Understanding Criminality as a Social Process: A systematic review of Contemporary Criminological Theories

The study understands criminality as a progression along a continuum; this is different from the often-held perspective that criminality is an individual trait or choice. In this way, the current study takes information obtained from systematic reviews of empirical criminological studies from 2000 to 2020 and synthesizes contemporary theoretical insights about how criminal behaviour emerges, persists and ceases through social interactions between structural conditions and institutional responses over time through three core research questions using the PRISMA framework. As a result of this systematic review, there is substantial agreement on five theoretical perspectives that dominate contemporary criminological research: General Strain Theory, Social Learning Theory, Social Control Theory, Labelling Theory and Life Course Criminology. Although many studies are framed within one theoretical perspective, the majority of studies combine multiple theoretical perspectives, reflecting a growing recognition that criminality is cumulative and relational in nature and exists in relation to social environments throughout the life course. Methodologically, the literature predominantly utilises longitudinal designs, self-report surveys and administrative data and focuses on social interactions, institutional contacts and developmental trajectories. In conclusion, the review presents a pronounced shift in criminological research away from individualistic and descriptive explanatory models in favour of process-oriented explanatory models that will continue to shape theoretical development in future criminological research.