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Criminology is the scientific study of
The birth of criminology
The birth of criminology
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Criminology is the study of crime in general and the study of criminals.It focuses on the effects of crime on people and the society and helps criminologists and other agencies to identify what made an individual commit a crime and also how to prevent criminal behaviour within our communities. To begin with, crime was defined as evil between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and offenders used to be punished in a very barbaric way. The systems of punishments used to be bloody and inhuman due to the fact that criminals would get punished in public by different methods such as ; burning of their hands, whipping, hanging and in more serious cases like murders, the criminal would be burned alive or beheaded in public for his/her …show more content…
Campaigns for individual rights, the American and French revolutions and the increase of industrial production and exchange, changed the way of how crime was seen and defined and with the help of famous and educated philosophers, scientists and writers such as; Beccaria and Bentham , authorities and states started to understand that not all people are criminals, but that criminals make rational decisions and that crimes are committed in order to satisfy an individual’s needs for things like money, power or …show more content…
In this essay, Beccaria requested a different approach towards punishment and argued against the barbaric methods of punishment and the use of torture on criminals. Beccaria’s classical approach viewed criminals as free agents who make rational decisions when they commit crimes and not because they are evil. He believed that the punishment that criminals would receive ,should be proportional to the crime and the harm they have caused to someone and that the law should be applied equally to all people. Torture and capital punishment was brutal and cruel for Beccaria because his goal was to prevent people for committing crimes and not to punish them by using these methods. ( An introduction to criminological theory - Roger Hopkins Burke
The relationship between social harm and criminology has been discussed all around the world within different approaches. Some criminologists such as Hillyard and Tombs, believe to be a better alternative to the concept of crime, due to the fact that involves a lack of more harmful issues that go unpunished in our society, others disagree saying that, actions can only be penalized within communities if they are seen as a crime. However, crime is looked at differently within societies, social groups, and nation states, as a result of distinct cultures and beliefs.
Criminology is the scientific study of the causes and prevention of crimes. Criminology also uses a vast amount of theories to explain peoples’ actions, mental state, and their drive for committing crimes. Some crimes have monetary benefits, while other crime are committed in revenge or in spite of another, which would be called crimes of passion. Because it can be sometime difficult to understand why certain crime are committed, the only thing we can do is use theories to better decipher thoughts, morals, and reasons behind committing crimes.
The classical theory of criminology of the Enlightenment period ushered in several improvements to a barbaric system of justice which had been utilized throughout the Middle Ages (Bohm & Vogel, 2011). The classical theory encompassed the ideology of deterrence through the use of punishment, moreover, an importance is placed upon crime prevention through the use of punishment. This theory also held that all crimes would be treated alike, moreover, all offenders would be treated alike. The mitigating as well as extenuating circumstances surrounding the actions of the individual were ignored. This means all offenders would receive the same punishment without regard for their culpability.
Beccaria, C. (1963). On Crimes and Punishments. In C. Beccaria, On Crimes and Punishments. Englewood Cliffs: Trans. Henery Paoluccis.
Based upon prior criminological research, criminologists have long since tried to explain why criminals commit crime. Their research produced numerous theories and perspectives in an attempt to answer why crime is committed and in the process created new knowledge in criminology research as more data was acquired. The information learned has become a valuable tool for the criminal justice system because they ultimately have the responsibility to punish the law breakers. Deterrence research, in particular has been used to support additional punishments when sentencing criminals (Schmalleger, 2012).
Those who want to be involved in the criminal justice system can confuse criminology and criminal justice. Even those who are currently in school for one of those careers can use the terms interchangeably, but there are distinct differences. When you're in school to become a police officer, you're not in a program for criminology, and if you're looking to have a career as a crime scene investigator, you're not taking criminal justice courses.
