Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved Introduction
Crime-related entertainment extremely
popular today. Inexplicability of crime fascinates people. This text examines causative factors in effect when a crime is committed. It encourages an appreciation of the challenges of crafting effective crime- control policy. Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc. Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved What are your favorites? 22. Orange is the New Black Prison Drama 21. Luther Crime Drama 15. Homeland Crime/Terrorist Drama 14. Walking Dead Violent Drama 13. American Horror Story Horror/Crime Drama 12. Top of the Lake Mystery/Crime Drama 8. Boardwalk Empire Crime Drama 7. Archer Crime/Spy/Comedy 5. The Americans Crime/Spy Drama 4. Game of Thrones Fantasy/Crime/Violent Drama 3. Justified Crime Drama 2. Hannibal Crime Drama 1. Breaking Bad Crime Drama List drafted by: Slant Magazine
Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved Impact of the Media on Crime
What are the typical images on crime?
How are they distorted by the media? What types of crimes are normally featured? How real are reality TV shows? Do you believe crime related shows and information leave viewers with a mistaken impression of law enforcement?
Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved Activity 1
Gather up in your assign groups and
discuss the following: Discuss TV shows such as Cops, NCIS, Blue Bloods, Breaking Bad and provide the following information: What is commonly the gender and race of the suspects? The gender and race of the police officers? The type of crime? The products being advertised during these programs.
Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved What is Crime?
Four definitional perspectives
Legalistic Political Sociological Psychological
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Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved What is Crime?
Perspective is important because it
determines the assumptions we make and the questions we ask This book uses the legalistic perspective
Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved Legalistic Perspective
Crime: Human conduct in violation of the criminal laws of a state, the federal government, or a local jurisdiction that has the power to make such laws
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Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved Legalistic Perspective
Key shortcoming Yields moral high ground to powerful individuals who can influence lawmaking Laws are social products crime is socially relative, created by legislative activity
Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved Political Perspective
Crime: The result of criteria that have been built into the law by powerful groups and are then used to label selected undesirable forms of behavior as illegal Laws serve the interests of the politically powerful Crimes are behaviors those in power perceive as threats to their interests
Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved Sociological (Sociolegal) Perspective Crime: An antisocial act of such a nature that its repression is necessary or is supposed to be necessary to the preservation of the existing system of society Crime is an offense against human relationships first, a violation of law second
Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved Psychological (Maladaptive) Perspective Crime: Problem behavior, especially human activity that contravenes the criminal law and results in difficulties in living within a framework of generally acceptable social arrangements Any behavior which is maladaptive would be considered crime Includes any harmful or potentially harmful behaviors Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc. Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved Crime and Deviance
Deviant behavior Human activity that violates social norms Deviance and crime overlap not identical Delinquency: Violations of the criminal law and other misbehavior committed by young people
Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved Figure 1-2 The Overlap between Deviance and Crime Source: Schmalleger, Frank J., Criminology. Printed and Electronically reproduced by permission of Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.
Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved What Should Be Criminal?
Lack agreement about appropriate legal
status of behaviors such as drug use, abortion, gambling, etc. Question answered differently by two contrasting perspectives Consensus Pluralist
Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved Activity #2
Make a list of five legal behaviors, which
you consider deviant.
Compare and contrast the items on your
lists. Focus on the wide range of opinions present among a fairly homogenous group (university students studying criminal justice). Discuss possible reasons for differing opinions (e.g., religious beliefs, profession, prior experiences with the criminal justice system).
Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved What Should Be Criminal?
Consensus Pluralist Laws enacted to Behaviors criminalized criminalize behaviors through a political when members of process, after debate society agree over appropriate Homogeneous course of action societies Involves legislation, Shared consensus appellate court action hard to achieve in Most applicable to diverse multicultural diverse societies societies
Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved What Is Criminology?
Wide variety of definitions available
Text definition of criminology: An interdisciplinary profession built around the scientific study of crime and criminal behavior, including their manifestations, causes, legal aspects, and control Includes consideration of possible solutions to crime problem
Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved Criminologys Basic Questions
Why do crime rates vary?
