Evaluating Theories of Crime - Criminological Theory - Lecture Notes, Study notes of Criminology

Download Evaluating Theories of Crime - Criminological Theory - Lecture Notes and more Study notes Criminology in PDF only on Docsity! Evaluating Theories of Crime What is a “Theory?” • A statement of set of statements about the relationships between 2 or more events – In criminology? • A theory predicts what will happen, not how the world should be How do you know a “good theory” when you see one? • Akers’ 6 criteria for evaluating a theory 1. Logical Consistency 2. Scope 3. Parsimony 4. Testability 5. Fit with Empirical Evidence 6. Usefulness of Policy Implications Logical Consistency • Clearly Defined Concepts – Concept = symbol/label that we apply to an abstract image – Examples? • Concepts must fit in a logical manner – BAD LOGIC: All crime is caused by imprisonment SCOPE (not the mouthwash) • DEPENDENT variable • How “general” is your explanation? – Specific forms of crime/deviance? – All crime? – All crime, deviance, sin, and recklessness? • All else being equal, “Wider is Better” Parsimony • INDEPENDENT (predictor) variables • How complex is your explanation? – Parsimony: Low self-control is single cause of crime – Not: Crime caused by a combination of poverty, inequality, average daily temperature, intelligence, hair color, weight, daily stress… • All else being equal, more parsimony is better! Docsity.com