21. Integrated theories of crime

Abstract

This chapter assesses how crime can be explained in ways that integrate ideas from more than one theory. Integrated theories have merged ideas, explanations, and arguments from more than one theory within a school of theories and even across different schools, thus they may also be called multi-factor or hybrid theories. The chapter begins with an exploration of integrated positivist theories, which can be divided into two main groups: sociobiological theories and social control theories. It then moves on to examine integrated risk factor theories, which can also be divided into two main groups: artefactual risk factor theories and enhanced pathways risk factor theories. The chapter concludes by revisiting the role, context, and influence of integrated theories in the evolution of theories in criminology.