5 15 12 Introduction What is Crime Crime Deviance and Criminology The study of crime has two main dimensions o Behavioral o Definitional Behavior seeks to describe and explain the origins and causes of criminality Definitional explains why certain behaviors come to be defined as crime Crime human behavior interpreted as violating society s norms for a specific time and place and that should be controlled and prevented by legal order Four main perspectives to the meaning of crime o The Legalist Perspective o The Political Perspective o The Psychological Perspective o The Sociological Perspective Legalist perspective o Crime is behavior that violates criminal codes and statutes o Without a legal definition there would be no criminal act o Makes several unsupported assumptions 1 Assumes everyone agrees with the laws that forbid certain behaviors 2 Assumes that the power to define certain behaviors as violations of the law is fair and legitimate Political perspective o Crime is socially constructed behavior o Emphasizes the role of political power in the creation of legal Individuals with political power use their position to define illegal behavior and to establish laws governing crime o Primary motive is creating laws to serve the interest of those in definitions power Psychological perspective o Crime is maladaptive behavior Maladaptive behavior is an individual s inability to be in harmony with their environment o The environment presents stressful stimuli every day o Definition is very broad and encompasses many behaviors Sociological perspective o Crime is behavior that threatens the social structure or the fundamental well being of humans o Focuses on all actions that cause harm misfortune and distress to others o Examines crime as a behavior anyone can commit Table 1 1 in textbook What is Deviance Deviance Behavior that elicits a social reaction by violating the standards of conduct defined by society Social reactions to deviance ranges from the most socially harmful rape and murder to the relatively inoffensive joining a cult or cross dressing A deviant act becomes a crime when it is deemed socially harmful dangerous it will then be specifically defined prohibited and punished under criminal law Categories of social norms o Folkways i e shaking hands Nonbinding social convention o Mores o Taboos o Laws Strong convention about right wrong Prohibition on socially offensive acts Written formal sanctions designed to regulate behaviors Society does not always agree on the social and legal status of some behaviors o Even when society does agree consensus can change from time to o The definitions of crime and deviance are subjective and depend on time and place to place the specific time and place Table 1 3 What is Criminology Criminology The scientific study of the incidence and forms of crime and criminal behavior their causes and consequences and social reaction to control of and prevention of crime Criminal Justice The system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control deterring and mitigating crime or sanctioning those who violate laws wit criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts o Involves policing courts and corrections Criminology is Interdisciplinary study that seeks to explain o 1 Why some people engage in crime and others do not o 2 Why some criminals are arrested and sentenced while others are o 3 How the characteristics of social structure account for different not crime rates Who are criminologists o They are academics researchers and policy analysts who focus on understanding the nature and meaning of crime patterns of criminal behavior causes of criminality and society s reaction to crime What do criminologists do o Examine and evaluate the origins nature and interpretation of criminal laws and try to find ways to alleviate crime as a social problem o Collect data and use statistics to measure crime o Develop and rely on scientifically grounded theories and explanations of criminal behavior o Understand and describe criminal behaviors typologies o Study penology which is the correction and sentencing of known criminals Penology helps evaluate crime control programs in order to determine whether they are effective o They study victimology which is the recognition of the victim s role in criminal events The Popular Image of Crime Versus the Reality of Criminal Behavior The popular image of crime comes from media portrayals that provide a false representation of crime related facts and incidents o Crimes reported by the media are often the crimes that take place the least o The media focuses on dramatic unusual and shocking events and places less emphases on the everyday criminal behavior of regular people Truth Crime is committed by ordinary people Criminology and Theory Theory A set of propositions that put forward a relationship between the categories of events or phenomena we are studying Criminological theories must account for the great diversity of crime and incorporate a wide variety of perspectives o Must also take into account a variety of perspective such as individual psychological social psychological and social structural influences of crime Criminological theories help shape criminal justice and policy Criminological Research and Public Policy Criminology research allows policymakers to develop evidence based strategies and interventions It is the source upon which we rely to guide our understanding of current criminal justice issues What constitutes as a crime changes over time and from place to place Criminologists study criminal law with three perspectives on their origins Criminology and the Law and development o Consensus view o Conflict view o Interactionist view Consensus View o Crime is a social phenomenon that is generally agreed to be harmful undesirable and disruptive o Law reflects the beliefs morals and values of mainstream society and applied to all members of society o The criminal law or the written code defines crimes as all behavior believed to be repulsive to all individuals in society Conflict view society o Crime and deviance are products of unequal power relationships in o Society is made up of a diverse group of individuals which makes it difficult to agree on what is right wrong o Groups with greatest financial resources and political power define criminal behaviors that threaten their own interests o Crime control thus becomes a tool of the powerful to control the behavior of the less
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