Sutherland & Cressy (1960)
 Criminology is the scientific
approach to:
a. the study of criminal
behavior
b. society’s reaction to law
violations and violators
Criminology vs. Criminal Justice
 Criminal Justice
 The Study of Agencies Related to the
Control of Crime
 Criminology
 The study of crime trends, nature of
crime,theories of crime
 Who Cares? Mostly pointy headed
academics.
Criminology vs. Deviance
 Criminology Focuses on Crimes
 Crime = violation of criminal law
 Deviance Focuses on Violations of
Societal Norms
 These may or may not also be law
violations
Criminology as a Discipline
 Until recently, (1970s) there was no
such thing as a degree in
“criminology” or “criminal justice.”
 1900s-1970s: Degree in sociology or
urban studies (emphasis on crime).
 Implication? Sociology dominates.
A Crude History of Criminology
 Middle Ages
 Superstition, religion, and fear
 Classical School (1750s-1900)
 Utilitarian philosophy of (Becarria)
 Free Will, Hedonistic Calculus
 Positive School (1900-present)
 Bio/psych determinism (1900-1920s)
 Lombroso’s “Ativism”
 Intelligence, Personality
Crude History—Part II
 Sociological theory (1920s-Present)
 Durkheim, Merton
 Political philosophy (1960s-early
1970s)
 (Marx)
 Neo-classical (Late 1970s-1990s)
 Currently?
 Developmental Theory (interdisciplinary)
Categories of Contemporary Crime
Theory
Psychological
Theory
Choice
Theory
Biosocial
Lifecourse
Theory Criminal Behavior Theory
Social
Conflict
Process
Social
Theory
Structural Theory
Theory
Sub-Areas in the field of
Criminology/Criminal Justice
 Criminal Statistics (gather/interpret the
facts)
 Sociology of Law (how and why law
changes)
 Theory Construction (why people commit
crimes)
 Penology (prison, rehabilitation, policing)
 Victimology (who gets victimized, how?)
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
Conflict view


Law is a tool of the ruling class (to control the underclass)
Crime is a politically defined concept
Interactionist



Moral entrepreneurs define crime
Crimes are illegal because society defines them that way
Criminal labels are life-transforming events
Doing Criminology: Types of
Research
Survey Research
(cross-sectional research)
Longitudinal
Research
(cohort groups)
Experimental
Research
Aggregate Data
Research
Observational
Research
Ethics in research!
 Political Viewpoints
and Criminal
Justice
 Funding Sources
 Political and Social
Consequences of
Findings/Results