1
Introduction into Criminology for Social Science
Students
Book
CH1:
Criminology
Criminology is the study of crime, justice and low an order issues, and the broader dynamics of
societies in terms of informing how those things exist and are experienced. So also the social and
cultural context, political climate, economy, globalization and human rights etc. need to be
consideredinterdisciplinarity of criminology (p7): as a field of study it draws in the expertise and
knowledge of people working across many academic disciplines
Criminal justice system (p12)
includes: Law making; Enforcement of laws (police); Processing, defence and sentencing (via crown
prosecution service and the court system); Prisons and probation (instruments for punishment)
- Laws are not fixed, crime is fluid.
- The decision to criminalize certain behaviours are influenced by pressure from the public, the
media, pressure groups, political or ideological agenda, changing social and cultural attitudes,
technological developments and so on. There is often a moral component to how we understand
behaviour and whether they are viewed as being problematic
- Needless criminalisation: disadvantaged to being criminalized. for example criminalisation of
homosexuality, abortion or rape within marriage
- intersectionality: how the combination of dynamics such as gender, class and ethnicity can interact
with one another to create or exacerbate issues such as criminal justice inequalities
social construction of crime
How much is viewed as ‘crime’ is a product of the dynamics of society at a given point in time.
What we at this moment define and treat as a crime (example: legalisation of drugs in some
countries).
Deviancy: acts that are outside of the mainstream values and norms of society. Some prefer to use
this term over ‘crime’.
Harm: harm-based approach to thinking about offending. Not only thinking about criminal behaviour
but all behaviour that causes harm. This also includes working conditions, environmental damage,
health damage, whereby there is clearly harm being carried out against people and groups.
One harmful behaviour (smoking weed) is criminalised in many countries, while arguably a more
harmful behaviour (alcohol) are not.
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Types of crime
- Acquisitive crime: acquisition (verwerving) or gain of property/money/tangible reward.
Examples: theft, robbery, burglary, fraud
- Expressive crime: do not involve the acquisition of goods, but linked to emotions/emotional
release
Examples: anger, frustration, violence sexual act itself is the goal
- Property crime: acquisition of property/damage to property
Examples: criminal damage, vandalism
- Crimes against the person: individual or group
Examples: violence or act
- Sexual offence: all manner of unwanted or inappropriate sexual behavior against
person/group
Examples: physical or otherwise
- White-collar crime: usually in a work context, for own personal gain
Examples: theft, fraud, status-based professions. Opposite: blue collar workers (manual)
- Corporate crime: acts committed by/behalf of a company for the benefit of company goals
Examples: financial transactions, negligence, industrial espionage
- Crimes to the powerful: acts committed by those in positions of power
(government/business)
Abusing their position of power, corruption, impunity
- State crime: acts committed/commissioned/advocated by states (government) to achieve
goals
- Peace crime: abhorrent/terrible acts against humanity
Examples: genocide, systematic torture
- Social harms: acts that harm communities or specific groups of people and are often not
dealt by formal laws
- War crime: during conflicts/wars
Examples: international laws, involves a disregard for human rights
- Status offences/crimes: acts that are prohibited, for certain groups/context
Examples: young people having their behaviors regulated
- Hate crime: victim/victims are targeted because of their personal characteristics
Examples: age, gender, religion, ethnicity, culture, sexuality
- Cybercrime: acts using or facilitated by emerging information and communication
technologies/internet
