behavior becomes extremes

·       Anti-social behavior becoming extreme

·       Interest in medical books, antonomy, soft porn, taxerdermy,

·       Digs up corpes at cementaries

·       Kills first victim when she was closing her saloon.

·       Gein was in his early 40s

·       3 years later he kills another victim. She was closing hardware shop.

·       Caught. Last customer at hardware store

·       Carzy maniac killer-> made drums w human bones, clothes skin,

·       All bodies were of women

·       The victims have a lot in common and they looked like his mom

·       Denied killing other individuals

Characteristics

Examples: Herb Baumeister (about 20, early 1990s- 1996) Edmund Kemper III (8+/10+, mostly early 1970s) Albert Fish (Moon Maniac; 30?, 1910s-1930s)

1. White, male

2. usually 25-35 when start (but note Fish)

3”Reliving”

4. Relationship with Law Enforcement…but may be for very

5. Intellect; a fairly poor indicator (Kemper case)

6. Social status; probably a very poor indicator (Baumeister case)

7. Modus operandi, method of killng, etc,-especillay informative of subtypes

8. Victimology

·       Victims-often don’t know before…but some care here

Albert Fish

·       Killed over 30

·       Was married and stable

·       When his wife left him thing started to spiral

·       Engaged anti-social behavior

·       Practice of machsinism

·       Moon maniac- he would go out during full moon, howl, and say bizzared things, “he was Christ”

·       Torture and killed his first victim

·       His victim -> children

·       In his letter he would write about this world being bad.

·       Continue for another decade and half.

·       He had deep cuts over his body..crazy.

·       The period between killings reduce after the first attempt.

·       Relief the thrill from killing.

·       They like throphies -> photographs, body parts, etc.

·       IQ may be a indicator for serial killers

·       Common out of 100 pnts.

·       Standerized test

·       High 70s low 80s clinical retardation

·       Average college student score average 110s-120s

·       Genius levels 150s

IQ is not a good indicator.

Herb Baumeister

·       Used to be millionaire in 1970’s

·       Founder of  Sav-a-Lot

·       Brian Smart

·       Killed gay man

·       Police gets reports of him of a possible suspect

·       Had 3 kids. Marriage was having revolution

·       He was unsteady.

·       Police wanted to search house but they refuse

·       Wife later lets them search house

·       11 bodies were found. 5 only identified

·       end- suicide

·       insterstate killer

·       abused by 2 step fathers

·       gay

·       starting finding bodies in the highway

·       “Highway Killer”

·       Indiana worked at a Liquor Store

·       Spend time at the lovers house and kids

·       Authorities couldn’t tie em to crimes

·       Eyler was able to get out on bail

·       Eyler follows a lawsuit against the city

·       City was upset

·       A janitor in the city kept an eye on Eyler

·       Killed over 18 individuals

·       Average of 22 victims

·       He wanted to negotiate with the city

Killer Nurse

Donald Harvey

·       Killed many patients under his care

·       He enjoyed poising people -> lover, neighbor

·       He used clinics materials

·       From 1980’s to mid 80’s

·       Known more for the huge range 34-86 known victims

·       Some say 120 victims

Why is there a huge gap between the possible victims?

·       How many individuals passed away under normal circumstances?

Gegard Schaeffer

·       Convicted of 2 cases

·       He lived around the swamp

·       Death eligible penalty

·       He had diaries, trophies, especially paper material

Randy Kraft

·       Attended prestigious college

·       He was in the military

·       IQ @ 120s

·       Strong supporter of the Vietnam war

·       Work in campaigns

·       Attitude and behavior swings

·       Dumped bodies in CA highways

·       “Sport Car Killer”

·       victims- young man, late teenagers, early 20’s, hitchhikers

·       used cigerette lighters to burn bodies, high levels of drugs and alcohol. He was a brutal individual.

·       Heavy tranquilizers etc..

·       A lot of them where members of the military

·       He kept a coded notebook of the names of victims, location etc..

·       Theres no exact number of the victims

·       May have involved of 70 killings

·       In notebook 17+2 known killings

·       Highway patrol pulls him over, and steps out dumps beer in the road and gets apprehend

·       Guy on the passenger side dead.

·       Kraft had the jeans unbuttoned

Dean Corrll

·       He kept trophies in different areas

·       Victims- young male teens

·       Used alcohol & drugs

·       Invited guys to “parties”

·       He was into modeling

·       Recruited 2 other guys to help

·       Victims – 27

·       Corrll murdered by his helpers

Denis Nielsen

·       “British Serial Killer”

·       early age spend a lot of time a granfather’s house

·       Had a lot of contemporary journals and writings

·       Fantasized image of death

·       The love, attachment of grandfather affected him

·       Joined military @ 15

·       High IQ  scores

·       In military he was butcher

·       He became a heavy drinker

·       He would picked of drunk victims at bar and take them to his place

·       He had extensive hours of conversations

·       Large guy. Tremendous amounts of alcohol.

·       Method- strangulation, drowning

·       Sense of power- controlling the last breath

·       Image of the body was important

·       Had body parties everywhere

·       Try to preserved the bodies as much as he could

·       Image of death companion

·       He would take them out and socialized w them.

Lucas and Toole

·      Toole was dressed as a female

·      Toole dropped out in elementary

·      Toole was in and out of mental hospitals

·      Part-time trasvisti

·      Victims- prostitutes, hich hickers,

·      Methods- all types

·      Lucas fed Toole’s needs

·      Range of victims 20-300 ??

·      Lucas was the brain

Robbery

·      The use or threat of force

·      Most are males

·      The most gender differentiated part 1 offence of UCR

·      Crime is male dominated thing

·      Males most likely to commit roberry and most likely to rob another male

·      Women tend to rob other women

Gretzler & Steelman

·      A victim who was washing their cars

·      The stole, tortured.

·      It was mostly street killing.

·      Violent guys.

Dennis Nilsen

·      Method- strangulation and drowning

·      Got a psychological thrill.

·      Liked to keep the corpses

·      The bodies were trophies themselves.

·      He would boil up the bodies and flush them down the toilet.

·      Calls the plumber

·      Confessed to all 16 murders.