Sutherland & Cressy (1960) Criminology is the scientific approach to: a. the study of criminal behavior b. society’s reaction to law violations and violators

Criminology vs. Criminal Justice The Study of Agencies Related to the Control of Crime Criminology The study of crime trends, nature of crime, theories of crime Note: This is a “Criminology” text with a little bit of Criminal Justice at the end

Criminology vs. Deviance Criminology Focuses on Crimes Crime = violation of criminal law Deviance Focuses on Violations of Societal Norms These may or may not also be law violations

Criminology as a Discipline Until recently, (1970s) there was no such thing as a degree in “criminology” or “criminal justice.” 1900s-1970s: Degree in sociology or urban studies (emphasis on crime). Implication? Sociology dominates. See your text book (fear/mistrust of “individual trait explanations)

A Sociological Criminology—The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Good: Focus on social structure horizontal and vertical), healthy skepticism (debunking motif) Bad: Ignore/ridicule “outside” disciplines (psych/bio) and their focus on individual differences The Irony? Psychologists and biologists believe that social forces are as or more important than individual differences Ugly: When “debunking” turns to knowledge destruction

A Crude History of Criminology Middle Ages Superstition, religion, and fear Classical School (1750s-1900) Utilitarian philosophy (Becarria) Free Will, Hedonistic Calculus Positive School (1900-present) Bio/psych determinism (1900-1920s) Lombroso’s “Ativism” Intelligence, Personality

Crude History—Part II Sociological theory (1920s-Present) Durkheim, Merton and the “Chicago School” Political philosophy (1960s-early 1970s) Marx Neo-classical (Late 1970s-1990s) Currently? Developmental Theory (interdisciplinary)

Differing views on the law and criminal justice system Consensus View Law defines crime; Agreement exists on outlawed behavior Laws apply to all citizens equally Conflict view Law is a tool of the ruling class (to control the underclass) Crime is a politically defined concept Implications?

Research in Criminology Survey Research Most common Cross-sectional versus longitudinal Experimental Research Official and Aggregate Data Research

Ideology in Criminology and Criminal Justice Walter Miller Ideology is the “permanent hidden agenda of Criminal Justice” What is “Ideology?” Liberal/Progressive Ideology Conservative Ideology Radical Ideology

Implications of Ideology for Crime and Justice Conservatives tend to fit with “Classical School” “Neo-Classical” = deterrence, incapacitation Liberal/Progressive fit with positive school “Root causes” of crime only fixed by social change Rehabilitation may be possible Radical = Marxist/conflict theory

Distinguishing Ideology from Fact Most research projects, papers, and books are influenced by ideology Some are driven almost entirely by ideology The Bell Curve Familiarity with ideology, research methods and statistics will help you “sift” ideology from empirical fact