Criminology

1
Criminology

• A brief overview

2
Crime

• A violation of societal rules of behavior as
  interpreted and expressed by a criminal legal
  code created by people holding social and
  political power.

3
Criminology

• The body of knowledge regarding crime as a social
  phenomenon. It includes within its scope the
  process of making laws, of breaking laws, and of
  reacting toward breaking laws.

From Criminology Theories, Patterns, and
Typologies, Fifth edition by Larry J. Siegel.
4
The Criminological Enterprise

• Criminal Statistics
• Sociology of Law
• Theory Construction
• Criminal Behavior Systems
• Penology
• Victomology

5
Criminal Statistics

• Gathering data related to crime
• Assuring validity of data
• Introducing new research methods
• Tracking crime patterns

6
Sociology of Law

• Determining the origin of law and measuring
  forces changing laws within a society.

7
Theory Construction

• Predicting behavior
• Understanding the causes of crime
• Understanding crime trends

8
Criminal Behavior Systems

• Determining the nature and cause of specific
  crime patterns
• Violence
• Theft
• Organized crime
• White-collar crime
• Public order crimes

9
Penology

• Criminal Behavior
• Correction
• Control

10
Victimology

• Understanding the nature and cause of
  victimization
• Aiding crime victims

11
What Makes A Criminal?

• What causes an individual to become a criminal?

12
Major Perspectives

• Classical/Choice Perspective
• Situational Forces
• Crime is a function of free will and personal
  choice. Punishment is a deterrent to crime.
• Biological/Psychological Perspective
• Internal Forces
• Crime is a function of chemical, neurological,
  genetic, personality, intelligence, or mental
  characteristics.

13
Major Perspectives

• Structural Perspective
• Ecological Forces
• Crime rates are a function of neighborhood
  characteristics and cultural forces.
• Process Perspective
• Socialization Forces
• Crime is a function of upbringing, learning, and
  control.

14
Major Perspectives

• Conflict Perspective
• Economic and Political Forces
• Crime is a function of competition for limited
  resources and power.
• Integrated Perspective
• Multiple Forces
• Biological, social-psychological, economic, and
  political forces may combine to produce crime.

15
Consensus View

• Crimes are behaviors rejected by the entire
  society
• Implies agreement among a majority of citizens
• Results in laws to control undesirable behaviors
• Laws apply equally to all members of society
• Crimes are those acts prohibited by law
• Competing views
• Conflict view
• Interactionist view

16
Penology

• The study of the reformation and rehabilitation
  of criminals and of the management of prisons.

17
Penology Examined

• Reformation of criminals
• To cause or persuade one to give up misconduct
• Rehabilitation of criminals
• To bring or restore to a normal or optimal state
  of health, constructive activity, etc.
• Management of prisons

18
Punishment

• A penalty imposed on an offender for a crime or
  wrongdoing.

19
Types of Punishment

• Death
• Physical torture
• Public humiliation (stocks and branding)
• Hard labor (sometimes meaningless labor)
• Incarceration (with privileges and solitary)
• Fines
• Public service (useful to society)

20
Short History

• Before 1700
• Harsh and often public punishment
• Whipping, stocks, burning, beheading, hanging
• Eye-for-an-eye philosophy in some cultures
• If punishments were universally harsh and
  humiliating people would commit less crime.

21
Short History

• Classical theory (Beccaria and Bentham)
• People are rational, link crime to punishment
• Punishment to fit the crime
• Effective deterrent to crime
• Objectives of punishment
• Prevent all crimes
• When not preventable, convince offender to commit
  less serious crime
• Ensure criminal minimizes force
• Prevent crime as cheaply as possible

22
Short History

• Positive Criminologists in the twentieth century
• Focused on internal and external factors such as
  poverty, IQ, education, home life
• Since factors were not controllable by offender,
  punishment seemed foolish and cruel
• Promoted psychological treatment, counseling, and
  rehabilitation.

23
Short History

• By the mid 1970s the classical approach began to
  return
• Providing jobs and economic opportunity did not
  work
• Rehabilitation treatment efforts failed
• Reduce opportunity and deter would-be offenders
• Restraining offenders prevents future acts

24
Short History

• Rational Choice
• Criminal evaluates risks and rewards of crime
• Crime only takes place when it is expected to
  yield an acceptable return
• Criminal acts and targets are not random

25
Marvin Wolfgang 1972 Study

• 9,945 Philadelphia boys born in 1945 traced from
  birth to age 18
• 6,470 had no police contact
• 1,613 were one-time offenders
• 1,235 were arrested two to four times
• 627 were arrested five or more times
• The latter group, making up 6 of the total
  population studied, were termed chronic
  offenders.

26
Marvin Wolfgang 1972 Study

• The chronic offenders were responsible for
• 51.9 of all offenses
• 71 of the homicides
• 73 of the rapes
• 82 of the robberies
• 69 of the aggravated assaults

27
Marvin Wolfgang 1972 Study

• Wolfgang and his associates found that arrest
  and court experience did little to deter the
  chronic offender. In fact, punishment was
  inversely related to chronic offending the more
  stringent the sanction chronic offenders
  received, the more likely they would be to engage
  in repeated criminal behavior.
• Criminology Theories, Patterns, and Typologies,
  fifth edition by Larry J. Siegel, 1995.

28
Later Studies Confirm Wolfgang

• Wolfgang repeated his study using 28,338 males
  and females born in 1958
• Similar results
• Less crime among females, only 1 of females were
  chronic offenders
• Lyle Shannon replicated the research in Racine,
  Wisconsin with similar results.
• D.J. West and D.P. Farrington replicated the
  study in London with similar results.

29
Objectives of Punishment

• Getting even, Eye for an eye.
• Deterrence of other criminals.
• Protection from the criminal.
• Restitution
• Rehabilitation.

30
Model Justice System

• Create a model justice system including
• a perspective
• a legal system, and
• appropriate punishments.
• Compare your model system with what you see in
  the U.S.