Sociology 371 Criminology

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Sociology 371 Criminology

• Robert Crutchfield

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Getting Started

• An event at Carnegie Mellon University
• Has a crime been committed?
• Why or why not?
• Why did the event occur?
• What is the best way to respond?

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Course Introduction

• Class Structure
• LecturesOne Minute Papers
• Review Sessions
• Lab sessions
• Office Hours
• Grading
• Readings

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Course Objectives3 critical questions

• How do we control crime?
• Why is there crime?
• What is crime?
• There are many answers to all 3 questions
• Examples and the range of answers
• Science, evidence, opinions policy

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Your challengedont fall prey to this

• From noindoctrination.org
• From the Chronicle of Higher Education
• Robert D. Crutchfield, a professor of sociology
  at the University of Washington, is accused by
  an anonymousstudent of "thoroughly
  indoctrinating" students in his"Introduction to
  the Sociology of Deviance" course.According to
  the student, the professor believes
  thatcriminals must be rehabilitated rather than
  punished

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Your challengedont fall prey to this

• "What embarrasses me is that this student so
  completely misunderstood what I was teaching on
  these topics,
• What I actually told the reporter was that I was
  embarrassed that any UW student could get it SO
  wrong.

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My Challenge

• Deliver a quality course
• Intellectually challenging
• Evidence based
• The substance of criminology
• What we know
• What we dont know
• Address challenging issues
• Do not duck the hard questions
• Focus on evidence based answers to those question

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Introduction to Criminology

• Academic criminology vs. Sherlock Holmes
• Beccaria Bentham Classical School
• Why was it needed? Foucault from Discipline and
  Punish
• Hobbs, Locke, the social contract and criminal
  justice
• Lombroso company Positivism
• Science
• Determinism
• An interdisciplinary area of study and research
• Is crime a problem? (tables)
• Hard to answer until crime is defined

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From Bureau of Justice Statistics http//bjs.ojp.u
sdoj.gov/index.cfm?tykfa
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From Bureau of Justice Statistics http//bjs.ojp.u
sdoj.gov/index.cfm?tykfa
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From Bureau of Justice Statistics http//bjs.ojp.u
sdoj.gov/index.cfm?tykfa
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From Bureau of Justice Statistics http//bjs.ojp.u
sdoj.gov/index.cfm?tykfa
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Defining crime

• Why is this important?
• The definition influences the questions and
  issues raised
• The definition makes some questions more likely
  to be asked than other questions.
• Why defining crime is not so simple
• A legalistic definitioncrime is a human act that
  violates the criminal law.

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The legalistic definition

• BehaviorActus Reus
• Positive aspects of legal definitions
• Negative aspects of legal definitions
• Modifications of the legalistic definition
• When is a crime not a crime?
• Mens Rea
• Criminal capacity

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Incapacity for criminal intent

• Acting under duress
• Nonage and delinquency
• Mental incapacity
• MNaughten Rule
• Irresistible Impulse or Control Test
• Durhams Rule

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Legalistic definition continued

• Criminal Law vs. Civil Law
• Criminal law and formal social control
• Crime and informal social control
• William Graham SumnerFolkways
• A study of norms and social control
• Folkways, mores, and laws

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VI. Non-legalistic definitions of crime

• Act is only a crime when it has been processed by
  the criminal justice system
• A labeling theory definition Crime is not the
  quality of an act, but rather of the actorHoward
  Becker
• A Marxist definition Crime is behavior so
  designated by the elites in order to serve their
  interests

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VII. Consequences of choosing particular
definitions

• The definition selected influences the types of
  questions that are asked.
• Legalistic definitions focus is on who commits
  crimes, how much crime is there, and how do
  societies control crime.
• Non-legalistic definitions focus on the above
  questions, but also on the sources of law, the
  processes of law, the interests of law.

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Enduring and Changing Patterns of Crime

• The specialization debate
• Has the nature of crime changed?
• Technological change and crime
• Social and cultural changes and crime
• Changes in criminals?
• Changes in the amount of crimes?

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Organized Crime and Gangs

• Organized vs. organized
• Important distinction because of how we explain
  and control
• Local vs. national
• Ethnicity and mobs and gangs
• Images vs. realityThe Sicilian Mafia
• Ethnic succession and crime

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Organized crime

• Why they thrive
• Consistent with pro business norms of society
• They provide desired goods and services
• Chambliss, On the Take
• A study of organized crime in Seattle
• OC arises out of the contradictions that are
  created by society

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Gangs

• Where do gangs come from?
• The invasion thesis
• Thrasheremerging from the community
• Contemporary gangs
• Crips and bloods folks and peoplethe reality of
  gang nations and sets
• Gang cities, non-gang cities and the appearance
  of gangs in the 80s and 90s
• TerritorialexampleVenkateshs study of Chicago
  housing projects
• Drugs and gangsWaldorf et.al.

