Criminology Study Guide PDF

Crime and Deviance: - - - - - - **Criminology**: the study of crime, criminals, and the criminal justice system - Earlier explanations of criminal behavior relied on religious, supernatural, or simplistic biological perspectives e.g. the presence of the devil was used to ex...

Crime and Deviance: - - - - - - **Criminology**: the study of crime, criminals, and the criminal justice system - Earlier explanations of criminal behavior relied on religious, supernatural, or simplistic biological perspectives e.g. the presence of the devil was used to explain certain actions that someone had been taking - The discipline of criminology emerged to challenge these assumptions - Criminology focuses on how and why crime occurs, impacts of crime on society, and the factors that go into someone\'s decision when they commit a crime - Criminology inspired the **Age of Enlightenment:** a time when scientists began to challenge the views of the church - Began as a subfield of sociology - Criminology became seen as a \'legitimate\' discipline during the 20^th^ century - It is a very wide field which incorporates many different disciplines and perspectives, such as psychology, computer science, political science, forensics, biology, economics, psychiatry, geography, law/legal studies, demography, and more - Criminologists are interested in assessing and analyzing all aspects of the **Criminal Justice System (CJS)** - **CJS**: Includes all institutions, aspects and personnel related to \'crime\' at all levels from the micro (individuals) to the macro (institutions) - People: victims, offenders, lawyers, judges and parole officers, cops, prison guards - Institutions: courts, police departments, halfway houses, prisons - Aspects: Laws, policies, media, news, culture **What causes an individual to engage in criminal behavior?** - The question above is one of the most fundamental questions of criminology and many criminological theories have been developed to potentially answer it - There are many different factors that contribute to crime: biological factors, social factors, economic factors, psychological factors, environmental factors - Causes of crime could include political neglect, local unemployment, growing up in a high crime area, or lack of social welfare - Criminology is studied to prevent or reduce crime, to understand new crimes and criminal trends, to explain rising/falling crime rates, to understand offender motivations and patterns, to create positive change and address inequalities in the CJS, and to understand the relationship between crime, society, culture, technology, the economy, etc. **Crime News Reporting** - - - **Examples of how the news media engages in the social construction of crime:** - - - - - - - **Why does the media emphasize, sensationalize, or over report news stories about crime?** - - - - **Crimes that tend to get reported in news media most frequently:** - **Crimes that tend to not get reported in news media:** - **The crimes that are the least likely to occur are the ones that the media highlights** **What does the media tend to leave out?** - - - - **Effects of the media\'s reporting of crime on individuals/society:** - - - - - - **Moral Panics** **Moral Panic:** A widespread and often irrational fear that some new product, behavior, action will threaten the values or well-being of society - - - - - - - **Examples of moral panics:** - - - - **Crime as Entertainment** - - - **Jack the Ripper and the Whitechapel murders in 1880s England:** - - - - - - **True Crime Media:** - - - **The True Crime Wave:** Started from the early 2010s and was heavily influenced by new digital trends such as: - - - - - **Criminal law:** The official definitions, terms, and (when possible) punishments relating to the criminal code - - - - The **modern state** is a relatively new concept, rooted in **social contract theory** **Social contract theory:** We enter into an agreement with the state to protect us and keep us safe and in exchange, we surrender some of our freedom and power of individual choice Canadian law is largely based on the **English tradition**: - - - - The Canadian Criminal Code: - - - - - Other components of the Canadian Criminal Law not found in the Criminal code can be found in various other acts: - - - **The Charter of Rights and Freedoms:** - - - - - - - Other laws in Canada may be determined at the national, provincial, or municipal level **Federal (national) Laws:** - - **Provincial Laws:** - - **Municipal Laws (bylaws):** - - Criminal offences in Canada are typically categorized as either **summary** or **indictable** offences **Summary Offences:** - - - - - - **Indictable Offences (felonies):** - - - - - **Who polices criminal law?** - - - Several other law enforcement agencies with varying jurisdictions and degrees of authority: - - - - **The Criminal Justice Process**: (typically) follows the following steps 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. **Punishment and Imprisonment:** - - - - - What functions does criminal law serve? - - - To be considered valid, a criminal law should serve a **public purpose** - - - - - - - - - - - - **Measuring Crime** - - - **What are some potential reasons for the decrease in crime since the early 1990s?