The Study Of The Evolution Of Crime

Monday 28 June 2010

What is Criminology?

When people look into criminology, they may initially be surprised by how expansive the field is. Anyone that is at all associated with the scientific study of crime, the relationship between the criminal and his or her environment, and society’s reaction to crime would have some sort of placement within the scene of Criminology. In some instances, criminologists are researchers that are trying to find the common links between deviant behavior and the environment, in order to try to pinpoint what it is that causes or perpetuates crime. There are currently a number of different theories that attempt to explain, through the process of science, what it is that causes a crime to take place. These theories began to emerge in earnest in the middle of the 1800’s. Over the course of the next 200 or so years, new theories began to spring up and eventually they began to involve genetics, hormones and biological makeup. Previously, theories of criminology rested heavily on society and the environment’s effect on the individual as a source to either push an individual into crime or away from crime. There are three distinct schools of thought when it comes to criminology. One of the first schools of thought, the Classical school believes that utilitarian philosophy is the supporting notion of criminology. They argue that individuals have free will and can decide for themselves what is right and what is wrong. The hedonistic, or self-indulgent, side of the body must be balanced against the rational of the individual. When the hedonistic side wins, crime may ensue. Rational is the side of the individual that would consider the penalty of the crime and, if the punishment is severe enough, is believed to be the piece of the individual that would keep them from crime by looking at the costs. Positivists are those who believe that the factors that contribute to the criminal’s propensity to go against the law do not rest within their own control. Rather, elements such as society or the person’s chemical makeup do. These are things that are considered to be outside the control of the individual, but are still things that may play what Positivists claim as the biggest part of the responsibility when a criminal has committed a crime. In the Chicago school of thought, individuals believe that criminals are a result of the disorganized environments from which they come. Later, this definition was extended to include the belief that older generations taught younger generations about the role of crime. It is then fair to say that these individuals believe that crime is a social occurrence only where the social makeup of the area is broken down and unequal. Crime is often considered to be a blemish when it comes to the society of an area. It causes people to fear when they should not have to. Criminologists are, in their own way, attempting to determine what causes a crime or instigates that type of behavior in a person in order to limit the amount of crime that takes place.

Thursday 24 June 2010

Recent Criminology Paradigms

In the Oxford Handbook of Criminology, there is a chapter in the book that was written by Jock Young. This chapter is entitled “Recent Paradigms in Criminology”. This piece of work is used by many people in order to take a critical look at criminology and the ways in which crime is affected by society and other influences. There is a particular influence that is placed on the society in which a crime takes place. In some areas the structure and organization which supports crime and the criminals, while in other areas there is more of an emphasis that is placed on the disorganization of society as a major factor in the perpetuation of crime in the area. In order to limit crime, it is important that individuals within a society put forth the effort to understand what it is that causes crime and the release of the criminal element into the culture or society. Jock Young’s chapter is a very important piece of the Oxford Handbook of Criminology. In many ways the entire books is an fundamental theory compellation for the United Kingdom, but Young’s chapter of recent paradigms in criminology helps readers and academics understand the new ways in which crime has changed or evolved over time. In addition, there are a number of ways in which differences in society and culture have shaped the ways in which individuals view the criminal elements in their society and the types of crimes that may take place within the region. Many things may help to bring forth a deviant behavior from a particular individual, but many people are interested in learning how these elements may incite one person to commit a crime, while another person may experience those same elements and have no inclination to act out with deviant behavior against the society in which they are located. In addition, it can be very helpful and effective for individuals to look at different individualizing factors. Some of these factors include the gender of a person, their age and their social class. These things may not initially seem to have an effect on criminology and the crimes that take place in an area, but the science of criminology has roots that incorporate these differences in important ways. Some people believe that there are a number of instances in which the gender of a person is ignored when it comes to crimes and criminology. There are a number of instances in which the male perspective in applied to all accounts of crime, regardless of whether or not the crime was committed by a male or a female criminal. Because of this, it is important for us to step back and look at the aspects to consider in order to accurately formulate theories in the field of criminology that are better and more complete. Jock Young is able to show many different ways in which this can be done by looking at new paradigms in Criminology that can be used by individuals who are interested in developing new theories and ideas.

