Causes and theories of crimeOther theories of causes of crime
From the effects of drugs, to peer pressure, to difficult upbringings, there are many theories about the cause of crime. Different theories focus on the choices of individuals or on social circumstances.
There are a number of other theories that have been put forward that do not necessarily arise from the nature or nurture debate. These include:
labelling – people become further involved in criminal activity when they are labelled as criminals, eg once they have a criminal record or after serving a prison sentence
sexism – the expectations that society has of men and women are different. This means that men, for example, may be expected to 'stand up for themselves' in a way that women are not. Some criminologists argue that the influence of 'gender roles' is an important cause of criminality
