Individual theories of delinquency Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Individual theories of delinquency - Essay Example The choice theories have their basis on criminology classical school. The main emphasize here is on one’s potential to come up with certain choices. According to these theories, delinquency and various antisocial behaviour results from different traits and processes that are biological such as the dysfunction of the brain and several others. The psychological theories just like the choice theories mainly traces the delinquency causes on different factors in an individual. However, the key focus is mainly on the individual’s intelligence, temperament and juvenile personality. According to Siegel and Welsh (2010), the first explanation of crime was that individuals make various choices with regard to their behaviour. The assumption was that every individual has the free will in choosing behaviour and that those who opt to violate the law were driven mainly by their own greed, survival, vengeance or even morals. Cesare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham who were utilitarian philosophers argued that in most cases individuals consider their action’s consequences before making any move on behaviour course. The scholars’writings formed the ancient classical criminology basis. Currently it is known as the rational choice theory. Choice theory assumption is that individual’s behaviour is a consequence that is directly linked to one’s conscious decisions either to be involved or not in a specific behaviour. According to the criminology classical school, the juveniles are people who are rational and intelligent with great potential to come up with different choices. Hence, this theory insists that before any action, young individuals calculate their behaviours costs and benefits. This theory further adds that crime is the outcome of supposing that greater gains will result from disobeying the law rather than following it. In most