Crime Causation: Political Theories

This entry provided an overview of the various political theories of crime, which may be summarized as follows:

1. Criminology has always been a politically oriented discipline.
2. Differences among theories of crime causation are associated with their affinities with conservative, liberal, or radical political ideologies.
3. Any crime may have political significance, whether as a source or a consequence of political instability.
4. Explanations of political crimes are not necessarily the province of labeling and conflict theories but may be derived from any theory.
5. Every theory of crime causation is at bottom a political theory.