** - - - - - - - - **The Dark Figure of Crime:** Just the tip of the iceberg - - - - - - - +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | **Quantitative Approaches** | **Qualitative Approaches** | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | - Tend to rely on numerical | - Tends to rely on | | data | non-numerical data | | | | | - Typically starts with a | - Typically generates a | | hypothesis that is then | hypothesis from the data | | tested using data | itself | | | | | - Tends to be more | - Tend to be more | | positivist/explanatory in | constructionist/exploratory | | nature: | in nature | | | | | - | - Often rely on subjective | | | interpretations of data (does | | - Are (in theory) meant to be | not necessarily claim to be | | neutral and objective when | neutral or objective) | | gathering/assessing data | | | | - Sample sizes tend to be | | - Sample sizes tend to be much | smaller and with a deeper | | larger with an aim towards | analysis, but often without | | generalizability | the goal of generalizability | | | | | - | **Examples of qualitative | | | research:** | | **Examples of quantitative | | | research:** | - - - - - | | | | | - - - - | | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ As a simplification, most ways of understanding or measuring crime and crime data can be divided into either a positivist or constructionist ontology. - Both perspectives may offer value (as well as possible oversights) +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | **Positivism:** | **Constructionism (or | | | \'anti-positivism\'):** | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | - Tends to see data, | - Tends to see data, | | statistics, and quantitative | statistics, and quantitative | | figures as unbiased and | figures as only telling part | | accurate indicators | of the story | | | | | - Belief in the scientific | - Belief that everyone and | | method and an objective and | everything is influenced by | | neutral means of observing | subjectivity and bias | | and understanding the natural | | | and social world | - | | | | | - Belief that essentially any | - Belief that some concepts, | | concept, idea or phenomenon | ideas or phenomena are too | | can be codified and | abstract or subjective to | | \'measured.\' | ever be accurately | | | \'measured\' | | - Belief that reality exists | | | independently of society | - There is no independent | | (there is an observable | \'reality\' outside of that | | natural world that exists | which has been constructed | | around us) | and reified by society. | | | | | - Tends to favor quantitative | - Tends to favor qualitative | | approaches of data gathering | approaches of data gathering | | and analysis | and analysis | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ **Criminology vs Victimology:** - - - - - - - - **Victim:** Someone who is assaulted, robbed, defrauded, etc. - - - - **Three different categorizations of victims:** Using the example of a car crash - - - - - - - - - - - - -- -- -- -- -- -- - Oftentimes, \'victimization\' does not end with the crime/act itself and can be an ongoing process - - - Some may be more violent, self-destructive, or reckless (and possibly more likely to become victimizers) themselves - In cases of abuse and/or sexual assault, victims may have prolonged troubles expressing physical or emotional intimacy in relationships - In severe cases, debilitating post-victimization conditions can develop (PTSD, traumatic responses, etc.) - May also be many additional time and financial costs of victimization **Can we accurately measure rates or likelihoods of victimization?** - The dark figure of crime applies to measuring victimization - Reported rates vs non-reported rates (via the GSS- general social survey, and other victimization surveys, as well as general estimations) - Typically the onus is on the victims themselves to officially report a crime - However, this is a lot less common than most people believe - Many victims of crimes fail to report them to the police **Reasons a victim might choose to not report a crime:** - - - - - - - - **Some current issues in victimology:** - - **Positive Developments in Victimology:** - Canadian Victim of Bill Rights enacted in 2015 - - - More cultural awareness of previously \'unheard\' victims - More cultural awareness of the ways in which certain victims are portrayed or not portrayed **Victim Impact Statement (VIS):** - With the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights, each victim has the right to submit and/or read a Victim Impact Statement (VIS) - A written/verbal statement composed (and often delivered) by victims - Allows victims to address their victimizers directly - Often include an accounting of how their victimization has impacted their life - Typically heard during sentencing hearings but may occasionally be heard at other stages (parole hearings, etc.) **The Case of Larry Nassar:** - USA Gymnastics team doctor accused of sexually assaulting over 200 (predominantly underage) women - During his sentencing, victims were given the opportunity to read their VIS Positivism: - - - Constructionist: - - Characteristics of the \'ideal\' victim: - - - - - - - - - Characteristics of the \'non-ideal\' victim; - - - - - - - - These victims are seen as less deserving of their \'victim\' status and are less likely to receive media coverage or sympathy