Student Study Guide for Ronald L. Akers and Christine S. Sellers’

Criminological Theories:
Introduction, Evaluation, and Applications
Fourth Edition

Prepared by

Eric See
Youngstown State University

Roxbury Publishing Company
Los Angeles, California

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Student Study Guide by Eric See for Criminological Theories: Introduction, Evaluation, and Application , 4th Edition by Ronald L. Akers and Christine S. Sellers Copyright © 2004 Roxbury Publishing Company, Los Angeles, California. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
To be used for maximum effectiveness, theories must make sense (logical consistency), explain as much crime as possible (scope), and be as concise as possible (parsimony). Most important, the theory must be true or correct (validity). Having met these basic goals, the theory must then have some real world applications and policy implications. Questions 5

1. Before you began reading this book, what was your personal theory of crime causation? Which of the theories introduced in this chapter came closest to your personal view? 2. If any given theory were able to explain 30 percent of all the crimes committed, would you consider that theory to be successful? Why or why not? 3. If you were a warden at a state prison, how effective must a theory of rehabilitation be before you would implement it in your institution? 4. Policy application of Theory A has yielded modest results in preventing crime with low costs to implement. Policy application of Theory B has yielded a high success rate at preventing crime with very high costs to implement. Which theory would you prefer and why? 5. Many disciplines factor into criminological theories, such as psychology, sociology, biology, political science, and criminal justice. Do you feel that the integration of all of these disciplines holds the best chance for explaining the most crime, or should the