Society is full of crimes as people engage in numerous activities that do not coincide with societal standards. Many delinquencies exist, including murder, rape, theft, domestic, and robbery with violence. Scholars made efforts to understand why crimes occur in society and what happens to give justice to the victims. Crime theories help differentiate behaviors between criminals and noncriminal individuals and other factors that harm society. Brayden Leroy is an example of an American committed killed his brother, and models such as psychological theories, theoretical integration, and criminal social justice theory enhance understanding of the crime. Brayden Leroy Wright, a 13 years old boy residing with his parents in Pennsylvania, is currently facing trial after he shot and killed his 9 years old brother during police and the robbers game. The state accused Brayden of intentionally killing his younger brother using a 9mm loaded gun belonging to his father (Ankel, 2020) . He will face first-degree murder charges and second-degree assault after the court denied him bail. During a cross-examination with the arresting officer, Brayden admitted that he shot his brother because he did not comply with his commands as they played, making him angered. His brother was watching videos on a mobile phone when the incident occurred. After the shooting, he dialed 911 and asked for help, arguing that his brother was injured. The boy suffered a severe cardiac arrest, and he laid in a pool of blood by the time the police arrived in the house 1 hour after making a call for help. Brayden disclosed that he had some knowledge of using the gun because he practiced alone in the house. He also acknowledged that his father warned him never to point the gun at anyone. 2020 is a challenging year, as the increasing trends in homicide crimes in the United States show. According to Asher & Horwitz (2020) , murder crimes increased by 16.1% across all major cities in the United States compared to last year. The country records many crimes during the summer season, which coincided with the lockdown strategy to curb the spread of covid-19. The rate of murder among relatives also increased based on the rising statistics on domestic violence. Understanding why murder cases increased in the country over the last year is difficult despite it being easy to capture homicide trends in the country. The psychological theories of crime explain why individuals within a society engage in criminal activities and account for delinquencies among members of a community. According to Clark (2009), individuals commit crimes due to inborn traits such as intelligence, personality, cognitive abilities, behavior, and psychodynamics. However, scholars warn that there is no single way to determine the occurrence of crimes and that an individual can have multiple factors contributing to the habit. Furthermore, scholars evaluated any physical differences between criminals and noncriminal and did not identify any variations. However, the individuals practiced poor social behaviors, insane, and unintelligent. Hence, the psychological theories of crime demonstrate that criminals engage in crime based on their personality and intelligence to determine what is right and wrong. Behavioral theory is among the psychological theories of crime, which relates to Brayden's homicide crime after shooting his brother. The behavioral theory suggests that human beings develop their behavior through learning experiences. Criminals engage in delinquencies because they perceive them to address their present conditions. Environmental experience, media, and family interactions influence individuals' decisions to engage in crime (Clark, 2009) . Brayden's environment promoted his crime engagement because he could easily access the loaded gun and practice how to use it whenever his parents were absent. He had exposure to mass media and other technologies that promoted crime, such as video games, films, and news. His environment taught him that he can be aggressive when an individual annoys him because he admitted to shot his brother after failing to obey his instructions. Parents need to evaluate environments they expose their children to because they influence the decisions they make. The theoretical integration model aims to facilitate an in-depth understanding of crime among society members by exploring different factors believed to contribute to delinquencies. Turner & Blevins (2009) acknowledges that there is no single theory that can exhaustively explain why people engage in crime and that integration of theories better helps to account for delinquencies in a society. Thornberry's Interactional Theory is an example of an integrated theory that combines social learning and social control models to explain crimes in a community. The theory argues that individuals engage in crime due to them associating with criminals and weakened social bonds (Turner & Blevins, 2009). The theory acknowledges that parents play an essential role in creating strong social bonds with their children but are likely to lose it when they become adolescents. Brayden confessed that he had conversations with his father, who warned him not to point the gun at anyone. However, his actions contradicted the advisory and based on his age, and he likely had conversations with his peers related to violence. Based on this theory, it is likely that Brayden's decision to shot his brother had some external influence that his parents are not aware of. The criminal justice theories inform the reaction that members of society and agencies legally-established have towards crime and criminals. The theories tend to account for the response of police officers, magistrates, and the public. The response of government agencies handling crimes plays a vital role in shaping the public's perception of criminals (Kraska, 2009) . Brayden will face trial like an adult despite being only 13 years old. The court assumes that he had the mental capacity to determine what was right and wrong when committing the murder. On the other hand, his parents faced devastation that they were on the verge of losing their other child after his conviction. The decision made to charge the child contradicts the policies within the American justice system in the country. Brayden was wrong to kill his brother, and he must undergo rehabilitation. However, facing similar charges like an adult risks him from accessing a fair hearing.
Conclusion
The three crime theories explain why Brayden committed delinquency by shooting his brother on the head, leading to death. The psychological theories argue that his conduct originated from a learned behavior through experience since he practiced using the gun at home. The theoretical integration theory demonstrated that people learn certain behaviors through their engagement with people engaging in similar habits. Finally, the criminal justice theory explains the reaction among members of society on particular crime and criminals. The three theories' integration helps to comprehend reasons that contributed to Brayden's crime in detail since they explain their behaviors, social interactions, and associated reactions.
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References
Ankel, S. (2020, July 12). A 13-year-old boy who police say fatally shot his little brother in the back of the head while playing cops and robbers will be tried as an adult . Insider. https://www.insider.com/13-year-old-boy-shoots-brother-head-playing-cops-robbers-2020-7
Asher, J., & Horwitz, B. (2020, July 6). It’s Been ‘Such a Weird Year.’ That’s Also Reflected in Crime Statistics. The New York Times . https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/06/upshot/murders-rising-crime-coronavirus.html
Clark, J. W. (2009). Psychological Theories of Crime. 21st Century Criminology: A Reference Handbook 21st Century Criminology: A Reference Handbook , 271–278. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412971997.n31
Kraska, P. (2009). Criminal Justice Theories. 21st Century Criminology: A Reference Handbook 21st Century Criminology: A Reference Handbook , 349–355. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412971997.n40
Turner, M. G., & Blevins, K. R. (2009). Theoretical Integration. 21st Century Criminology: A Reference Handbook 21st Century Criminology: A Reference Handbook , 340–348. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412971997.n39
