Discussion #1

Criminology, Crime, and Criminal Law.html

Criminology, Crime, and Criminal Law

First, let’s begin with the term criminology. The main point or objective of criminology goes beyond the surface of how laws are made and what the response is to a law being broken. The study of criminology is also about gaining in-depth knowledge about crime and why people commit crimes. Knowledge about crime beyond right from wrong is important to law enforcement officers. Law enforcement personnel need to understand why crimes are committed so that they are better able to prevent crime from occurring. It also helps them after the fact, to catch those who commit crimes.

 

Criminology, as a discipline, is held together by a single concern, crime. What is a crime, you may ask? In very basic terms, a crime is any action that is committed in violation of criminal law. So the follow-up question might be, “What is criminal law?” Criminal law deals with legal cases in which people are accused of committing crimes, but more specifically, crimes that pertain to harming others and/or property. Examples of criminal law crimes are murder, assault, larceny, and theft. Criminal law is based on committing a crime that negatively affects society as a whole. If found guilty of such a crime, offenders will be punished and will most likely be sent to prison.

 

I would like to note here that there is a second type of law, civil law. Breaking a civil law is not considered criminal or a crime as the offender is not punished but rather ordered to correct the wrong done. Civil laws cover issues such as not paying your bills, not upholding your part in a contract, false advertising, accidents (not due to driving under the influence), etc. Breaking a civil law could result in being sued and going to court to have the matter settled legally.

 

Returning to criminal law - criminal law has expanded in response to national and transnational concerns to include crimes connected to terrorism, organized crime, and computer crime. This is especially true since the events of September 11, 2001, as well as the ever-increasing advances in technology. While terrorism, once a relatively new area of study, has expanded tremendously since 9/11, it is still fairly new as it relates to criminology. Similarly, there is now more discussion (and criminal laws) regarding computer crimes, in particular, cybercrime.