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Elite Crime

• Occupational crime
• White collar crime
• Blue collar crime
• Corporate crime
• Crime that benefits the company
• Political crime
• Crimes against and by the state

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Violence

• The U.S. has high rates of violence compared to
  most western industrialized nations
• Rates of violence have declined in recent years,
  but is slightly up in the last year
• The risk of violence is not equally distributed
  across the population

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From Bureau of Justice Statistics http//bjs.ojp.u
sdoj.gov/index.cfm?tykfa
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From Bureau of Justice Statistics http//bjs.ojp.u
sdoj.gov/index.cfm?tykfa
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How do you explain violence and recent trends?

• According to social disorganization theory?
• According to conflict theory?
• According to control theory?
• According to differential association theory?

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Drugs and Crime

• 2 interpretations of the relationship
• The pharmacology of drugs
• The cost of procurement
• The drug business
• Combating drugs as a crime control strategy
• DARE
• Drug courts
• Incarceration

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From Bureau of Justice Statistics http//bjs.ojp.u
sdoj.gov/index.cfm?tykfa
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Emerging Crime in the 21st Century

• Old crimes with new interest
• Sex offenses
• Terrorism
• Fraud
• Crimes of the Twenty-first century
• Cyber crime
• ID theft

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VIII. Studying Crime

• Official measures of crime delinquency
• Bureau of Justice Statistics
• E.g. Census of Jails and Prisonswith the Census
  Bureau
• National Prisoner StatisticsBureau of Prisons
• Local and State data
• FBIs Uniform Crime Reports (UCR)

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D
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UCRIndex Crimes

• Murder0.1
• Forcible Rape0.9
• Robbery1.6
• Agg. Assault7.7
• M.V.T.10.4
• Burglary17.9
• Larceny61.4

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http//www.fbi.gov/ucr/05cius/offenses/violent_cri
me/index.html
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http//www.fbi.gov/ucr/05cius/offenses/property_cr
ime/index.html
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National Crime Victimization Survey

• Victimization Surveys
• NCVS
• Strengths
• Weaknesses

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http//www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/glance/viort.htm
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http//www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/glance/house2.htm
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National Center for Health Statistics, Vital
Statistics
http//www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/glance/hmrt.htm
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Self Reports of Crime and Delinquency

• How they work
• The UW student example
• Strengths
• Weaknesses

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Self Reports--Fights
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Self Reports--Weapons
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Which data to use?

• The best answer is based on the research or
  policy question that is being asked
• All of these data are biased in some way
• Examplethe more you penetrate the criminal
  justice system, the greater the processing biases
  that occur
• ExamplesVictims perceptions and self-report
  subjects honesty

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St. Louis is ranked most dangerous city
City rankings                                     
  The most and least dangerous cities overall,
as compiled by Morgan Quitno Press, which bases
the rankings on FBI figures released in
June. Most dangerous cities 1. St. Louis 2.
Detroit 3. Flint, Mich. 4. Compton, Calif. 5.
Camden, N.J. 6. Birmingham, Ala. 7. Cleveland 8.
Oakland, Calif. 9. Youngstown, Ohio 10. Gary, Ind.
Safest cities 1. Brick, N.J. 2. Amherst, N.Y. 3.
Mission Viejo, Calif. 4. Newton, Mass. 5. Troy,
Mich. 6. Colonie, N.Y. 7. Irvine, Calif. 8. Cary,
N.C. 9. Greece, N.Y. 10. Coral Springs, Fla
Out of 371 cities ranked, from safest to most
dangerous, Seattle was 262nd, Everett was 283rd
and Tacoma was 324th. Seattle Times, 10/30/06
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From Seattle Times, 10/30/06

• Cities are ranked based on more than just their
  crime rate, Morgan said. Individual crimes such
  as rape or burglary are measured separately,
  compared with national averages and then compiled
  to give a city its ranking. Crimes are weighted
  based on their danger to people.

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Violence in 3 Washington Cities--2005

• Bellevue
• Number of violent acts reported 172,
• Rate 145.15 per 100,000 people
• Seattle
• Number of violent acts reported 4,109,
• Rate 709.41 per 100,000 people
• Tacoma
• Number of violent acts reported 2,014,
• Rate 1,013.35 per 100,000 people

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What is Qualitative Research?

