Crime Theories: Off the Record

Is your home full of gender stereotypes or sexist undertones? If so, join me today as I venture into Hagan’s Power-Control Theory and explore how the family class structure derives its power configurations from the occupational positions held by the spouses outside and inside the home.

Join me today as I venture into the self-control theory of crime, often referred to as the general theory of crime.

Join me today as I venture into yet another control theory built upon the assumption that people are inherently self-interested. Today, I will explain, through Hirschi’s perspective why some people refrain from crime rather than engage in crime.

Welcome back and Happy New Year! Join me in today’s episode as I venture into Sykes and Matza’s Neutralization and Drift theory.

Join me on our final episode of season one as I venture into Reckless’s Containment Theory.

Join me today in a brief episode as I delve into Nye’s Family-Focused Theory of Social Controls.

Join me today as we delve into one of the many early control theories of crime—Reiss’s Theory of Personal and Social Controls.

Recapping what we have learned so far, tune in as I briefly introduce you to control theories.

Ever heard about the idea of a white picket fence and economic success? If so, you might have heard of the AMERICAN DREAM. But how is this related to crime, you may ask—tune into today’s episode as we explore the concept of the American Dream and Crime (Book Recommended: Crime And the American Dream by Steven Messner and Richard Rossenfeld).

Building on Anomie and Strain Theory, join me as we cover Agnew’s general strain theory.

Ever heard of the American Dream? Tune in to today's episode as we venture into Merton’s anomie and strain theory and how it pertains to the American Dream and deviance.

Join me as we delve into why birds of a feather flock together through the lens of social learning theory.

LISTENER DISCRETION IS ADVISED. A bonus Off the Record episode with doctoral student Sheena Gilbert, a citizen of the Stockbridge Munsee Tribe in Wisconsin. We hope this episode brings some awareness to Native American victimization. In the United States, more than four in five Native Americans and Alaska Native adults (83%) have experienced some form of violence in their lifetime. This epidemic w...

Join me today as I deep dive into Dr. Elijah Anderson’s acclaimed book, “Code of the Street: Decency, Violence, and the Moral Life of the Inner City.”

Tune in as I discuss cultural deviance theory, which seeks to explain criminal activity by focusing on the community in which crime occurs rather than the individual lawbreaker. You’ll be briefly introduced to some of the proponents of this theory and learn about some of its strengths and weaknesses.

LISTENER DISCRETION IS ADVISED. Discussing hard topics on this show is not abnormal, but today's topic is especially hard and emotionally heavy to my soul. Introducing the topic of sexual grooming, both in children and adults, I hope to bring some awareness to the evolution and history of grooming, understanding the evolution and history of the concept of grooming, the diversity of cases, and the...

Have you ever perceived the police as either too absent or unresponsive in your neighborhood? Do you perceive law enforcement as illegitimate or unresponsive? If so, you could be displaying high levels of legal cynicism.

Looking at the sociology of crime, join me as I delve into collective efficacy and introduce you to the work of Professor Robert Sampson and colleagues.

Continuing our journey through the Chicago School of thought, we reject individualism and observe how neighborhood conditions affect allegiance to traditional values.

If you have ever wonder why your parent(s) or legal guardian have ever tell you not to hang out with someone... this is the criminological theory to your answers. Join me in as I venture into Sutherland's Differential Association Theory.

Off the record, with September being Suicide Awareness Month, I think it’s important to shed some light on a trailblazer for the indigent mentally ill, in the age of reform—Dorothea Dix. In this episode, I will introduce you to her achievements and her role in the age of reform regarding asylums for the mentally ill and the improvements in prison conditions.

Surprise! This episode will be covering two concepts– Burgess's Concentric Zone Model and Shaw and McKay's Social Disorganization Theory. This episode will talk about how urban sociology has bleed into criminology.

It be a crime not to tune in to today's episode as I discuss one of my favorite schools of thought—the Chicago School of Criminology (Ecological School).

Off the Record, this episode delves into cultural competency as a death investigator. *SPOILER ALERT* If you are a NCIS fan, I might be able to help you understand this concept as you watch your favorite show.

Tune in if you are interested in learning how the IQ tests came to be used to trace crime in the personality of the offender.