Week 1 : Intro to criminology Flashcards
What is crime?
- Crime is a socially constructed concept defining certain behaviours as requiring formal social control and some form of social intervention
- Legally, crime is simply an act punishable by law
- Crime is a normative concept, one based on moral norms/values
Indictable offences
serious crimes such as robbery, assault + homicide
Summary offences
Less serious crimes such as property offences
Crime vs offence
crime = general term
offence = refers to a specific interaction
Conventional crimes
- those committed by individuals/small groups in which some degree of direct (e.g. personal) or indirect (e.g. property) contact occurs
- offences most frequently under the attention of Criminal Justice System and the media
Non-conventional crimes
- Criminal justice system doesn’t necessarily pursue then cuz they’re often committed undercover of official positions + seldom punished
- crimes that cannot be explained by the customary references to the offenders personality
Deviance
- socially constructed concept that defines behaviours that violate a social norm but nor necessarily prohibited by law
- Concept is relative and evolutive
Crime + deviance hierarchy
- Hagan created to illustrate differences between crime + deviance
- 4 levels: Consensus crimes, conflict crimes, social deviations, social diversions
TOP : Consensus Crimes
Behaviours generally considered very harmful + deserving of sanction (e.g. murder, child sexual abuse)
NEXT: Conflict crimes
Not necessarily seen as crimes by the public, even tho they are crimes legally (e.g. driving without a seatbelt)
NEXT: Social Deviations
Behaviours considered disreputable in specific social settings and are regulated (e.g. swearing at a cop)
BOTTOM : Social Diversions
Minor forms of deviance which generally considered relatively harmless + are not subject to regulation (e.g. unconventional dress/ offensive language)
What is criminology?
- Broadly defined as the scientific study of criminal behaviour, crime causation, crime prevention and the punishment and/or rehabilitation of offenders
- Applied science cuz its findings can guide public policy
Criminologist
A behavioural scientist who may draw on many disciplines including law + ethics, psych, sociology, anthropology + bio, Econ + Poli sci (interdisciplinary)
Criminal Justice System
The agencies of social control which define + react to those behaviours falling within the purview of the criminal law
Criminality
Behavioural disposition that disproportionately favours criminal activity
Criminal justice
Scientific study of crime, the criminal law + the components of the CJS
Criminal Justice System consists of 3 institutions…
- the police
- the courts
- the correctional/prison system
All 3 operate under federal (department) + provincial (ministry) governments
Main Functions of criminal justice system
- To investigate criminal offences as defined in the criminal code (POLICE)
- to lay charges as defined under the criminal code (POLICE)
- To prosecute the accused in court, under the law (PROSECUTION/CROWN)
- To determine guilt/innocence (JUDGE/JUDGE + JURY)
- To sentence those guilty of an offence (within upper + lower limits set by the criminal code)
- To administer the sentence (CORRECTIONS)
Origins of crim
- 1879 French Anthropologists, Paul Topinard + Raffaele Garafola both used term criminology to refer to the study of punishment + treatment of criminals
- It was in the context of crime + punishment rather than scientific observation
- More interested in reforming criminal law than understanding etiology
- John Wigmore (1st North American criminologist)
- 1918 Maurice Parmlee first crim textbook
Criminal statistics
- Researchers rely on crime data to understand + predict criminal behaviour + assess impact of crime prevention?intervention programs
- Using scientific evidence that is valid, reliable + repeatedly observed
Sociology of law
concerned w origins of law + legal thought, social order + social control
Theory construction : etiology
- concerned w understanding causes of crime, its rates _ trends + predicting behaviour
- relies on scientific method
- all theories reflect the ideological/political climate of the day
- Interdisciplinary
Types of Criminal Behaviour
- the use of criminal typologies is a way of trying to understand + organize criminal behaviour
- Traced back to early 20th century Lombrosso w ‘born criminal’
- often attempted to explain how + why different types of criminals commit different types of crimes (causes +motivation)
Law enforcement, judiciary + corrections
- the 3 formal elements of the CJS
- how these elements , individually and collectively fulfill their tasks (detecting crime, dealing with criminals and protecting society)
Victimology
- Origins Lombroso + garofalo recognized importance of the victim’s relationship to the crime they suffered and to the offending individual
- the scientific study of the relationship between the victim and the criminal justice system (victims further victimized by the system)
- system can also make victims of innocent people wrongfully convicted of crime
Biology + crime
Idea that biological factors might play a role in criminal behaviour
Economics + crime
- Many studies have identified links between unemployment, economic recession, capitalism + crime
- Karl Marx big here
- Not widely accepted by Canadian criminologists
Geography/Environment + crime
- Criminologists here developed models + theories based on a wide range of environmental factors (moon phases to physical appearance of communities, etc.)
