SOCIOLOGY: BENCHMARK RESEARCH PAPER ON CRIME [APA Format]
Criminology: Sociology Research Paper Guidelines
Criminology is the scientific study of the nature, extent, causes, and control of criminal behavior in both
the individual and in society. Criminology is an interdisciplinary field in the behavioral sciences, drawing
especially upon the research of sociologists (particularly in the sociology of deviance), psychologists and
psychiatrists, social anthropologists as well as on writings in law.
Areas of research in criminology include the incidence, forms, causes and consequences of crime.
ASSIGNMENT:
You will choose an area of Criminology and write a 3 to 5 page research paper NOT including your cover
page, quote page and works cited page. Your paper can be on your chosen area of criminology in
general or a more specific paper on events, individuals and/or groups that were involved in one of these
categories. Example: Certain types of organized crime groups, portrayal of crime in film and television,
background and investigation into serial killers, role of a chosen criminology theory in a certain type of
crime, etc. You must include a sociological analysis of your chosen topic…why do sociologists believe this
theory? What are some correlations/causations related to this theory/topic? What are some examples
that provide evidence of this theory/topic? What Criminology Theories are you going to explore? (List
included below). Does your chosen area/topic support a chosen sociological theory/theories? To begin
with…you should just research for a topic and collect information.
1. Must be typed/12 pt font Times New Roman/ double spaced/normal margins
2. Use APA Format. APA format is used in the natural and behavioral sciences while MLA is used in
the Humanities. We will visit 143 Writing Lab and learn about APA format. Additionally, you will
be given hand-outs with information about APA format. Pages must be numbered according to
APA format.
3. Include a works cited page/bibliography (APA STYLE)
4. Must include a minimum of four (4) sources
5. Include a cover sheet with your topic centered on the page, your name, class name and date on
lower right hand side.
6. Papers will be checked for plagiarism. Please ask me if you have any questions about this.
EXAMPLES OF SOCIOLOGY THEORIES PERTAINING TO CRIME AND DEVIANCE
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Labeling theory: It is the main idea that deviance and conformity result not so much from what people do
as from how others respond to these actions. It also states that a society's reaction to specific behaviors is
a major determinant of how a person may come to adopt a "deviant" label. This theory stresses the
relativity of deviance, the idea that people may define the same behavior in any number of ways.
Control theory: This theory states that a weak bond between an individual and society itself allows the
individual to defy societal norms and adopt behaviors that are deviant in nature.
Rational choice theory: States that people commit crimes when it is rational for them to do so according
to analyses of costs and benefits, and that crime can be reduced by minimizing benefits and maximizing
costs to the "would be" criminal.
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SOCIOLOGY: BENCHMARK RESEARCH PAPER ON CRIME [APA Format]
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Social disorganization theory: States that crime is more likely to occur in areas where social institutions
are unable to directly control groups of individuals.
Social learning theory: States that people adopt new behaviors through observational learning in their
environments.[101]
Strain theory: States that a social structure within a society may cause people to commit crimes.
Specifically, the extent and type of deviance people engage in depend on whether a society provides the
means to achieve cultural goals.
Subcultural theory: States that behavior is influenced by factors such as class, ethnicity, and family status.
This theory's primary focus is on juvenile delinquency
Psychopathic Theory: serious criminals who do not feel shame or guilt from their actions. They do not
fear punishment and have little sympathy for the people they harm.These individuals are said to have a
psychological disorder as psychopathy or antisocial personality disorder. They exhibit a variety of
maladaptive traits such as rarely experiencing genuine affection for others. They are skilled at faking
affection, are irresponsible, impulsive, tolerate little frustration and they pursue immediate gratification.
Robert Hare, one of the world's leading experts on psychopathy, developed an important assessment
device for psychopathy, the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised. For many, this measure is the single, most
important advancement to date toward what will hopefully become our ultimate understanding of
psychopathy
White-collar crime: defined by Edwin Sutherland as crime committed by persons of high social position in
the course of their occupation. The white-collar crime involves people making use of their occupational
position to enrich themselves and others illegally, which often causes public harm.[106] In white-collar
crime, public harm wreaked by false advertising, marketing of unsafe products, embezzlement, and
bribery of public officials is more extensive than most people think, most of which go unnoticed and
unpunished.
Corporate crime: refers to the illegal actions of a corporation or people acting on its behalf. Corporate
crime ranges from knowingly selling faulty or dangerous products to purposely polluting the environment.
Like white-collar crime, most cases of corporate crime go unpunished, and many are never even known to
the public.
Organized crime: a business that supplies illegal goods or services, including sex, drugs, and gambling.
This type of crime expanded among immigrants, who found that society was not always willing to share its
opportunities with them. A famous example of organized crime is the Italian Mafia.
Hate crime: a criminal act against a person or a person's property by an offender motivated by racial,
ethnic, religious or other bias. Hate crimes may refer to race, ancestry, religion, sexual orientation and
physical disabilities. According to a Statistics Canada publication, "Jewish" community has been the most
likely the victim of hate crime in Canada during 2001-2002. Overall, about 57 percent of hate crimes are
motivated by ethnicity and race, targeting mainly Blacks and Asians, while 43 percent target religion,
mainly Judaism and Islam. A relatively small 9 percent is motivated by sexual orientation, targets gays and
lesbians. Physical traits do not distinguish criminals from non-criminals, but genetic factors together with
environmental factors are strong predictors of adult crime and violence. Most psychologists see deviance
as the result of "unsuccessful" socialization and abnormality in an individual personality.
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