Lecture 1
Advanced Criminology
Course Program
WEEK 1. INTRODUCTION, CLASSICAL CRIMINOLOGY
WEEK 2. BIO- AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES IN CRIMINOLOGY
WEEK 3. SOCIAL ECOLOGY AND CULTURAL THEORIES OF CRIME
WEEK 4. SOCIAL LEARNING AND CONTROL THEORIES
WEEK 5. STRAIN AND SUBCULTURE THEORIES
WEEK 6. CONFLICT AND RADICAL THEORIES OF CRIME
WEEK 7. CRITICAL CRIMINOLOGY AND THE PSYCHADELIC PROHIBITION
WEEK 8. CULTURAL CRIMINOLOGY
First thoughts on theories
• What is science?
• What is criminology?
• Why do we need criminological theories?
Science and methodology
• Knowledge increase
• Science is systematic, looking for trends, among other things through a systematics, a
scientific method
• Transparency of methods: e.g., systematic observation, experiments Scientific approach of
the law
What is criminology?
The systematic study of the nature, extent, causes and control of law-
breaking and deviant behavior.
What do criminologists’ study?
The famous American criminologist Edwin Sutherland described the domain of criminology as
follows. Criminology is the science that
a) deals with the establishment of rules and laws, that
b) examines who commits such offenses and crimes in what way, as well as
c) the reactions to them of the government and the population and that
d) formulates theories about them.
Is it a discipline?
Criminology derives its methods and knowledge from other disciplines such as:
• Anthropology
• Biology
• Economy
• Philosophy
• Political science
• Psychiatry
• Psychology
• Sociology
• (both micro and macro level)
, Empirical research
• Criminology is an applied social science in which criminologists acquire information about
crime based on empirical research.
• Testable hypotheses that are supported or refuted through empirical research
• This research forms the basis for understanding, explanation, prediction, prevention, and
criminal justice policy.
Testing of theories
KWALITATIVE KWANTITATIVE
These methods are intended to understand the These methods include figures, counts, and effect of
meaning of criminal activities of actors measures.
• Interviews • Secondary data analysis
• Participatory observation • Survey research
(When) Is Criminology Scientific?
• Crime or damage (i.e., law-breaking behavior or norm-breaking behavior)
• Borrowing theoretical frameworks from other disciplines
• Influence of policy makers, media, and politics
• Intellectually simplistic definitions of policy makers
• Political or media discourse Who pays, decides?
• Independent?
→ Science of deviance
Political and social changes
→ Crime is not something static, deviance is not
something universal, its sensitive to time, politics,
place, context, etc.
→ From micro to macro level what is going on in the
field & how these relate to crime
Sub conclusion
• Current criminology is moving toward a more inclusive and expansive criminology that views
crime as harm — regardless of regulatory law.
• Comparative and global criminology is moving toward recognizing the interconnectedness of
people in different countries and cultures.
Classical period 17th century
• The idea was that people were born as 'social types' with associated rights and privileges
such as status, wealth, and power (e.g., landed gentry and serfs).
• Absolute monarchies, and "justice" was arbitrary, barbaric, and very strict
• Corporal punishment and death penalty widely used (e.g., the gallows)
• Torture to force a confession
,Categories of the poor
DECENT POOR INDECENT POOR
• People who suffer from • Vagebonds
• Diseases • Homeless
Wounded Soldiers • Beggars
• Disabled • Riotous women
• Blind
• Orphans and poor children
• Elderly poor
The enlightenment
• An important change took place in the 17th century: utilitarian
philosophers recognized the injustices of the legal and political system.
• The primary focus of utilitarian philosophers was to transform arbitrary
criminal law into a fair, equal, and humanitarian system.
Cesare Beccaria (1738-1794)
• Humans are born as free, equal, and rational individuals with both natural rights (e.g., private
property) and natural qualities (e.g., freedom of reason).
• Individual sovereignty: individual rights take precedence over the state – laws to protect
individuals.
• Elected legislators to be represented by the people.
• “The greatest happiness shared by the greatest number.”
Cesare Beccaria
• The social contract, the legitimacy of the state's authority over the individual, arises from a
contract concluded between the two; certain freedoms are given up, including the right to
play in their own court, in exchange for protection.
• Crime breaks the social contract
• Responsibility to protect the innocent and convict the guilty
Cesare Beccaria – IMPORTANT!!!
• Idea of freedom
• Subsidiarity principle
• Proportionality principle
• Legality principle
• Weigh costs and benefits
→ Ideas like innocent until proven guilty, etc.
Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) → set up as wax figure
• Humans are rational beings whose laws must prohibit harmful behavior to increase the
happiness of the community.
• Founder of utilitarian school: seeking as much happiness as possible and avoiding bad
experiences
• Penalties are higher for repeat offenders (which lead to the 3 strikes is out later on)
, Jeremy Bentham
• Since punishment also inflicts damage, this is only fair if it
reduces a greater evil.
• Rejected the death penalty, as it would do more harm
than good and therefore violates the principle of
utilitarianism.
• Rational system of supervision in a prison
Bentham and his Panopticon
Ultimate Disciplinary Prison: Inmates cannot see who is in central
tower and/or they are being watched
Limitations of the classical theory
• Are individuals treated equally based on intellectual ability, age, mental capacity, and gender
today?
• Does this fit in a system in which several people receive more prosperity while all persons are
formally equal?
• Why do some people commit more crimes than others, when they would all have the same
sense?
→ Can we really treat everyone the same, is everyone the same?
The shift to justice theory
• Beginning in the 19th century, Darwinian evolutionary ideas, science, and technology
promised to "liberate" mankind from the philosophical perspectives of the Enlightenment.
• Specific scientific rules, such as observation and manipulation of variables were developed.
• Violators were diagnosed and deemed to require treatment based on their diagnosis.
• Shift from deterrence to rehabilitation (justice)
Rational choice theory
• Rational choice theory explains how some people consciously
and rationally choose to commit crimes.
• Potential offenders, with free will, consider the net benefits of
committing crimes (cost-benefits).
• Circumstances, situations, and possibilities influence decisions,
as these factors are considered in the calculation of the cost-
benefit analyzes of the risks (deterrence).
→ If you increase the risk, there will probably be less crime!
Situational and opportunity theories
• 1970s: 'Nothing works', what does work?
• Adjusting the environment (situation) to reduce the
opportunity for committing a crime (Clarke and Cornish 1983).
• Example: role of architects in manipulating the environment. Ronald Clarke
• Example: The number of thefts decreases after the introduction of the
steering wheel lock.
