After reading this chapter, students will be able to:

• Discuss why criminal justice scholars study the causes of crime
• Describe the five theoretical frameworks that criminological theories use to explain crime
• Identify crime prevention strategies that reduce offenders’ desires and opportunities for criminal behavior
• Discuss the role of biology on crime
• Explain how social factors might contribute to criminal behavior
• Compare and contrast three different social psychological explanations of crime
• Demonstrate how cognitive processes contribute to criminal behavior
• Understand and explain juvenile delinquency
• Frame criminological theory in the context of criminal justice policy