Sunday 20 June 2010

The Similarities Of Victimology And Criminology

All too often, society is inclined to allow criminals to receive leniency for their crimes as a result of the environment in which a person may have existed. Even if the criminal was not influenced by their environment to commit the crime, the criminal is liable to adopt the persona of the victim in order to gain sympathy. This is often successful because when more well-off individuals are in the presence of those that are considered to be less fortunate, they may feel guilt. In many cases, this guilt is not necessary. However, if an individual begins to express their opinion that by adopting the role of a victim the criminal is dodging the responsibility of the crime, they will likely be criticized greatly for their thoughts. Victimology, even if it is sincere, is often a way in which individuals justify a crime to themselves and to others. For example, one of the most commonly held beliefs within the United States of America is that of the great American dream, in which everyone is happy, living in a nice house and the parents have stable occupations making a comfortable living for their families. This does not at all reflect the reality of inner city slums and poor rural areas. By clinging to the belief that no matter what, even without trying in some cases, individuals deserve to experience the American dream, they may be inclined to take what they feel they deserve rather than try to work for it. Some people will rationalize that they have no means to work for this dream, and they had no choice but to act out in the way that they did. However, this blaming of society does not change the reality of the situations. By allowing one person to get away with a crime because of a victim mentality would be a slap in the face to the people that do work to succeed. Herein lays the most important parallel between victimology and Criminology. While it is simple to blame society for one’s troubles, this does not begin to solve the problem. Individuals from all sides need to think about how the society may impact the role of the criminal and to take steps in order to change things. This way, when an individual tries to adopt a victim mentality, we can state as a society that there were other options. By outlining the different options in such a setting, even more people can be exposed to the ways in which society is working to stabilize equality between different categories of individuals and work to reduce crime as a product of environment or surroundings. Criminology works to examine how society and the criminal interact, and this needs to be looked at under extreme scrutiny in order to find the causes of problems and work towards successful solutions. There are also instances in which those who are perceived to be in a seat of power will become corrupt. It is important to look at this too. Individuals may attempt to adopt a victim role in this scene as well in order to appeal to the sympathetic public. Aside from sociopaths, individuals have moral standards that will tell them what is wrong and what is right. For anyone to adopt the role of the victim in order to gain sympathy is a ploy against the considerate nature of others. When it comes to crime, the people that should be playing the role of the victim are those who were victimized during the act of the crime. For individuals that live, they are many times much stronger than people may have believed them to be, and it is nauseating that the criminal will then try to adopt a role that the person they violated will not even take on in the court room.

