Discussion #1

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Introduction: Understanding Criminology 

"We are all capable of becoming something monstrous" - Cyraus Foldger 

Whether or not we would like to believe it, we all have a “dark side”. In the field of criminal justice, it is important to recognize that everyone has the potential to make positive, lawful choices or to make negative, unlawful choices. This is the basis for our understanding of criminology. In seeking to understand people who might commit crimes, it is important to have at least a basic understanding of the theories on which criminology is based. To do that, one must also consider the background or history that led to the formation of a criminal theory.

 

Have you ever wondered why people break the law? To answer this question and before delving into historical theorizing, you must first have a clearer understanding of criminology, crime, and criminal law. According to Rimke (2011) several subareas exist within criminology. One of these subareas includes crime statistics/crime measurements. Criminologists focus on crime statistics/crime measurements when creating valid and reliable measures of criminal behavior. Additionally, criminologists delve into the subareas of psychological, biological, and sociological perspectives in their attempt to understand criminal behavior. In society new crimes and crime patterns are constantly emerging, e.g., Marvin Wolfgang's studies on victim-precipitated homicide, and Edwin Sutherland's, studies of white-collar crime. Criminologists also explore penology (efforts to control crime via punishment, sanctions, and corrections), and victimology. In that, a victim's behavior may often be a key determinant of crime.

 

 

References

 

 

Rimke, H. (2011). The pathological approach to crime: Individually based theories. Canadian Criminology: Critical Perspectives. Pearson Education Canada.