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Criminology is the study of the etiology of crime – what causes crime and why. To answer that question, we seek to
detect crime and then accurately measure it in all its dimensions: where, when, and why is it distributed in time and place
where, when, how, why and who is committing it
where when, how, why and who are the victims
Based on an assessment of that information, a response or a treatment is prescribed in both a preventative and curative
context if possible. Criminology seeks epistemological
understanding so as to better prevent and respond to crime in a social/communal context and to minimize its negative
Impacts.
Macro differentiation/inter crime specificity
Micro differentiation/intra crime specificity
We overuse the word “cause”:
a. causality v. spurious correlations
b. causality v. accentuating, aggravating
impacts
It is impossible to speak of one specific
cause for the wide range of behavior
classified as criminal
◦ Macro
◦ Micro
You cannot call something a cause of an
event if it rarely produces the event. Many
factors impact in a non-causal context, and
would more appropriately be called:
Contributing factors
Precipitating factors
Accentuating factors
Aggravating factors
Compounding factors
Level 1 – Fear of Punishment
Level 2 – Promise of Reward
Level 3 – Altruistic Motivation
Justice will be realized only when people are
intrinsically willing to obey the unenforceable.
An interdisciplinary social science-based
field of study that seeks a core, etiological
understanding of the preventative and
curative aspects of crime that seeks to develop
and continually enhance a body of scientific
knowledge relative to preventative and curative
strategies; the seeks to create better
measurement instruments, better diagnostic
capabilities, and ultimately, better
preventative, control and treatment options.
Criminologists and justice professionals must:
* Uncover scientific truths/grow the body of knowledge.
* Be alert as to when the best time would be to bring the
results forward (be attuned to the zeitgeist).
*Engage in activities that create a politically palatable
environment/create a setting where truths can be aired
and implemented.
We must be both scientific and public criminologists for our
research to have any value.
I.) Demonological Theories 1.) Traditional - Augustine, Gregory I, Gregory VII, Jerome 2.) Pre-Classical - Aquinas, Luther, Machiavelli 3.) Social Contract - Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Voltaire
I.) Demonological Theories…continued C.) Social Contract - Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Voltaire
Behavior a mix of other world factors and by personal impulses and instincts, you agree to abide by the laws and the State agrees to maintain order, the State punishes when that contract is violated
Hobbes – people are basically bad, the reason there is crime is because the state does not punish with sufficient frequency and severity
Locke, Rousseau, Voltaire – people are basically good (new paradigm), head of the state is the servant of the people, rule of law (no one, not even the King is above the law), it is better to free a guilty man than to condemn an innocent one
Hobbes wins out initially, but Lockean et al philosophies eventually emerge in the Western world
I.) Demonological Theories 1.) Traditional - Augustine, Gregory I, Gregory VII, Jerome 2.) Pre-Classical - Aquinas, Luther, Machiavelli 3.) Social Contract - Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Voltaire
II.) Naturalistic Theories 1.) Classical - Cicero, Beccaria, Bentham, Burke
There are some aggregate costs (innocent
punished/guilty punished more severely than they
should be – read Liberty v. Order), but these costs
are the necessary and totally acceptable secondary
collateral consequences as we must avert chaos
and maintain order and stability as the
primary/overriding goal.
1. People are basically evil
2. Self determinism
3. Order the over-riding focus; liberty is but a
secondary concern
4. Deterrence Theory/Rational Man Theory
5. Focus on the crime
6. State punishes (not the church)
7. Utilitarian perspective
This was the prominent theory from the mid-1700s until the
late 1800s. The Kings loved it for it justified their harsh and
arbitrary use of power, as did another holdover notion from
the Demonological era, the Divine Right of Kings. There ideas
taken in tandem justified the Kings’ punitive ways, and loved
Bentham for justifying their murders and frauds.
Under Demonological theory, the Pope was the judge. Under
Classical theory (and its Divine Right of Kings notion), the
Kings were the ultimate judge. Under Positivism (our next
topic), it is the people who rule and reign (popular
sovereignty), and there are many perspectives that have
grown from this orientation.
I.) Demonological Theories 1.) Traditional - Augustine, Gregory I, Gregory VII, Jerome 2.) Pre-Classical - Aquinas, Luther, Machiavelli 3.) Social Contract - Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Voltaire
II.) Naturalistic Theories 1.) Classical - Cicero, Beccaria, Bentham, Burke 2.) Positivist - Lombroso, Quetelet, Comte A. Biological Determinism - Galton, Lombroso
- Constitutional - Gall, Goring, Hooton, Jacobs, Sheldon
- Bio Social - Hippchen, Jeffrey, Edward O. Wilson
