Engaged Criminology,
1st edition
Chapter 1: What Is Criminology?
Criminology as a Social Science:
Multidisciplinary and Changing (1 of 8)
Criminology Is a Social Science
• Branch of sociology.
• Multidisciplinary.
• Three domains of study.
• Scientific study.
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Criminology as a Social Science:
Multidisciplinary and Changing (2 of 8)
Making of Laws
• Ongoing social process.
• Criminologists do not always agree.
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Criminology as a Social Science:
Multidisciplinary and Changing (3 of 8)
Breaking of Laws
• What causes crime?
• Factors in explaining criminal behavior.
• Motivation, control, and opportunity.
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Criminology as a Social Science:
Multidisciplinary and Changing (4 of 8)
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Criminology as a Social Science:
Multidisciplinary and Changing (5 of 8)
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Criminology as a Social Science:
Multidisciplinary and Changing (6 of 8)
Components of Criminological Explanations
• What causes household burglary rates to
change?
• Why are rates of police brutality higher in
some communities?
• Why do men commit more homicide?
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Criminology as a Social Science:
Multidisciplinary and Changing (7 of 8)
Reactions to Law-Breaking
• Intentional spitting and the pandemic.
• Criminal justice system.
• Questioning the term “criminal justice.”
• Mass incarceration.
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Criminology as a Social Science:
Multidisciplinary and Changing (8 of 8)
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Origins of Law: Society and Power
(1 of 3)
Law: What Is Acceptable and Unacceptable
• Causes of legal responses.
• Consensus perspective and conflict
perspective.
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Origins of Law: Society and Power
(2 of 3)
Consensus Perspective
• Assumptions of consensus perspective.
• Émile Durkheim
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Origins of Law: Society and Power
(3 of 3)
Conflict Perspective
• Assumptions of conflict perspective..
• Misdeeds of people with low incomes
versus high incomes.
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Defining Crime: Morals and Deviance
(1 of 9)
• Acts can be considered deviant and
immoral while not being criminal.
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Defining Crime: Morals and Deviance
(2 of 9)
Crime Versus Deviance
• Proclaiming an act to be crime.
• Social norms.
• Types of social norms.
• Deviance.
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Defining Crime: Morals and Deviance
(3 of 9)
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Defining Crime: Morals and Deviance
(4 of 9)
The Harm Principle
• Not all non-conforming acts are criminal.
• That which causes harm to other people.
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Defining Crime: Morals and Deviance
(5 of 9)
Mala in Se Versus Mala Prohibita Crimes
• Mala in se: considered morally wrong.
• Mala prohibita: regarded as wrong
because they are against the law.
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Defining Crime: Morals and Deviance
(6 of 9)
Legalistic Definition
• Basic definition.
• Legalistic definition of crime.
• Three requirements of crime.
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Defining Crime: Morals and Deviance
(7 of 9)
Criminal Law Versus Civil Law
• Criminal law: offense against the state or
federal government.
• Two types of criminal law.
• Civil law: disputes between parties.
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Defining Crime: Morals and Deviance
(8 of 9)
Interactionist Definition
• Suggestions from interactionist definition.
• Based on relativism.
• Relativist view differs from absolutism.
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Defining Crime: Morals and Deviance (9 of 9)
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EXPLAINING CRIME:
STUDIES AND EVIDENCE
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Terminology
• Etiology: the study of causes
– We will study the etiology of crime using data and theory
• Theory: an abstract explanation
– Composed of proposed relationships between two or
more concepts (what causes crime?)
• Etiological theories
– We research criminogenic conditions and risk factors for
crime
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Theories
• “Good” versus bad theories
– Not all theories are equal!
• Examination of theories
– Scope: too broad or narrow?
– Logical consistency: does it agree with what we
know to be true about crime patterns?
– Empirical validity: is the evidence empirically
valid?
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Characteristics of Good Criminological
Theories
• Parsimony and scope
– Concise and simple is better
– Broader is better
• Logical consistency
– Theories must pass the logic test, given what we
know about crime patterns
– Claims must not be contradictory or built on
compatible assumptions about human nature
• Does the theory make sense?
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Characteristics of Good Criminological
Theories
• Falsifiability
– Must be testable using data; concepts must be
observable and measurable
– Bad theories cannot be falsified no matter how much
data you analyze
• Empirical validity
– Is the theory supported by the evidence?
– Those supported by evidence across multiple
examinations (repetition) are preferred
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Determining Crime Causation
• Three Criteria:
– Statistical association
• Must be correlated with crime; there is a
relationship
– Temporal order
• Cause must precede the crime in time
– Non-spuriousness
• Must not be driven by a “third variable”
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CAREER FIELDS THAT USE
CRIMINOLOGY
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Forensics, Human Services, and
Applied Research
• Criminology offers insights to the causes of crime
– Benefits criminal justice professionals
– How else could they best use their job to prevent
crime?
• Research-informed agencies and institutions
– Implement practices shown to produce the highest
levels of confidence, fairness, and public safety
– D.A.R.E.
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Forensic Fields
• Types of professional goals
– Might be appealing if you are drawn to the study of
crime but have professional goals related to
nursing, accounting, toxicology, pathology, clinical
psychology, chemistry, biology, or computer science
• Scientific techniques
– Forensics are the scientific techniques used in the
detection of crime or in legal processes
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Human Services
• Broad career field
– Social workers, case managers, child advocates,
crisis intervention counselors, substance abuse
counselors, community outreach workers, mediation
specialists
• Theme: serving needs of specified group
– Best able to help folks when you understand the
causes of their behavior, risk factors, environmental
concerns, etc.
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Examples of Human Services Careers
• Child advocate
– Liaison between neglected/abused kids and
state agencies (in court, working with families,
arranging services)
• Mediator
– Work with those in conflict to resolve disputes
outside of court system
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Examples of Human Services Careers
• Juvenile court liaison
– Ensure communication between school districts,
parents, social services, police, attorneys, and juveniles
– Screenings and assessments, attendance issues,
supervisory teams, recommendations for services
• Victim services coordinator
– Assisting crime victims in accessing services,
compensation, dealing with the system, instructing
police on practices
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Applied Research
• Basic research
– Theory testing and looking at foundational principles in
criminology
– Usually done by academics and other researchers
• Criminological applied research
– Focuses on particular settings to identify immediate,
real-world applications
– Academics but also non-profits, government agencies,
etc.
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Learning Objectives
1.1 Describe the three primary domains of criminological
study.
1.2 Differentiate the legalistic and interactionist definitions
of crime.
1.3 Compare the consensus and conflict perspectives on the
origins of law.
1.4 Identify characteristics of good criminological theories.
1.5 Explore career fields that use criminology.
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Reminders
• Due This Week
– Chapter 1 Knowledge Checks
– Chapter 1 Quiz
• Optional Information Card Quiz
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