Friday 18 June 2010

Solving Crime With Criminology and Forensic Science

There are a number of ways in which an individual is able to couple criminology and the practices of forensic science in order to catch a criminal. In some cases, the individual is profiled through criminology and matched up to the forensic evidence left at the scene of the crime. However, there are a number of other ways in which the two genres are used together in order to bring about justice within the penal system. Criminology is the study of how science and environment affects the criminal mind, as well as the interaction between individuals or communities and the criminal element. Forensic science is the area of study in which individuals are able to transform one small piece of information into something of substance. In many cases, forensic scientists are able to use pieces of forensic evidence and what they learn from this piece in order to effectively illustrate either a link between and individual and the crime or an alibi for the individual wrongly accused of a crime. A few major career focus areas for forensic scientists exist. Criminology areas of expertise range as well, although they are all trained by learning similar material in school. Forensic science fields are especially diverse and offer unique benefits within each one. Together, the members of the forensic science and criminology teams are able to work together in order to piece together their separate information to come up with one solution near completion, based on the facts they have all gathered. For example, a police officer working as a criminology expert may be able to psychologically profile a suspect, but they would require the help of a forensic scientist in order to match carpet fibers from the crime scene to carpet fibers in the suspect’s home or vehicle. By linking together all the separate notions that each individual is able to learn, a complete or near complete timeline of the suspect and crime can be composed. With enough evidence, this can be taken before a court and the trial will begi n against the alleged suspect. Some of the categories that exist for individuals involved in forensic work include medical examiners that inspect corpses, crime laboratory analysts that are able to look at the chemical and biological makeup of pieces of evidence, crime scene examiners, and those that assist in a technical or academic capacity. Through the combination of these different branches, coupled with the work of criminologists, crimes can be pieced together in a more logical and straightforward way, in order to illustrate to juries and judges the events of the crime and suspected individual. This is especially important because in serious cases the jury has to be in agreement that there is no reasonable doubt on the part of the individual defendant’s role in the crime. In other cases, the defense will use the forensic evidence in order to clear their defendant of the charge or charges against them. By using virtually irrefutable evidence of a scientific nature, the jury and the judge are able to clearly see how crimes are or ar e not linked to the suspect.

Monday 14 June 2010

A Criminology Overview

When investigators are examining and studying crime from a scientific perspective, this is referred to as criminology. This includes the parallels between crime and different forms of phenomenon such as the development of particular types of laws. Criminology also works to identify how to address the criminal behavior of criminals and how to eventually control the criminal element. Drawing on psychological and sociological research, criminologists are able to look at the different ways in which a criminal’s environment will affect them. It can also help when it comes to profiling criminals in order to understand them and have a better chance of catching a criminal that is on the loose. By using criminology, individuals are able to not only profile a potential perpetrator, but they are also able to take a more intellectual look at how crime is perpetuated in our world and what steps can be taken in order to limit crime. There are different schools of thought when it comes to how individuals approach the concept of criminology. Some of the most popular schools include those that are known as the Classical school, the Positivist school and the Chicago school. These schools were developed over a period of time, ranging from the middle of the 19th century and continuing well into the 20th century with the Chicago school of thought. One of the main factors that differentiate the schools of thought would be how the criminologists view environment in the life of the criminal. Some believe that the criminals have to take responsibility for their actions regardless of what is happening in the environment at the time, in line with the Classical movement, while others believe that criminals may be predisposed to crime, as is proposed by the Positivists. The Chicago school of thought poses the possibility that criminals are able to learn deviant behaviors from others and that when social organizations, such as schools and neighborh oods, are not organized they will not be able to control the criminal element that occurs. By identifying how an individual feels that crime is either created or continued, it can provide the basis for the school of thought that the individual falls under when it comes to criminology. Criminology experts look at crime in a variety of different manners. By defining the distinctions between the different types of crimes, it is easier to come up with theories as to how and why the crime took place. One type of crime would be those that go against core values. These seemingly natural laws are ones that are common among many different cultures, separated by time and space. Natural laws are those that are considered to be able to protect individuals and their property from abuse by others. Some of the more controversial laws include statutes which are put into place by legal institutions. The relationship between state and citizen is explored in these laws, which is what causes the conflict in some instances. As a result of looking at the different construction foundations behind laws, it is possible to understand the many different ways in which crimes are categorized. Organized crime, state crime, blue or white collar crimes and organized crime are some of the most popular types of cri me that exist.

