Ch 1: What is Criminology?

criminologist

One who is trained in the field of criminology; also, one who studies crime, criminals, and criminal behaviour

Sociological perspective on 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" -Fattah -harmful acts or violations against the fundamental prerequisites for wellbeing

Psychological perspective on crime

-"crime is a form of social maladjustment which can be designated as a more or less pronounced difficulty that the individual has in reacting to the stimuli of his environment in such a way as to remain in harmony with that environment" -crime is a problem behaviour (esp. human activity) that contravenes criminal law and results in difficulties in living within a framework of generally acceptable social arrangements -any behaviour that is maladaptive is considered a crime

informed consent

>ethical requirement -Research subjects must be informed as to the nature of the research about to be conducted, their anticipated role in it, and the use to which the data that provide will be put

administrative law

-regulates many daily business activities -violation of regulations may result in warnings or fines -eg. workplace safety

Pluralist perspective

>An analytical approach to social organization that holds that a multiplicity of values and beliefs exists in any complex society but that most social actors agree on the usefulness of law as a formal means of dispute resolution *assumption that different views exist but most agree on the usefulness of law as a peacekeeping tool *the legal system is value-neutral, free of petty disputes or above the level of general contentiousness that may characterize relationships between groups *the legal system is concerned with the best interests of society -Legislators, judges, prosecutors, attorneys, police officers, and correctional officials are assumed to perform idealized functions that are beyond the reach of self-serving groups, so official functionaries can be trusted to act in accordance with the greater good, to remain unbiased, and to maintain a value-free system for the enforcement of laws

Conflict perspective

>An analytical approach to social organization that holds that conflict is a fundamental aspect of social life and can never be fully resolved -social order rests upon the exercise of power through the law -differing values and diverse identities competing for power results in conflict (may be in the form of ethnicity, gender, or social class) -politcal and financial power -law is a tool of power

criminology and its different definitions

>An interdisciplinary profession built around the scientific study of crime and criminal behaviour, including their forms, causes, legal aspects, prevention, and control. >Disciplinary: -field of study or body of knowledge about crime -processes of making laws, breaking laws, and reacting to the breaking of laws >Causative: -uncovering the underlying causes of crime >Scientific: -study of crime, criminals and criminal behaviour

Legalistic perspective of crime

>Crime is human conduct in violation of the criminal laws of the federal government or a provincial or local jurisdiction that has the power to make such laws -without law there is no crime, created by legislative activity >Issues: -this perspective gives the moral high ground to powerful individuals involved in the making, defining, and imposing of law -some can escape being called a criminal because they make the laws -does not always recognize social, ethical and individual implications

criminal justice

>The scientific study of crime, the criminal law, and components of the criminal justice system, including the police, courts and corrections

Political perspective on crime

>crime is the result of criteria that have been built into the law by powerful groups and are then used to label undesirable forms of behaviour as illegal -defined in terms of societal power structures -criminal law may not actually be about what is right and what is wrong Issues: -laws serve the interests of the politically powerful, crime may be perceived by those in power as direct or indirect threats to their interests

Criminality

A behavioural predisposition that disproportionately favours criminal activity

evidence-based criminology

A form of contemporary criminology that uses rigourus social scientific techniques, especially randomized, controlled experiments and the systematic review of research results

social policy

A government initiate, program or plan intended to address problems in society

confounding effect

A rival explanation, or competing hypothesis that is a threat to internal or external validity of a research design

theory

A serious of interrelated propositions that attempt to describe, explain, predict, and ultimately control some class of events. >A theory gains explanatory power from inherent logical consistency and is "tested" by how well it describes and predicts reality

criminalist

A specialist in the collection and examination of the physical evidence of crime

general theory

A theory that attempts to explain all (or at least most) forms of criminal conduct through a single overarching approach

Consensus perspective

An analytical perspective on social organization that holds that laws should be enacted to criminalize given forms of behaviour when members of society generally agree that such laws are necessary -most of society has core values -law serves people equally and embodies a shared view of justice >law violators are a unique subgroup -this perspective views violators as improperly socialized, psychologically defective, or suffering from some other lapse that makes them unable to participate in what is otherwise widespread agreement on values and behaviour -may be challenging in our diverse, multicultural society with different values, norms, and beliefs

controlling experiment

An experiment that holds conditions constant (except the introduced experimental intervention)

integrated theory

An explanatory perspective that merges (or attempts to merge) concepts drawn from different sources

civil law

Exists primarily for the purpose of enforcing private rights and deals with arrangements between individuals, such as contracts and claims to property

What did Gibbs say the purpose of criminology was?

Find the answers: 1) Why do the crime rates vary? 2) Why do individuals defer to criminality? 3) Why is there variation in reactions to crime? 4) What are the possible means to controlling criminality?

Deviant behaviour

Human activity that violates social norms -some forms of deviance are not always considered criminal (eg. going topless, texting while driving) -relevant to the social context within which it occurs

criminal behaviour

Human behaviour, both intentional and negligent, that violates criminal law. -it may include a failure to act when there is a legal obligation to do so

quasi-experiemental design

Less powerful form of research than experimental design but still worthy

summary conviction offences

Less serious crimes, including making indecent phone calls, material benefit from sexual services, causing a disturbance in or near a public place, and loitering on private property at night

hybrid offences (dual procedure)

May be tried as either indictable or summary conviction offences. The decision on how to treat a hybrid fence is made by the Crown and is based on the circumstances surrounding the offence and the accused. -eg. driving while disqualified, uttering death threats

criminal law

Regulates actions that have the potential to harm interests of the state

secondary research

Research based on new evaluations of existing information collected by other researchers

applied research

Research based on scientific inquiry that is designed and carried out with practical application in mind

primary research

Research characterized by original and direct organization.

pure research

Research undertaken simply for the sake of advancing knowledge

indictable offences

Serious crimes including murder, robbery, sexual assault, hostage taking, perjury, and passing counterfeit money -carries a sentence of incarceration of 14 years or longer

social problems perspective

The belief that crime is a manifestation of underlying social problems such as poverty, discrimination, pervasive family violence, inadequate socialization practices and the breakdown of traditional social institutions

social responsibility perspective

The belief that individuals are fundamentally responsible for their own behaviour and that they choose crime over other, more law-abiding courses of action

data confidentiality

The ethical requirement of social scientific research to protect the confidentiality of individual research participants while preserving justified research access to the information participants provide

socialization

The lifelong process of social experience whereby individual acquire the cultural patterns of their society

research

The use of standardized, systematic procedures in the search for knowledge

criminal justice system

The various agencies of justice, especially police, courts, and corrections, whose goal it is to apprehend convict, sanction and rehabilitate law violators

correlation

a causal or reciprocal relationship between two measurable variables

variable

a concept that can undergo variable change

statute

a formal written enactment of a legislative body

self-report

a research investigation of subjects in other to record and report their behaviours

case study

investigation into an individual case

statutory law

law in the form of statutes or formal written strictures made by a legislative or governing body with the power to make the law -based mostly on English common-law in Canada -judged only on traditional practice and customs -exception is Quebec that uses the civil-law system

quantitative method

research technique that produces measurable results

qualitative method

research technique that produces subjective results, or results that are difficult to quantify

survey research

research using a social science data-gathering technique that involves the use of questionnares

participant observation

researcher observation a group by participating, to various degrees, in the activities of the group

research design

the logic and structure inherent in an approach to data gathering

social relativity

the notion that social events are differently interpreted according to the cultural experience and personal interests of the initiator, the observer, or the recipient of that behaviour

secondary analysis

the reanalysis of existing data

criminalize

to make illegal