An Analysis of Criminological Theories: Aggravated Assault Lindsay Bishop Course: Criminology Professor: Jason Silva Student: Lindsay Bishop Essay: An Analysis of Criminological Theories: Aggravated Assault
Assignment: For this research paper, students were asked to choose a type of crime and use four criminological theories to explain why this crime may occur.
There is no clear-cut answer as to why people commit crimes, however, there are multiple theories that attempt to explain possible reasons crimes are committed. This paper focuses on aggravated assault, defined by the Uniform Crime Report (UCR) as, “an unlawful attack by one person for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury.” This type of assault is usually accompanied by the use of a weapon or other means to produce death or great bodily harm. Aggravated assault seems to be going up in the years, with an estimated 810,825 aggravated assaults in the United States in 2017 (FBI, 2018). Aggravated assaults are also reported more frequently than many of the other types of index crimes as well as one of the most serious crimes (Kayden, et al., 2019). There is no one theory that explains the reason why individuals engage in aggravated assault, and there are multiple theories that can be applied that could explain the potential reasonings or motivations behind
the crime. The four theories that are focused on this paper are general strain theory, differential association theory, social bond theory, and social disorganization theory. Sociologist Robert Agnew developed general strain theory. He sees strain as an individual phenomenon, meaning that people of any class can feel stress and strain. This stress and strain then lead individuals to be more likely to engage in criminal activity. The greater the intensity and frequency of the strain, the greater the impact and the more likely it is to cause crime. Agnew suggests that criminal behavior is the result of negative affective states, such as anger, frustration, and adverse emotions that emerge in the wake of negative and destruction of social relationships. Anger is a critical component as it can increase perceptions of being wronged and therefore produces a desire for revenge. Agnew goes on to explain that violence and aggression may then seem justified if you feel you 25