- Findings can often be used proactively to prevent crime
Political Science + crime
Political decisions regarding criminal justice have direct impact on the community
Psychology + crime
- Study of mind + behaviour, crim here focuses on how individual criminal behaviour is acquired, evoked + maintained
- Looks at differences in personality + mental characteristics between criminals + others
Sociology + crime
- Dominant criminological perspective in North America
- Study of human interaction
- examines the effects of such interaction on behaviour and the forces that underlie regularities in human behaviour
Gap between theory + practice
- recurring theme in criminology
- gap between way we know about crime + what’s being done about it
- ethical issues cuz research recommendations are intended to influence public policy + can impact so many lives
Perceptions of crime
our perceptions of crime involve a complex interplay of the facts available to us and the choices our experiences, values and norms tell us to make about which, if any, we will believe in and how strongly
Acquiring knowledge on crime (5 ways)
We have 5 essential means by which we acquire knowledge + gain understanding…
1. Logical reasoning
2. Authority
3. Consensus
4. Observation
5. Past experience
Not totally reliable cuz not scientific + each flawed/unreliable on their own
(1) Logical Reasoning
- We often form conclusions based on what we believe to be logical speculation
- However, our reasoning may be undermined by factors such as limited knowledge, personal biases + our capacity to ignore contradictions in our thinking
(2) Authority
- When an authority says something, we often accept it as a fact and think its credible
- However, research shows we seek out authorities with whom we can identify and whose views already align with our own
(3) Consensus
- We often rely on the wisdom of our peer group
- However, the ppl that make up that group likely have a common view w us
(4) Observation
- What you observe
- Preconceived notions or influence might effect your view
(5) past experience
- Most common source of support
- draw on prior instances or events that confirm our assumptions
- Information consistent w our expectations is also more easily remembered
Factors that shape public perceptions of crime (4)
- Personal knowledge
- Mass media
- Official state knowledge
- Theoretical perspectives
(1) Personal knowledge
- Public tends to be naive + pessimistic about crime trends + effectiveness of criminal justice system
(2) Mass Media
- Mass media responsible for conveying an image of rapidly increasing crime rates (Quinney)
- Media reports.. (1) reflect our conventional methods of knowing or (2) accused of causing moral panic
(3) official state knowledge
- Official data from police, judicial systems, correctional system
- limitations like reliability, validity, random error, systematic error, bias, political manipulation
- crime funnel
(4) Theoretical knowledge
- Directly impact public opinion + social policy
- Operationalization of these concepts subject to criticism
Stages of moral panic
COHEN 1972
1. someone in power defines someone/something as a threat (exaggerated claims)
2. Media depiction of threat in easily recognizable form; amplifies perceived danger; offering incomplete information
3. Public concern increases rapidly
4. Authorities and opinion makers issue a response - call for swift action to quell the threat
5. MP recedes or results in social change (e.g. new laws, increased law enforcement)
Main indicators of moral panic (5)
- Goode and Ben-Yehuda
- When do we know when a moral panic takes hold in a given society?
1. Concern
2. Consensus (public feels like there is a threat)
3. Hostility
4. Disproportionality
5. Volatility