• In depth research (often case studies) that look
  at the behaviors, motivations and norms of
  certain groups.
• Participant observation
• Non participant observation
• In depth interviews

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When and Why do we use Qual. Research?

• It depends on the questions about crime we want
  to ask.
• Qualitative studies answer the HOW and WHY
  questions about criminology.
• Quantitative studies answer the WHAT, WHEN WHERE
  questions.

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Studying Crime--Qualitative Research

• ChamblissOn The Take
• Interviews and participant observation
• Could not observe with other methods
• Mercer SullivanGetting Paid
• A study of groups of juveniles in 3 disadvantaged
  neighborhoods
• Life chances depend on classworking vs. severely
  disadvantaged and race
• The type of crime depends on class and race too

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Qualitative Research (continued)

• Mary Patillo-McCoyBlack Picket Fences
• A study of a black middle class community
• Differs from white MC communities
• Proximity to underclass MC status is fragile
• Gangs, drugs, and crime
• Philippe BourgoisIn Search of Respect
• Study of a crack housemoved family into
  neighborhood
• The organization and functioning of the house
  dealers

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Benefits and Limitations

• Benefits
• - in depth research
• - can study specific populations
• - few researchers needed
• Limitations
• - hard to generalize
• - subjective rather than objective
• - takes a long time to complete

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Correlates of Crime

• Correlations vs. causality
• Theory and methods in discussions of causality
• Spuriousness
• Minor crime correlates
• Population size, region, crowding/density,
  religion, etc.
• Major crime correlates
• Sex, age, social class, race ethnicity

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Correlations between perpetrator and victim
characteristics

• Perpetrators tend to have characteristics very
  similar to those they victimize
• The young victimize the young
• Crime continues to be primarily intraracial
• Low SES perps victimize low SES victims
• Does not hold for sexWomen usually victimized by
  men

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Sex and Crime
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Age and Crime
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SES and Crime

• In 2001-- Persons in households with an annual
  income under 25,000 were robbed at a
  significantly higher rate than persons in
  households earning more.
• Persons whose household had an annual income
  under 50,000 were slightly more likely than
  person in higher income households to experience
  assault

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Race, Ethnicity and Crime
LOW HIGH _________________________
_________________________________
Asians Whites Asians Native Am.
Hispanics Blacks (older groups) (newer
groups) Rates vary substantially for
different Hispanic national groups
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Race and Crime
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Ethnicity and Crime

• During 2001--Latinos were victims of overall
  violence at somewhat higher rates than
  non-Latinos
• Latinos were significantly more likely to be
  robbed than non-Latinos.
• There were no difference between Latinos and
  non-Latinos for other violent crimes

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How do we explain the observed correlations?

• Research methods
• Experiments
• Other kinds of observations
• Theory
• Qualities of good theories
• Logical consistencyinternal and external
• Empirically verifiablefalsifiable

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Theory and researchan example

• From the literature
• Unemployment and crime
• Labor market segmentation
• Hypothesesneighborhoods with more unemployed in
  marginally employed workers will have higher
  crime rates
• Results
• Conclusions?

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Social Disorganization Theory

• Social solidarity and informal social control
• Rapid social change concentric zones
• Ethnic succession in neighborhoods and crime
• Some problems with S.D. Theory
• Biased conception of organization
• Accuracy
• Tautological process descriptions

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Contemporary versions of Social Disorganization
theory

• Systemic model
• Bursikfocus on the capacity of neighborhoods to
  mobilize institutions
• Collective efficacy
• Sampsonsocial capital collective efficacy
• CE2 componentscohesiveness informal social
  control
• Explaining the race/crime correlation w/ S.D.
  Theory
• Ethnic succession?
• The rise of the underclass
• Racial residential segregation

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Differential Association

• Differential Group/Social Organization
• D.A.an excess of definitions favorable to
  violation over defs. unfavorable to viol.
• Crime is learned
• Not who you associate withdefinitions
  attitudes
• 2 Major related problems
• Measuring and testing
• Tautological statements

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Resurrecting Differential Association Theory

• Matsueda--use of newer analytic
  techniquesstructural equation modelingto
  measure definitions
• Found support for Sutherlands formulation
• Importance of learning
• Importance of interactive identity development
• Hochstetler et al.-is this a true test of DA?

