Brief History of Criminology - Criminology - Lecture Slides, Slides of Criminal Justice

Download Brief History of Criminology - Criminology - Lecture Slides and more Slides Criminal Justice in PDF only on Docsity! Brief History of Criminology Docsity.com Criminology • Criminology is the scientific study of the nature, extent, causes, and control of criminal behavior in both the individual and in society. • Crime is human conduct in violation of the criminal laws of state, the federal government, or a local jurisdiction that has the power to make such laws. Docsity.com Interactionist View of Crime • The main idea behind the interactionist approach to deviance is that the definition of what is criminal is socially negotiated • “It is not act itself, but the reactions to the act, that make something deviant” (Howard Becker, 1966) Docsity.com What is deviance? • Deviance involves the violation of group norms which may or may not be formalized into law • Some examples: criminals, alcoholics, compulsive gamblers Docsity.com Deviance • Deviation from norm is not always negative: • A member of an exclusive club who speaks out against its traditional policy of excluding women, or poor people • Police officer who speaks against corruption within the department Docsity.com Brief History of Criminology • Demonic Perspective (Middle Ages, 1200-1600) • Classical School (the late 1700s and the early 1800s ) • Neo-classical school (emerged between 1880 and 1920 and is still with us today) • Positivism (the mid 1800s and early 1900s) • Sociological Criminology (mid 1800s till now) Docsity.com Demonic Perspective • Looks for the cause of criminal behavior in the realm of the supernatural. • The human beings are seen as torn between supernatural forces of good and evil. • When we succumb to the influence of evil forces, we are drawn into deviant behavior/crime. Docsity.com Demonic Perspective ¢ Temptation Model * Possession Model Docsity.com Temptation Model • No matter how tempting the devil's offers might be, the individual always retains the ability to refuse to sin. • “Good force" offers rewards and frequently promises spiritual aid to help the beleaguered individual resist the devil's temptations. Docsity.com Temptation Model • The threat of hellfire or other eternal punishment for those who chose to do evil • “Those who have sinned more will suffer more. For them, there is no end to suffering and despair.“ Docsity.com Temptation Model-how to treat criminals? • Public humiliation and banishment were frequently used by religious societies. • For serious deviants, capital punishment would be a final solution. Docsity.com Possession Model-how to treat criminals? • One way of "curing" the individual is through exorcism-a religious ritual aimed at jettisoning the unclean spirit from the body Docsity.com Demonic Perspective Today • The demonic perspective is not dead today. • Consider the popularity of stories about possession, horror movies, tabloid tales and the spiritual imaginings of many people today. Docsity.com Exorcism today (Rhode Island) Mario Garcia ended up in jail on charges of puncturing his mother- in-law's esophagus with a pair of crucifixes Prior to the incident, the mother- in-law displayed erratic behavior. Docsity.com Classical School • Two famous writers during this classical period were Cesare Beccaria (1738-1794) and Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) Docsity.com Cesare Beccaria (1738-1794) • People should be presumed innocent until proven guilty (no torture) • The law should be codified (written) with punishments prescribed in advance • Punishment should be limited (less harsher) to only that necessary to deter people from ever committing it again (no capital punishment) Docsity.com Cesare Beccaria (1738-1794) • Punishment should be severe, certain, and swift • Severity is the least important, certainty the next in importance, and celerity, or swiftness, is about as equal in importance as certainty) • The criminal justice system should be organized around crime prevention Docsity.com The Neo-classical School • A revision of classical school • Neo-classical criminologists recognized that the free will approach had a number of shortcomings. • Leading proponents were Gabriel Tarde (1843-1904) and his student Raymond Saleilles (1855-1912) Docsity.com The Neo-classical School • Some behaviors are very irrational • Self-defense or mistake of fact Docsity.com Mistake of fact • If a defendant goes into a supermarket and places eight items in a basket which is presented to the cashier • Both honestly believe that all eight items have been scanned, and the defendant pays the sum shown on the bill • A store detective, however, notices that a mistake was made by the cashier so that only seven items were actually priced Docsity.com Menendez case  Eric and Lyle Menendez were convicted of first- degree murder for the brutal shotgun slaying of their parents in Beverly Hills. Their defense was based on the “abuse excuse” (expressive motivation)  The apparent motives ranged from the brothers’ fear of their father’s abuse to their desire to collect $11 million in insurance (instrumental) Docsity.com Expressive Motivation • Expressive actions are those motivated exclusively by rage, anger, frustration, or more generally, the heat of passion (self-defense, accidental homicides) Docsity.com FBI reports that… • Arguments (53%) • Participation in other felony crimes, especially robbery and drug offenses (32%) • Youth gang activity (8%) • Brawls under the influence of drugs or alcohol (4%) • Miscellaneous situations such as killings by babysitters, gangland slaying, and sniper attacks (1%) Docsity.com Positivist School in Criminology • Most people believe the leading figure of positivist criminology (often called the father of criminology) was Lombroso (1835-1909). • On Criminal Man, was first put together in 1861, and made the following points: Docsity.com The Underlying Logic Defective genes Atavism Mental and Physical Inferiority Criminal Behavior Inability to Learn and Follow legal rules Docsity.com Sociological Theories of Crime • Search for factors outside the individual - socialization, subcultural membership, social class • Explains crime by reference to the institutional structure of society Docsity.com