The Concept of Culture and its Importance in Criminological Research and Interventions for Crime

Historically, criminological explanations of the sources and distribution of delinquency in society has identified “culture,” or “sub-cultures,” as an important explanatory factor. usually culture is defined broadly which was also misconceptualized. that is, culture was conceptualized at individual or community level which was false conceptualization in criminology. the purpose of this study is to first, provide a brief explanation of how culture is generally defined and used in criminological work. second, describe how prominent cultural explanations have been used to explain both individual and community levels of violence. third, whether there are important differences between various cultural explanations of crime and delinquency that warrant distinction, or can all cultural explanations be lumped together without losing important insights. and fourth, what are the implications of using culture as an explanatory factor for individuallevel and community-level delinquency prevention and intervention initiatives.