In this article I will demonstrate that it is not the educational nature in which an individual was raised, nor his affective peers in the environment that contribute to his criminality, but rather the their inherent tendency to imitate behaviors that lead to criminal behavior. I will use Wilson and Kelling's “broken windows” theory as well as Hinkle and Weisburd's “broken windows policing” theory to link environmental imitation with criminal imitation. I will then refer to Gottfredson and Hirschi's theory of self-control and how it affects crime, and show that poor self-control will actually lead to an inability to resist imitation; rather than leading to criminal behavior. truly the most important factor outside of the nature/nurture argument, where the influence of an individual's individuation is a major factor in causing criminal behavior. This article does not go so far as to argue that imitation is a tautology as a cause of criminal behavior; rather, simply that it is the most important factor in criminal behavior. With so many crimes occurring around the world, the question remains: where does criminal behavior come from? Some say it is the way a person is brought up, while others believe it is caused by peer influence. While these two conditions can certainly lead to extreme behavior, most illegal acts arise from imitation. For example, if a person saw a crime committed and believed that the act was rewarding in some way to himself if he were to carry it out, he would act accordingly. Humans run on a risk-reward survival instinct, and because of this inherent behavior, if they perceive an act that will lead to a reward, they are almost certain to imitate it. For this reason, the fact that they could h...... middle of paper ...... theory of crime." Journal of Quantitative Criminology 7.2 (1991): 201-11. Print.Antonaccio, Olena, and Charles R. Tittle. “Morality, Self-Control, and Crime.” Stanford, CA: Stanford UP, 1990. Print.Hinkle, Joshua C. and David Weisburd “The Irony of Broken Windows Policing: A Micro Study -place of the relationship between disorder, targeted police repression and. Fear of Crime." Journal of Criminal Justice 36.6 (2008): 503-12. Print. No author given. "Conformity versus Crime." The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology 21.4 (1927): 341-42. Print.Tittle, Charles R., David A. Ward, and Harold G. Grasmick “Self-Control and Crime/Deviance: Cognitive vs. Behavioral Measures of Quantitative Criminology.” 19.4 (2003): 333-65.