Gottfredson and Hirschi - Criminological Theory - Lecture Slides, Slides of Criminology

Download Gottfredson and Hirschi - Criminological Theory - Lecture Slides and more Slides Criminology in PDF only on Docsity! Gottfredson and Hirschi The Generality of Deviance Docsity.com Criminologists complain that they don’t control their own dependent variable • What is the D.V. in criminology? • Is this unique to criminology? – What about other fields? – SO WHAT? Docsity.com HERE IS THE HOOK • The sanctioning system is only useful for describing a behavior. – i.e., assault is “illegal,” or alcohol abuse is “deviant” – it has no bearing on what factors might cause the particular act – the theory of sin IS the theory of crime, deviance and imprudence Docsity.com Where the Positivists Failed • Made the assumption that each type of behavior required a different type of explanation – “Property crime” different from “drug use” or “violent crime” – Tried to create a web of cause and effect with different forms of deviance and crime (drug and alcohol use causes violence) Docsity.com The “Big Picture” that they missed • Crime, deviance, sin, and recklessness are not separate, or distinct “types” of behavior – Crime: a behavior sanction by the state – Deviance: a behavior sanction by society – Recklessness: natural sanctions • According to G&H, a better question is, “what do these behaviors have in common?” Docsity.com