What is Criminology?
© 2004 Wadsworth Publishing Co.
Historical Roots of Criminology
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Utilitarian philosophy of Becarria
Biological determinism of Lombroso
Sociological theory of Durkheim
Conflict Criminology of Marx
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What is Criminology?
Criminology is the scientific approach to:
– the study of criminal behavior and
– society’s reaction to law violations and
violators
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The Criminological Enterprise
Crime
Statistics
Sociology
of Law
Theory
Construction
Criminal
Behavior Systems
Penology
Victimology
Criminology
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Perspectives in Criminology
Perspective: The relationship of
aspects of a subject to each other and to
a whole: a point of view.
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Criminology Perspectives
CLASSICAL/
CHOICE
BIOLOGICAL/
PSYCHOGICAL
STRUCTURAL
PERSPECTIVES
Situation forces
Crime is a function of free will and personal choice
Punishment is a deterrent to crime.
Internal forces
Crime is a function of chemical, neurological
genetic, personality, intelligence, or mental traits.
Ecological forces
Crime rates are a function of neighborhood conditions,
cultural forces, and norm conflict.
Socialization forces
PROCESS
Crime is a function of upbringing, learning, and control.
peers, parents, and teachers influence behavior.
Economic and Political forces
CONFLICT
Crime is a function of competition for limited
resources and power. Class conflict produces crime.
Multiple force
INTEGRATED
Biological, social-psychological, economic and political
forces may combine to produce crime.
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Deviancy or Criminality?
Deviant Behavior
Is an action that
departs from the
social norms of
society.
Deviant Behavior
becomes criminal
behavior when it is
specifically defined
prohibited and
punished under
the criminal
law.
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Differing Views on the Causes and
Controls of Criminal Behavior
Consensus View
•Law defines crime
•Agreement exists
on outlawed behavior
•Laws apply to all
citizens equally
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Differing Views on the Causes and
Controls of Criminal Behavior
Conflict view
•Law is a tool of the
ruling class
•Crime is a politically
defined concept
•“Real crimes” are not
outlawed
•Law is used to control
the underclass
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Differing Views on the Causes and
Controls of Criminal Behavior
Interactionist view
•Moral entrepreneurs
define crime
•Crimes are illegal
because society defines
them that way
•Criminal labels are lifetransforming events
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Crime and Multiple Perspectives
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Crime is a violation of societal rules of
behavior as interpreted and expressed by the
criminal law, which reflects public opinion,
traditional values and the viewpoint of
people currently holding social and political
power. Individuals who violate these rules
are subject to sanctions by state authority,
social stigma, and loss of status.
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Doing Criminology: Types of Research
Survey Research
(cross-sectional research)
Longitudinal
Research
(cohort groups)
Experimental
Research
Aggregate Data
Research
Observational
Research
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Ethics in Research!
• Political and social
consequences of
criminological research
must be considered.
• What standards should
apply? Who should set the
standards?
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