Why do individuals differ as to criminality? Why is there variation in reactions to crime? What are the possible means of controlling criminality?
Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved What Is Criminology?
Criminology is interdisciplinary Criminology needs to be integrated Criminology contributes to criminal justice: Application of the criminal law and study of the components of the justice system Police, courts, corrections Focus on control of law-breaking
Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved What Do Criminologists Do?
Criminologist Studies crime, criminals and criminal behavior Criminalist A specialist in the collection and examination of the physical evidence of crime
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Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved What Do Criminologists Do?
Criminal Justice Professionals
Do the day-to-day work of the criminal justice system
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Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved What Do Criminologists Do? Academic criminologists Other career tracks Ph.D. in criminology, Work in CJS CJ, related field Private security or Teach in universities private investigation Conduct research to Law school advance criminological Work for legislative knowledge bodies, provide Publish in journals expertise to civil organizations
Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved Theoretical Criminology
Subfield of general criminology mainly
found in colleges and universities Assume explanations for criminal behavior
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Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved Theoretical Criminology
Theory: Made up of clearly stated propositions that affirm or assume relationships between events and things under study Criminologists have developed many theories to explain and understand crime
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Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved Theoretical Criminology
General theory Tries to explain all/most forms of crime through a single overarching approach Unicausal theory Assumes a single identifiable source for all serious deviant and criminal behavior Integrated theory Tries to explain crime by merging concepts from different sources Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc. Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved Criminology and Social Policy
Translational criminology Focuses on translating research results into workable social policy Sound social policy needs to be linked to objective findings of well-conducted criminological research
Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved The Theme of This Text
Social Problems Social Responsibility
Crime a manifestation People responsible for of underlying social own behavior, choose problems crime over legitimate Public health model to options deal with crime Personalized crime- Macro approach reduction strategies Micro approach
Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved The Social Context of Crime
Crime does not occur in a vacuum
every crime has a unique set of Causes Consequences Participants Crime provokes reactions from many sources Reactions to crime may affect future criminal events Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc. Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved Figure 1-7 Interpreting the Criminal Event
Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved The Causes and Consequences of the Criminal Event Crime is a social event, not an isolated individual activity Crime is socially relative
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Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved The Causes and Consequences of the Criminal Event Crime results from the coming together of inputs provided by the offender, the victim, the criminal justice system, and society Foreground features that immediately determine the nature of the crime Background causes generic contributions to the crime
Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved Crime and the Offender
Background Foreground Life experiences Motivation Biology/genetic Specific intent inventory State of mind (drug- Personality induced) Values/beliefs Skills/knowledge
Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved Crime and the Criminal Justice System Background Foreground CJS contributes to Proper system crime through failure response may reduce to: crime Prevent crime Presence/absence of Identify/inhibit specific police officers offenders Availability of official Prevent release of assistance recidivists Willingness of officers to intervene pre-crime Response time
Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved Crime and the Victim
Background Foreground Passive presence Victim precipitation Active contributions Active victim through lifestyle participation in initial stages of criminal event Victim instigates chain of events resulting in victimization
Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved Crime and Society
Background Foreground Legislation defining Distribution of crime resources Generic social Accessibility of practices and services conditions Socialization process
Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved The Consequences of Crime
Outputs/immediate consequences affect those parties directly involved Real impact mediated by perceptual filters Results in ongoing interpretations before, during, after crime Everyone associated with a crime engages in interpretations
Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved Integrative Approach to Crime
Text takes 3-D integrative view of
crime Try to identify, understand causes of crime Highlight processes involved in the criminal event Analyze interpretation of the crime phenomenon
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Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved Integrative Approach to Crime
Crime seen as emergent activity that
Arises out of past complex causes Assumes a course building on immediate interrelationships Elicits formal response from CJS, shapes public perceptions, may lead to changes in social policy
Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved The Primacy of Sociology?
Many disciplines have made important
contributions to criminology Many criminologists today operate primarily from a sociological perspective Many modern theories of criminal behavior based in sociology
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Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Frank Schmalleger All Rights Reserved The Primacy of Sociology?
New and emerging perspectives being
recognized, but sociological perspective dominates
Criminology Today, 7th Edition Copyright 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
