ABSTRACT
Chapter Three begins by discussing a brief history of attempts to understand criminal behavior. As the chapter indicates, criminal justice researchers and theorists have been trying to explain the reasons why people violate the law for centuries. Noteworthy theories that have been proposed over the past few decades include disruptive behavior disorders theory, cognitive theories, differential association theory, strain theory, social bond theory, and various integrated theories. Integrated theories combine elements of other theories. While many of the most popular and well-researched theories are useful to criminologists, no one theory has been universally accepted as offering a comprehensive explanation of why people commit crimes. This chapter addresses an important question: Which criminological theory is most useful for the crime analyst? In crime analysis, pattern recognition is a critical skill set needed for the crime and intelligence analyst to be able to deduce the distinct pattern or method of operation. Given this, there are three theories that seem to provide the greatest utility for the crime analyst. Those three theories are: (1) rational choice theory; (2) routine activities theory; and (3) criminal personality theory.
