Anthony in June 2008, Casey Term Paper

To achieve these objectives, she murdered her daughter and created a story about how she was kidnapped. The situational choice theory states that crimes will occur based on individual choices and motivating factors. When this is applied to Anthony's situation, it is clear that murdering her daughter was a choice that she made. This is because she was motivated to have her personal freedom. ("Review of Basic Criminological Theory") (Jensen 284 -- 288) ("Casey Anthony")

What category of theory is least effective for explaining this young woman? Why?

The theory that is least effective in explaining Anthony's activities is the neo-classical approach. The reason why is because this theory is focused on understanding the importance and dynamics of character development. It will then examine how this will affect the person's ability to make rational decisions. In the case of Anthony, her character did not have any kind of impact in helping law enforcement to understand her motivations for committing the crime. Instead, it was her desire to achieve certain short-term goals (i.e. increased personal freedom) that were driving these activities. ("Review of Basic Criminological Theory") (Jensen 284 -- 288) ("Casey Anthony")

How would knowing the best explanation of Ms. Anthony's behavior make a difference now or in the future, for her or others?

Understanding Anthony's behavior will help everyone to: monitor her activities and predict if she will commit similar kinds of crimes in the future. This will assist law enforcement in encouraging her to seek out professional help for these issues. Over the course of time, this will address the root causes as to why she committed the murder (which will make Anthony less of a threat to herself and others she is around). ("Review of Basic Criminological Theory") (Jensen 284 -- 288) ("Casey Anthony") Clearly, the case involving Casey Anthony is a sign of how different theories are used by law enforcement to monitor and understand the activities of an individual. This helps the police to monitor the activities of suspect (which assists them in clearing an individual or it will have officers looking at their activities further). Once this happens, is when investigators will understand the motivations for committing crimes and how this influenced the actions of the suspect. References Casey Anthony. Investigation Discovery, 2011. Web. 6 Mar. 2012 Review of Basic Criminological Theory, 2012. Jensen, Vicky. Women Criminals. Staten Island: Greenwood, 2012. Print. MLA….....