Classical Criminology is “narrowly concerned with the administration of justice, rather than… exploring the causes of crime and criminal motivations” (Classical Criminology, pg. 44). Classical criminology was developed in the eighteen century, and was well associated with the Enlightenment. By that time, enlightenment thinkers such as John Locke and Hobbes laid a great stress on human equality, to create a social foundation (Classical Criminology, pg. 43). On the other hand Beccaria who was a classical criminology figure, acknowledged that while human rights was important, it was also important and necessary to have justice, social order and rules. Beccaria aid to the creation of a law, which the people would have to follow, and if those laws were to be broken, then there would be a certain punishment. Beccaria believed that punishment “should have one purpose- to deter
Criminology is a branch of sociology as people in this field study the motives, impacts and aspects of crime. They study many different things such as; the frequency of crimes, location of crimes, causes of crimes, types of crimes, social and individual consequences of crimes, social reactions to crime, how individuals react to crime, and how the government reacts to crime. Their main goal is to limit crime to as little as possible by focusing on the psychological standpoint of it all. In many cases, criminologists go into one of three fields; forensic psychology (study of psychology and the law), environmental criminology (literal study of crime and how location plays into it), and criminalistics (study of crime detection). Each are important and study the different angles of crime and why it happens.
In criminal justice, certain requirements must be met so that the defendant can be held accountable for the crime committed. Mental illness can be a very major reason for committing a crime, and when someone who is mentally unhealthy becomes a criminal the case is much more complex than with an average person. There are many cases where a defendant is deemed mentally unstable and thus are not considered entirely responsible for their actions. In cases where sanity is at question the court must determine a few things for the accused to be held wholly accountable, the defendant must have committed the crime in a clear state of mind, that they were mentally healthy at the time of the crime, that they had intent to carry the crime out, and they
To begin with, this paper will investigate the Crime and the different reasons why they are committed and whether or not those who commit certain crimes with good intentions are blameless or not. In order to determine if a crime is acceptable in certain situations or not the term “crime” has to be defined and the different motives why people commit crimes have to be clarified. Most people’s understanding of a crime is that it is an action punishable by society. According to Oxford dictionary, crime is “an action or omission which constitutes an offence and is punishable by law.” Although this is the most common and generally accepted definition, there are many ambiguities regarding what it is that defines an action that is punishable. Who determines what actions are punishable and what actions are not? Also if the same act is committed in one society and is punishable, could it be committed in another society and not be punishable? Though there is a worldwide understanding of severe crime commitment and its punishments, including theft, murder, or abuse. I would like to convey a point through numerous examples and research that in many cases certain crimes are committed in good faith. Moreover this paper will also show the different theoretical justifications behind criminal acts.
Ever since the beginning of time man has committed crimes. Crimes were described as acts which go against the social and moral norms of society and people. People have learned to deal with these crimes in many different ways. One of the most used forms of dealing with crime is punishing those who commit crimes. There are numerous ways in which people have punished those who commit crimes throughout history from making the criminal pay fines to banishing them from the community. However, in modern times, there are fewer acceptable forms of punishment that are used. For very unserious crimes, governments may simply make a criminal pay a small fine or do service for the community in some way. Offenders who commit more serious crimes may be forced to spend months or years in jail or prison. However, for the most serious crime of premeditated murder there is an even greater punishment; the punishment of death. According to Jacquelyn C. Black, since 1976 when the death penalty was reinstated, over 821 men and women have been executed in the United States.
The Classical School of Criminology generally refers to the work of social contract and utilitarian philosophers Cesare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham during the enlightenment in the 18th century. The contributions of these philosophers regarding punishment still influence modern corrections today. The Classical School of Criminology advocated for better methods of punishment and the reform of criminal behaviour. The belief was that for a criminal justice system to be effective, punishment must be certain, swift and in proportion to the crime committed. The focus was on the crime itself and not the individual criminal (Cullen & Wilcox, 2010). This essay will look at the key principles of the Classical School of Criminology, in particular
person knew that a particularly painful punishment was in-store for them, they would not commit the crime. This led to the creation of such punishments as beatings, torture, banishment, death, fines, and public humiliation.
In contrast to crime science’s concentration on finding the right answers to cease crimes against humanity, criminology emphasizes on the significance of investigating both crimes and criminals independently. If criminology is perceived to interpret crimes, then, criminal science is designated to fix
Theoretically criminology is the attempt to understand crime and previous patterns. Criminology is also describe as an interdisciplinary profession built around the scientific study of crime and criminal behavior that includes its forms, causes, legal aspects and control. The Criminology is regarded more as a behavioral or social science that studies the causes of criminal behavior and the social response to crime. Criminology has many areas of research that includes for example the incidence, forms, causes and consequences of crime, as well as social and governmental regulations and reaction to crime.