Www.cengage.com/cj/siegel Larry J. Siegel Dennis Souther Stanly Community College, Albemarle, NC Chapter One Crime and Criminology

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Larry J. Siegel

Dennis Souther • Stanly Community College, Albemarle, NC

Chapter OneCrime and Criminology

• The Field of Criminology– An academic discipline that uses the scientific

method to study the nature, extent, cause, and control of criminal behavior.

– Interdisciplinary science involving two or more academic fields.

• Criminal Justice– System made up of the agencies of social

control, such as police departments, the courts, and correctional institutions, that handle criminal offenders.

Crime and Criminology

• What Criminologists Do: The Criminological Enterprise– Criminal Statistics/Crime Measurement

• Analysis • Measurement• Identification• Testing


• What Criminologists Do: The Criminological Enterprise– Sociology of Law/Law and Society/Socio-Legal

Studies• Investigate history of legal though• Assess effects of proposed legal change


• Critical thinking pg.6– Considering the findings of Zgoba and Bachar, would

you advocate abandoning sex offender registration laws because they are ineffective? Or might there be other reasons to keep them active?

– What other laws do you think should be the topic of careful scientific inquiry to see whether they actually work as advertised?


• What Criminologists Do: The Criminological Enterprise– Developing Theories of Crime Causation

• Psychological– Personality, development, social learning,

cognition



• Biological – Biochemical, genetic, neurological



• Sociological – Neighborhood, poverty, socialization, group

interaction


• What Criminologists Do: The Criminological Enterprise– Penology: Punishment, Sanctions, and Corrections

• Penology: the correction and sentencing of known criminal offenders.

– Rehabilitation– Social control


• What Criminologists Do: The Criminological Enterprise– Victimology

• Victim surveys• Victimization risk• Victim culpability• Services for crime victims


• A Brief History of Criminology – Classical Criminology

• Utilitarianism• Free will to choose legal or illegal behavior • Crime is attractive • Crime may be controlled through the fear of

punishment• Punishment works best when perceived to be:

– Severe– Certain – Swift


• A Brief History of Criminology – Positivist Criminology

• Scientific method• Logic• Empirical verification• Value-free


• Sociological Criminology– Quetelet and Durkheim– Relationship between social factors and crime– Crime is a social phenomenon that can be reduced by

improving social and economic conditions– The Chicago School


• Conflict Theory– Karl Marx

• Burgeoisie • Proletariat

– Critical Criminology


• Developmental Criminology– Gluecks’

• Complex View– Integration of sociological, psychological, and

economic elements• Delinquency


• Contemporary Criminology– Rational Choice Theory – Trait Theory – Social Structure Theory – Social Process Theory – Critical Theory – Developmental Theory


• Deviant or Criminal? How Criminologists Define Crime– Deviance includes a broad spectrum of behaviors,

ranging from the most socially harmful, such as rape and murder, to the relatively inoffensive, such as joining a religious cult or cross-dressing.

– A deviant act becomes a crime when it is deemed socially harmful or dangerous; it is then specifically defined, prohibited, and punished under the criminal law.


• The Concept of Crime– Consensus View of Crime– Conflict View of Crime– Interactionist View of Crime


• A Definition of Crime– “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.


• Crime and the Criminal Law– Code of Hammurabi– Mosaic Code– Common Law

• Precedent • Mala in se• Mala prohibitum

– Statutory crimes


• Contemporary Criminal Law– Social goals

• Enforcing social control• Discouraging revenge • Expressing public opinion and morality• Deterring criminal behavior • Punishing wrongdoing• Creating equity • Maintaining social order


• Crime and the Criminal Law– Criminal Law

• The written code that defines crimes and their punishments

• Reflects the values, beliefs, and opinions of society’s mainstream


• The Evolution of Criminal Law– Social and Economic Conditions

• Stalking• Gay marriage

– Future Direction of Criminal Law


• Contemporary Criminal Law– Felony– Misdemeanor


• Ethical Issues in Criminology– What to Study– Whom to Study– How to Study


Documents

Www.cengage.com/cj/siegel Larry J. Siegel Dennis Souther Stanly Community College, Albemarle, NC Chapter One Crime and Criminology