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Anomie or Strain Theory

• DurkheimA state of normlessness
• MertonA disjunction between the legitimate goals
  and means in a society
• CohenDelinquent subcultures
• Del. is non-utilitarian and negativistic
• Cloward and Ohlincriminal, conflict, and
  retreatest gangs

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Anomie or Strain Theory today

• Problems w/ original theory
• Empirical evidence did not support
• SES and crime correlation
• 2 contemporary versions
• Agnew et al.general strain theory
• Messner and RosenfeldInstitutional Anomie
• Kim Pridemorestudy in Russia after fall of
  Soviet Unionpartial support for IA

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Subcultural Theories

• Subculture of violence
• Pro-violence values and beliefs
• Southern subculture of violence
• All Gods ChildrenFox Butterfield
• Subculture of poverty
• Miller,Banfield, Murray
• Anderson, Pattillo-McCoy, Bourgois

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Subcultural Theories--problems

• Subculture of Violencetautological, lack of
  parsimony, over prediction (OP)
• Subculture of Poverty--blaming the victim,
  theory is removed from social structural
  conditions, OP
• Pachin et aladdress OPviolence exposure
• Putting structure back inAnderson, Codes of The
  Streets

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Control Theory

• The question is different
• Early control theoristsReckless Nye
• Hirschi Bond Theory
• Elements of the bondattachment, commitment,
  involvement, belief
• Unitsfamily, school, peers, community
• Weis and Hawkinssocial development model

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Low Self Control as a Cause of CrimeGottfredson
and Hirschi

• Self control developed early in lifeusually
  before 8 or 10
• Developed in the context of family
• Stability of deviance over the life course
• Implications for the study of delinquency and
  crime
• Low self control and the age/crime relationship

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Crime and control over thelife-course

• A control theorysocial ties and bonds to society
  from childhood to adulthood
• Childrenfamily, school, peer groups
• Young adultshigher ed/vocation, work, marriage
• Adulthoodwork, family, community, CJS

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Labeling Theory

• Labeling as an independent variable--symbolic
  interaction and the development of identity
• Not what you do, but who you are that causes the
  label to be applied
• Labeling as a dependent variablewhose rules
  are they?

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Conflict Theory

• Cultural conflict
• Conflict theoryfocus on important divisions in
  society and how conflict between them are
  negotiated
• Marxist theoryBonger to Quinney
• ChamblissOn the Takestructural contradictions
  cause the form of crime
• Critical TheoryHudson--Potter

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The Routine Activities Approach

• Cohen and Felson
• Crime/victimization is most likely when three
  conditions converge
• Motivated actors
• Potential victims
• Absence of guardians

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Bio-social Explanations

• Wilson and Herrnstein
• Genetic predispositions behaviorism
• Race and biological explanations
• Raine
• Interaction of biological and social causes
• The example of social class and violencethe role
  of led paint poisoning
• Brain scan research with serial killers
• Savage and Villalinking individuals and ecology

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Psychological Theories

• Moffittlife course persistent (LCP) and
  adolescent limited (AL) trajectories
• LCP is a product of the interaction between the
  individual and environment that culminates in a
  disordered personality
• AL accompanies normal adolescent development
• The psychological effects of victimization--Breite
  nbecher

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Controlling Crime

• Criminal justice system or criminal justice
  industry?
• Criminal justice vs. other solutions
• Root causes vs. direct reaction
• 3 models of criminal justice
• The crime control model
• The rehabilitation model
• The due process model

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Crime control strategies

• Deterrence
• Special general deterrence
• Speed, certainly severity
• 3 strikes, etc.
• Broken windowsthe NYC miracle
• Rebuilding institutionse.g. families, schools,
  communities, churches

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An alternative to consider--Restorative justice

• Braithwaite and restorative justice in Australia
• Making the victim of crime whole again
• Making the community whole again
• The traditional Zimbabwe example
• Limits on RJ RJ in the U.S.

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Conclusions

• What should you remember?
• Knowing something about criminology
• What is crime like?
• What are the causes?
• What do we know about controlling it?
• Knowing something about sociology society
• The value of critical thinking
• For scholarship
• For citizens

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What do we mean by critical thinking?

• Being thoughtfully informed asking questions
• Avoiding knee jerk positions and bumper sticker
  policies
• Do not erase data banksyou need to remember
  after the test
• Using what you know

The secret to critical thinking3 simple questions
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The secret to critical thinking3 simple questions

• WHO CARES?
• SO WHAT?
• HOW DO YOU KNOW?