Topic: Zimmerman Case
Subject: Criminology
In this assignment, you will apply the theories you have studied to a particular crime. Conduct an Internet search and find an article about a crime in which you are interested. Crime stories are in the news every day, so this should be easy to accomplish.
Then, analyze one theory from each of the following theoretical categories in terms of how useful it is in explaining the crime that you selected. (There are a number of theories within each category covered in the course material.)
1. choice theory
2. trait theory
3. social structure theory
For instance, if you chose a violent crime, such as rape, you would analyze how useful each of three theories (one from each category) is in explaining why the offender in the case you chose committed the crime.
Your paper should have the following sections:
Introduction (Introduce the topic and mission of the paper to your reader.)
The Crime (Describe the characteristics of the criminal incident you found, then describe what we know about this type of crime more generally. . . prevalence, trends, costs, etc.)
Choice Theory (Describe the main features of choice theory, then discuss how useful a specific theory from this category is in explaining the crime.)
Trait Theory (Describe the main features of trait theory, then discuss how useful a specific theory from this category is in explaining the crime.)
Social Structure Theory (Describe the main features of social structure theory, then discuss how useful a specific theory from this category is in explaining the crime.)
Conclusion (Explain, in your view, which of the three theories is most useful in explaining the criminal incident you chose. Then, discuss the implications of this theory for criminal justice policy in general. What should the criminal justice system do to try to address the kind of crime that you chose in light of the explanation for the crime that you found to be most useful?)
The sources you use for this assignment should include the article on the crime you chose, the textbook,and two peer-reviewed journal articles. Significant amounts of information from peer-reviewed journal articles and your textbook should be incorporated into your paper.
In addition to presenting information from your sources, do some significant critical thinking in applying the theoretical material we have covered to the real case that you select.