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Cognition is the mental process through which people know. It involves becoming aware, perceiving, reasoning and making decisions. A person’s cognitive capacities develop from birth onwards. Similarly, people form their behavioral patterns and personality via a developmental process stretching from infancy to adulthood. Developmental theories suggest that the rise of criminal conduct occurs in a person’s life course (Thornberry, 2004, p. 54). Some developmental theorists identify a strong relationship between cognition and crime. Criminologists associate crime with incapacity to deal with problems methodically, deficiency in verbal intelligence and incapacity to express self using abstractions. Moffitt also links neuropsychological, executive and verbal deficits which occur before or after birth to the rise of criminal behavior. These deficits inhibit reading, listening, speech, memory, writing, problem solving and cognitive abilities. This eventually leads to impulsivity, inattention and antisocial behavior including crime. Giordano also attributes the development of criminal conduct to cognitive changes that take place during the development process. The cognitive shifts include openness and exposure to a hook for change, ability to see a replacement self and shift in the person’s views of crime (Leclerc & Wortle, 2013, p. 242).
Research indicates that crime is, to some extent, rational. People choose to engage in deviant conduct when they believe criminal activities will maximize their benefits. Classical theorists, for example, argue that people opt to involve in criminal activities on making rational determination of the price and merits related to crime. Classical views explaining the origin of criminal conduct include deterrence and rational choice theories (Cullen & Agnew, 2011, p. 112). The deterrence view explains that individuals are rational, and chase their personal interests. People participate in criminal activities when they are to their advantage. Deterrence theorists propose the use of severe, swift and certain punishment to prevent crime. Proponents of deterrence perspective also explain that punishment diminishes the deviance of those individuals whom the society punishes. Indeed, some research reports indicate that some individuals opt to reduce deviance in response to a punishment (Cullen & Agnew, 2011, p. 117). According to general deterrence theorists, individuals in the masses chose not to engage in crime in response to the punishment inflicted in a deviant member of the society. The rational choice theorists explain that criminals are judicial individuals who work to minimize their suffering and maximize their happiness. This presents criminals as rational individuals considering the option that serves their self-interest. Criminals consider the following costs: formal, informal and moral (Leclerc & Wortle, 2013, p. 73).
Going by the arguments presented by environmental criminologists, it does not matter whether involvement in crime is rational or not. Crime can only be understood and prevented by focusing at the crime (Thornberry, 2004, p. 96). An offence happens when a chance to commit a crime and the criminal are both present. Cohen and Felson explain that the presence of an appropriate target, a motivated deviant and lack of suitable guardians give crime space and time (Thornberry, 2004, p. 162). The situational crime prevention school holds crime to be a consequence of immediate choices made to deal with a present situation. Wilson and Kelling propose that unchecked social disorder causes crime. The theorists argue that the police should take charge in maintenance of law in order to avert crime (Cullen & Agnew, 2011, p. 19).
Reference List
Cullen, F. T., & Agnew, R. (2011). Criminology theory: Past to present (4th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Leclerc, B., & Wortle, R. (2013). Cognition and crime: Offender decision making and script analyses. New York, NY: Routledge.
Thornberry, T. P. (2004). Developmental theories of crime and delinquency. New Jersey: Transaction Publishers.
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