Friday 11 June 2010

The RaeKwon Criminology Lyrica

There are many instances of violence that are portrayed to an almost grandiose manner in rap songs, and the RaeKwon Criminology lyrics are no different. Made up of several segments of lyrics, this rap song takes place almost as if on stage as a discussion between two people. It opens up with a conversation between two individuals in just this manner, before it goes into the song itself. In the opening dialogue, two men are arguing and in the middle of a verbal debate that sounds as if it is about to turn violent and physical, with the ending line being “You wanna go to war?” This makes it very clear what the intentions of the men are. They want to be aggressive and violent in the face of the person that they believe is holding them back or taking advantage of them. There are names that are said which would help to call attention to the racial tension that may exist between the two men, which is explored in more detail throughout the other segments of the song. In the first stanza of the song, the individual that is talking seems to be building himself up and calling attention to his ability to outmaneuver those who would try to capture him or stop him from succeeding in whatever it is that he wants to do. “Then I react, like a convict, and start killin” is a line that is particularly indicative of the nature of the individual. They are adopting the mentality of that which they have experienced through their formidable years. The rest of the dialogue continues to illustrate the points of pride for the speaker which he finds in himself, as he also tries to play off any sense of responsibility or morality that may have otherwise existed in the situation had his position been filled by someone else who was not as “sparkin and bustin” as the narrator is. Because of his abilities, he considers himself to be successful and hardcore to some degree. The next portion of the song is a response. In speaking to the first person, this new speaker is trying to maintain that he has not only more ability than the first speaker, but also that he has more street credibility, which is almost more important. He wants to toast with the first speaker, but he also calls attention to the fact that he has shot many people and watched them bleed. Nowhere in his discussion of these events does he seem to be apologetic for what he has done, and indeed he seems to react as if the people who went through this deserved this kind of treatment. Instead of listening to these lyrics and perpetuating this type of violence between individuals who are trying to be more “tough” or “street” than anyone else, as a society individuals need to look at what it is that supports these kinds of thoughts and desires. By understanding what it is that individuals are trying to accomplish through this violence, perhaps we can come up with different ways to achieve the same feelings of worthi ness and respect.

Tuesday 8 June 2010

Understanding Criminology Lessons

In order for anyone to get a degree in Criminology, it is important that they pass a series of tests that have been standardized and mandated by the specific college which the student attends or in which the student partakes. In order to ensure that men and women struggling to receive a criminology degree know the important basics of criminology and the relationship between crime and the public, it is important for the students to learn the same basic elements of the field. For example, there are three widely held beliefs that define different causes of crime and the criminal. These are known as the schools of thought for Criminology. The lesson plan at any college would then likely, if not undoubtedly, include an exploration of these different schools of thought in order to examine how people viewed the field over time. It is also important to note the differences that take place over time. Many people may not know it, but more schools of thought opened up after it was revealed that there might be some kind of link between an individual and their chemical or genetic makeup. Even hormones have been speculated to make a difference in this field. By looking at the different schools of thought, an individual can understand how time and scientific advances lead to a more individual understanding of how crime is produced. Many theories also arose in order to try to help explain what affected an individual and enticed them to commit a crime, including how society in general may have contributed to this calling. Lombroso believed that a criminal is born with the particular defect, and that a man or woman that possessed the chemical and biological makeup of a criminal will have no choice but to succumb to that lifestyle. Supporters believe that this is the nature of the criminal, and no amount of nurturing can change the outcome. Initially, crime was expected, by individuals such as Cohen and Felson, to be a choice. These people believe that criminals could choose to make a different decision but due to indifference or lack of knowledge, these individuals do not want to choose morality over the instant gratification that is rewarded by crime. These di fferent theories would test and be attributed to the different criminologists, all done while students are engaged in a criminology class, and preparing for the life that awaits them after graduation. A look at the criminal mind and the rational mind would also likely help individuals to establish their own personal beliefs about criminology and the reactions of society and deviance. It is important to allow individuals to examine these things individually in order to encourage students taking part in a lesson plan for the material to be able to form their own opinion, without it being the suggestion of someone else. In this way, it can be suggested that bias does not affect the lives of the individuals that are studying criminology, or influence the way in which they think about or relate to crime.

