Economic and other motives in theories of the causes of crime

The crime rate is a critical component of human potential, having deep connections with many socio-economic indicators of quality of life. Theories of the causes of crime highlight, first of all, economic motives for committing crimes associated with unemployment, poverty and social inequality in society. Along with this, there are also non-economic motives. The article provides an overview of various theories of the causes of crime. Classical approaches are represented by the theory of punishment of Cesare Beccaria, the theory of the anthropological school of Cesare Lombroso, the theory of free will of Jeremy Bentham and the theory of anomie of Emile Durkheim. Social psychological approaches include a review of theories of social learning, social disorganization, social marginalization, social influence, structural functionalism, differential association, social learning, and control theory. From modern views on the causes of crime, theories of biological factors, social ecology, social control, expectations and stereotypes are described.