Criminology: the study of the process of making laws, breaking laws, and reacting towards the breaking of lawsParadigms:Rational choice- people are rational, choose whether to commit crime [all crime]Positivistism- forces beyond person’s control is responsible (biological, sociological) [serious crime]Interactionism- only becomes crime when people react, person then becomes criminal due to labeling [all crime]Critical criminology- power elite defines crimes on own, preserving their social position, powerless more criminals [crimes against state, crimes committed by or against powerful]Integration- optimal is combo of 2 or more, not just one [all crime]1. Rational ChoiceBasically, the argument here is that human beings are rational and they choose whether or not to commit crime. Where benefits of crime outweigh the costs, crime will occur. This type of paradigm addresses offending behavior only, not law definitions, and can be applied to many types of crime.2. PositivismBasically, the argument here is that crime is not a choice, certain forces drive people toward criminality. These forces can includes biology, sociology, etc. Again, this paradigm addresses offending, not law definitions, and can be applied to many types of crime, but is most often used to explain serious crime.3. InteractionismBasically, this paradigm argues that reactions of people or groups to certain types of behavior (like, say, criminal behavior) result in behaviors and persons being labeled as criminal. These labels are then internalized, and can contribute to further offenses. This type of paradigm really looks closely at how the law is defined and how the state reacts to crime.4. CriticalBasically, this paradigm argues that the powerful define crimes and engage in social control. This paradigm looks closely at state definitions of crime and attempts to get at why certain behavior is criminalized. It is most often used to explain crimes committed by the powerful.5. IntegrationBasically, the argument here is that the best explanation of crime can be found by combining two or more perspectives. What aspect of criminal justice (i.e. offending behavior, law definitions, etc.) it seeks to explain depends on the theories being combined, and the types of crimes to which it can apply also varies.Ideology- basic beliefs or values through which people filter infoRelativity of crime- variation in conception of what behavior is criminal from time to anotherParadigm- general frameworkScientific method- approach to study of phenomenon that incorporates theory and observationConsensus- belief that the law reflects the interest of most peopleConflict- belief that the law disproportionally reflects the interest of minorityKey Criminologists: Hermann Mannheim, Herman Schwendinger, Julia Schwendinger, Thorsten Sellin, Edwin Sutherland, Paul Tappan11/12/2012 21:24:00← Criminology: the study of the process of making laws, breaking laws, and reacting towards the breaking of laws←← Paradigms:← Rational choice- people are rational, choose whether to commit crime [all crime]← Positivistism- forces beyond person’s control is responsible (biological, sociological) [serious crime]← Interactionism- only becomes crime when people react, person then becomes criminal due to labeling [all crime]← Critical criminology- power elite defines crimes on own, preserving their social position, powerless more criminals [crimes against state, crimes committed by or against powerful]← Integration- optimal is combo of 2 or more, not just one [all crime]←← 1. Rational Choice← Basically, the argument here is that human beings are rational and they choose whether or not to commit crime. Where benefits of crime outweigh the costs, crime will occur. This type of paradigm addresses offending behavior only, not law definitions, and can be applied to many types of crime.← 2. Positivism← Basically, the argument here is that crime is not a choice, certain forces drive people toward criminality. These forces can includes biology, sociology, etc. Again, this paradigm addresses offending, not law definitions, and can be applied to many types of crime, but is most often used to explainserious crime.← 3. Interactionism← Basically, this paradigm argues that reactions of people or groups to certain types of behavior (like, say, criminal behavior) result in behaviors andpersons being labeled as criminal. These labels are then internalized, and can contribute to further offenses. This type of paradigm really looks closely at how the law is defined and how the state reacts to crime.← 4. Critical← Basically, this paradigm argues that the powerful define crimes and engage in social control. This paradigm looks closely at state definitions of crime and attempts to get at why certain behavior is criminalized. It is most often used to explain crimes committed by the powerful.← 5. Integration← Basically, the argument here is that the best explanation of crime can be found by combining two or more perspectives. What aspect of criminal justice (i.e. offending behavior, law definitions, etc.) it seeks to explain depends on the theories being combined, and the types of crimes to which it can apply also varies.←← Ideology- basic beliefs or values through which people filter info← Relativity of crime- variation in conception of what behavior is criminal from time to another← Paradigm- general framework← Scientific method- approach to study of phenomenon that incorporatestheory and observation← Consensus- belief that the law reflects the interest of most people← Conflict- belief that the law disproportionally reflects the interest of minority←← Key Criminologists: Hermann Mannheim, Herman Schwendinger, Julia Schwendinger, Thorsten Sellin, Edwin Sutherland, Paul Tappan←11/12/2012 21:24:00←11/12/2012
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