Saturday 5 June 2010

How To Use The Criminology Explaining Crime and Context 5th Edition

In undergraduate school, it is very important for individuals to be able to understand the material that they need to learn in order to graduate. This is why it is so critical for many teachers and professors to make sure that the text books they assign to their classes are able to understand the material that is written inside of the book. Because criminology is a theoretical science, it can be difficult to understand in all instances since there are no set or guaranteed facts, only theories that can be followed by the individual. As a result, it can be challenging for some students to succinctly understand the many different theories that are and have been used by individuals that illustrate criminology in a particular time or place. The course text Criminology Explaining Crime and Context 5th edition is one of the best books that will explain these theories and the contexts in which they have been used over time to the student. This is important because many career opportunities after college will req uire the individual to understand different key elements of the theories and approaches that are used when it comes to criminology. By learning this information prior to graduating, students are able to have a better chance of being successful in the field of criminology after graduation. This is a book that is used in many instances to be the core text of the course. It is very effective and covers a lot of the necessary material that individual interested in studying criminology will need to learn. Some professors will implement this course text as a book to be used to help introduce individuals to the different concepts and theories that relate to criminology. Others will wait a little longer to introduce the students to criminology in order to ensure that the students are properly prepared for what they will have to learn and cover when it comes to being able to graduate with enough information. Most courses will need a specific amount of time in order to properly cover the necessary information within the course text book. However, in the class room is not the only place where individuals can benefit from reading this material. There are many individuals that have an outside interest in the world of criminology. If a person is not interested in going to school in order to get a degree in criminology, but they still have a desire to know more about the science, then it can be very helpful for them to get this book in order to learn many of the similar things that they would learn if they had been going to classes on the matter. By allowing individuals to access pertinent information in a manner that is straightforward, more people are able to understand and learn about the complex theoretical science known as criminology. Like most text books in colleges, the text reader is fairly expensive, but the material inside the book is very beneficial and advantageous to the individual that is using it as a learning device, for personal or professional gain.

Tuesday 1 June 2010

Exploring The Canadian Journal of Criminology

Undergraduates are required to take a number of different courses during their schooling. Before the students can graduate with a degree in Criminology, certain criteria needs to be met. While the specific criteria can vary from school to school, there are some minimum requirements that the students need to meet regardless of where the go to school in order to receive their degree. Many people may end up being surprised by the number of different fields in which the Criminology major must spend time, but this is all part of the learning process that will eventually allow the individual to become well rounded in many areas, perfectly suited for the many roles in which criminologists function by combining insights about different categories in order to piece together a puzzle. Criminal elements are unique a fair amount of the time, and it is through the schooling process involving the individual in fields that extend past comfortable boundaries in which the student will be able to learn the most. In additi on to taking classes about law, government, politics, sociology, anthropology and psychiatry, many students will also need to take classes in chemistry or some other science. Over the course of their studies, students will come to realize that there are a number of papers that they will need to write and turn in to their professors. This will require them to come up with a compelling thesis and have enough evidence to support the thesis. As a method of support, many professors encourage or demand the use of outside sources. For over a decade, the internet has been a very popular choice as a resource for material to use when students have papers due. In college and graduate programs, however, many professors will allow some internet sources, but not all. There are a number of journals that an individual can use in order to expertly back up their thesis. The Canadian Journal of Criminology is one such effective journal. It is widely available in most libraries due to the fact that it is a particularly useful source for articles and documents outlining the theories, concerns and solution ideas of the authors that contribute to the journal. There are a number of articles that focus on Canada and the crime element in the specific county, but there are some more far reaching articles as well. Looking at different environments and results helps individuals to look at the scenarios objectively in order to come up with ideas as to why crime exists in certain geographical locations and what contributes to the criminal element within the individual mind. By enabling many people to contribute to the Canadian Journal of Criminology, the publishers are able to enjoy their journal being used as a reference source much more. It expands the environment to which the journal is describing, effective expanding their target audience. By using such journals as the Canadian Journal of Criminology, students can be assured that they are using a reputable source as a supplier of information for their term papers. Unfortunately in too many cases, sources on the internet do not have the same kind of reputable backing as the Canadian Journal of Criminology has.