Why Do Crimes Occur As Well As What Makes Offenders Commit...

There are several theory’s that have been developed to answer the question of why do crimes occur as well as what makes offenders commit crimes (Lilly, Cullen and Ball, 2011). One of the first theories developed was Classical School theory. Classical theory focuses on the offender as a whole and how he or she wants to commit the crime due to free will (Lilly, Cullen, and Ball, 2011). While reading through an article written in The New York Times, there was a crime that was discussed that has become an important topic in the media. The title of this article is â€Å"Prosecutors to Seek Death Penalty for Dylann Roof in Charleston Shootings†, written by; Chris Dixon. The article was interesting considering it showed the classical theory is still in effect in today’s era. The article’s topic discussed about an offender named Dylann Roof. Roof walked into a church located in Charleston, South Carolina (Dixon, 2015). Dylann Roof sat in a bible study for an hour before he discharged his weapon, killing nine innocent people that ranged in ages, from 26-87 years old (Dixon, 2015). Roof being the age of 21 when the incident occurred, had time to change his judgment, and walk back out of the church with no violence. Classical theory states that free will is what makes law abiding citizens change to violent offenders, and this is what occurred in the Charleston murder case. There was a time while roof was observing the bible study to change his intent and walk out of that church on thatShow MoreRelatedThe Classical School Of Criminology996 Words   |  4 Pagescenturies scientists and researchers have been trying to figure out what makes people commit crimes and what they can do to deter them from committing future crimes. In the 1800’s and th e early 1900’s crimes and the severity of crimes increased. Punishment in this day and time was considered to be cruel and excessive; to make you feel pain for the crime you committed was the ultimate point (Freilich, 2015). If you committed a crime you could be beaten, hanged, tortured or if you stole something, youRead MoreRational Choice Theory Vs Routine Activity Theory1299 Words   |  6 Pagesexamine why a person would commit a crime in the first place. In this paper, I will explain that these two theories are as well as compare and contrast the two theories. Routine Activity Theory was developed by Marcus Felson and Lawrence E. Cohen. Routine activity theory helps identify criminal activity and behavior through explanation in crime rate. (Cohen Felson,1979). Cohen and Felson said that the number of possible offenders or offender motivation does not actually affect the crime rate. RoutineRead MoreTheories and Burglary1584 Words   |  7 Pages1970’s meant to explain crime and victimization. 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