Theory Application Paper – John George Haigh, Acid Bath Murderer

Directions: Students must select at least two specific criminological theories discussed in your textbook and use both theories to explain the behavior of a specific criminal offender. Students may use books or documentaries to gather information on the background of a specific offender. Students must write a 6-8 page paper that includes a brief summary of the background of the criminal and his/her crime, a detailed explanation of two separate criminological theories, a detailed discussion of how each criminological theory would explain why the offender committed the crime, and a detailed comparison and assessment of each theory. In order to do well on this assignment, you need to do the following: 1. Locate a documentary that provides detailed coverage of a specific criminal event and/or criminal offender(s). Then, in your essay, provide a brief (1-2 page) summary of the history of the criminal event(s) / criminal offender(s) reported in the documentary. Here are links to a few documentaries about John George Haigh that I found interesting, if you find another, more useful documentary please let me know. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4Pz8kizWNg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkcWZqMIUc8 2. Identify two specific criminological theories discussed in your textbook: Agnew’s General Strain Theory and Sutherland’s Differential Association Theory. In your essay, provide a detailed explanation of each theory (1 page for each theory; minimum of 2 pages total for the theory explanation section of your paper). 3. In your essay, apply both theories to the criminal event(s) reported in the documentary (1 page for each theory; minimum of 2 pages total for the application section). That is, according to your selected criminological theories, why did the person(s) commit the crime(s)? 4. At the end of your essay, compare and contrast the two theoretical explanations of the criminal event(s) and assess the strengths and weaknesses of the criminological theories (1-2 pages). Do the two theories offer similar or different explanations for the criminal event? What are the strengths/weaknesses of each theory? Does one theory do a better job of explaining the criminal event compared to the other theory? Are there details of the criminal event that conflict with one or both theories or that cannot be explained by one or both theories? 5. Using APA style, write your essay clearly and use proper grammar, spelling, in-text citations, references, etc.