Download What is Criminology?

Chapter 1
Crime and Criminology
What is Criminology?
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The definition of Criminology is:
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The scientific approach to studying criminal
behavior
Important areas of interest for criminologists
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Crime as a social phenomenon
The process of making laws
The breaking of laws and the reaction towards
breaking the laws
Development of principles
Criminology and Criminal
Justice
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The terms are often interchanged
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Sometimes the information can overlap
There are major differences between them
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Criminology
 Explains the origin of crime
 Explains the extent and nature of crime in society
Criminal Justice
 The study of the agencies of social control
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Police
Courts
Corrections
Criminology and Deviance
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Deviance is defined as:
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Behavior that departs from the
social norm but is not always
criminal
A Crime is defined as:
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An act deemed as socially
harmful or dangerous that is
specifically defined, prohibited,
and punished under criminal
law
A Brief History of Criminology
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Emergence of the Classical School
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During the Middle Ages (1200-1600) people who
broke the “rules” or “laws” were looked at as being
possessed by the devil
By the 1700s social philosophers started to think
with reason
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Bentham and utilitarianism – pain of punishment
should exceed the benefit of crime
Believed that crime and punishment needed to be
more balanced and fair
Influence penal practices for more than 200 years
Basic Elements of Classical
Criminology
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People have free will and criminal or lawful solutions
to meet needs
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Criminal solutions can be attractive
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A person will not commit crime if they believe that
the pain expected from the punishment is greater
than the promised reward (deterrence)
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Punishment needs to be severe, certain, and swift to
be effective
19th Century Positivism
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New way to look at crime that challenged the
validity of the classical school
In other areas of study (biology, chemistry,
and astronomy) scientists started using the
scientific method
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Careful observation and analysis of natural
phenomena
Basic Elements of Positivism
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All true knowledge is acquired through direct
observation
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Statements that could not be backed up by direct
observation are invalid
The scientific method must be used if research
findings are to be considered valid. Includes steps
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Identifying problems
Collecting data
Formatting hypotheses
Conducting experiments
Interpreting results
Biological Positivism
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Physiognomists
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Studied facial features of criminals to determine if
the shape of ears, nose, and eyes were
associated with antisocial behavior
Phrenologists
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Studied the shape of the skull and bumps on the head to
determine whether they were associated with criminal
behavior
Cesare Lombroso
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Believed that serious offenders were born criminals
They had an inherited set of primitive physical
features that he called atavistic anomalies
Considered these individuals genetic throwbacks
Specific features:
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Large jaws and cheekbones
Strong canine teeth
Others expanded on his works
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Biological determinism
Criminal anthropology
Biosocial theory
The Chicago School and Beyond
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Formed by a group of scientists who looked
at crime from a sociological perspective
Believed there was a relationship between
the environment and crime
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Neighborhood conditions influence the shape and
direction of crime rates
Challenged the positivists who argued that
crime was a biological or psychological
condition
Social-Psychological Views
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1930s and 1940s
Individuals began to link social-psychological
interactions to criminal behavior
Believe that human interaction and
relationships effect crime
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Group dynamics
Relationships to social processes
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Education, family, peers
Socialization
Conflict and Crime
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Developed by Karl Marx (economic and political
forces)
Believed human behavior is due to conflict between
those who have all the power and money
(bourgeoisie)
They use this power to further their own needs
Believed that the working class (proletariat) was
exploited and eventually they would lead a revolt
and ultimately end a capitalistic society
Developmental Criminology
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Emerged in the 20th Century
Began to look at crime from all angles
including sociological, psychological, and
economic (multiple forces)
Believe that crime is a dynamic process that
is influenced by our social experiences and
individual characteristics
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Can look at the life course of a career criminal to
determine the issues as to why people begin to
commit crime
Contemporary Criminology
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The various schools of criminology have
developed and evolved over the past 200
years
Each continues to impact the field of
criminology
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Rational choice theory
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Deterrence theory
Trait theory
Social structure theory
Social process theory
How Criminologists View Crime
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Consensus View
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Conflict View
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Believe the law defines crime; Society agrees about what
should be outlawed and the law should apply equally to all
 Deviant behavior causes social harm
Society is a collection of diverse groups and they are in
constant conflict
 Owners, workers, professionals, students
Interactionist View
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People act according to their own interpretations of reality
They observe the way other react
They reevaluate and interpret their own behavior according
to the meaning they have learned from others
Definition of Crime
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Because of all these views of crime we need
a general (integrated) definition of crime;
which is:
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A violation of societal rules of behavior as
interpreted and expressed by a criminal legal
code created by people holding social and
political power
Individuals who violate these rule are subject to
sanctions by state authority, social stigma, and
loss of status
Crime and the Criminal Law
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Criminal behavior is tied to criminal law
Criminal Law has been around for thousands of
years
Code of Hammurabi
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First written criminal code developed around 2000 B.C.
Based on retribution
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“An eye for an eye”
Mosaic Code
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Laws of the Old Testament including the Ten
Commandments
Foundation of Judaism and Christianity
Bases for the U.S. legal system
Common Law
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Early English law (around 1100s)
Developed by judges who would travel around and decide what
to do for specific crimes
Courts were bound by the judges decisions
Eventually judges published their decisions in local cases
Other judges began to use these written decisions as a basis for
future procedure
They eventually became precedent and the basis for common
law
 Common law is just the standard law of the land in England
which eventually formed the basis of criminal law in the U.S.
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Mala in se
Mala prohibitum
Contemporary Criminal Law
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All U.S. laws are listed in statutes or Acts
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Divided into felonies and misdemeanors
Government says people who commit these
unacceptable acts need to be sanctioned; there are
social goals
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Enforce social control
Discourage revenge
Express public opinion and morality
Deter criminal behavior
Punish wrongdoing
Maintain social order
Evolution of Criminal Law
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Criminal law is constantly changing
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Some acts are being decriminalized while other
penalties are increasing
Must always reflect social values and
contemporary issues/problems
Our court system allows for exposure of laws
that may need to be changed
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Trial, appellate, supreme
Ethical Issues in Criminology
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There are political and social consequences from
results of criminological research
Need to be aware of ethical issues
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What to study
 Cannot let funding dictate what you choose to study
Whom to study
 Should not just focus on poor and minorities
How to conduct studies
 Need to inform subjects of the purpose of research
 Keep records confidential
 Selection of research subjects need to be random and
unbiased