Introduction to Criminology

Criminology - the scientific study of crime and criminal behavior and law enforcement.

3 Main School of Thought

1. Classical school
2. Positivist school
3. Chicago school

Classical school - based on utilitarian philosophy developed in the 18th century. This school of thoughts argue

1. That people have free will to choose how to act.

2. Deterrence is based upon the notion of the human being as a hedonist who seeks pleasure and avoid pa
and a rational calculator weighing up the cost and benefits of the consequences of each action.
3. Punishment of sufficient severity can deter people from crime as the cost (penalties) outweigh benefits
that the severity of punishment should be proportionate to the crime.
4. The more swift and certain the punishment, the more effective it is in deterring criminal behavior.

Prominent Philosophers of Classical school

1. Cesare Becarria - author of crimes and punishment.

2. Jeremy Bentham - inventor of the panopticon - type of institutional building designed to allow an obs
to observe inmates of an institution without them being able to tell whether or not they are being watch

Positivist school - presumes that criminal behavior is caused by internal and external factors outside of the
individuals control.

Positivism can be broken in 3 segments which include:

1. Biological
2. Psychological
3. Social - - one of the largest contributors
to biological positivism and founder of
the Italian school of criminology is Cesare
Lombroso.

Italian School
  Cesare Lombroso - an Italian doctor and sometimes regarded as the father of criminology. Considered
as the founder of criminal anthropology. He suggested that physiological traits such as the measuremen
the check bones or hairline or a cleft palate, considered to be throwbacks to neanderthal man, were
indicative of "atavistic criminal tendencies". This approach has been superseded by the beliefs of Enric
Ferri.
 Enrico Ferri - a student of Lombroso, believe that social as well as biological factors played a role and
held the view that criminals should not be held responsible when factors causing their criminality were
beyond their control.
 Sociological positivism - suggest that societal factors such as poverty, membership of subcultures or lo
levels of education can predispose people to crime.

1. Adolphe Quetelet - made use of data and statistical analysis to gain insight into relationship between c
and sociological factors. He found that age, gender, poverty, education and alcohol consumption were
important factors related to crime.
2. Rawson W. Rawson - utilized crime statistics to suggest a link between population density and crime
with crowded cities creating an environment conducive for crime.
3. Joseph Fletcher and John Glyde - also presented papers to the statistical society of London on their
studies of crime and its distribution.
4. Henry Mayhew - used empirical methods and an ethnographic approach to address social questions an
poverty.
5. Emile Durkheim - viewed crime as an inevitable aspect of society with uneven distribution of wealth a
other differences among people.

Chicago school - arose in the early 20th century, through the work of Robert Park, Ernest Burgess and other u
sociologist at the university of Chicago. Park and Burgess identified five concentric zones that often exist as ci
grow, including the zone in transition which was identified as most volatile and subject to disorder.

 Edwin Sutherland - suggested that people learn criminal behavior from older, more experienced crimi
that they may associate with. (differential association).

2 Main difference between the classical and positivist schools ofcriminology

Classical school Positivist school
1.Free will 1. Determinism
2. Philosophy 2. Scientific methods

De minimis - is an addition to a general harm principle.The general harm principle fails to consider the possib
of other sanctions to prevent harm, and the effectiveness of criminalization as a chosen option.

Thanatos - a death wish.

Tagging - like labeling, the process whereby an individual is negatively defined by agencies of justice.

Criminology Consists of 3 Principal Divisions

1. Sociology of Law - which is an attempt at scientific
analysis of the conditions under which criminal law
influences society.
2. Criminal Etiology - which is an attempt at scientific
analysis of the study of causes or reasons for
crime.
3. Penology - concerned with control crime by
repressing criminal activities through the fear of
punishment.

Crime - is a wrong doing classified by the state as a felony or misdemeanor.

Felony - is a serious crime punishable by at least one year in prison.

Misdemeanor - is a crime for which the punishment is usually a fine and/or up to one year in jail.

*Crimes are defined and punished by statutes and by

the common law.

Etiology - study of causes and reasons for crime.

Atavism - the view that crime is due to a genetic throwback to a more primitive and aggressive form of human
being.

Elements Necessary For A Crime To Occur

1. Desire or motivation on the part of the criminal.
2. The skills and tools needed to commit the crime.
3. Opportunity.

Spree killer - is someone who embarks on a murderous assault on 2 or more victims in a short time in multipl
locations.

Spree killing - killings at two or more locations with almost no time break between murders.

Spree murder - two or more murders committed by an offender/offenders without a cooling off period.

Serial murder - two or more murders committed by an offender/offenders with a cooling off period.

Mass murderer - are defined by one incident with no distinctive time period between the murders.

Thrill killing - a premeditated murder committed by a person who is not necessarily suffering from mental
instability and does not derive sexual satisfaction from killing victims or have anything against them and
sometimes do not know them but instead motivated by the sheer excitement of the act.
 Victimology -studies the nature and cause of victimization.

Psychology - the scientific study of the human mind and its functions.

Psychiatry - the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders.

Ecology - the environment as it relates to living organisms.

Demography - the branch of sociology that studies the characteristics of human populations.

Epidemiology - the branch of medical science dealing with the transmission and control of disease.

Anthropology - the social science that studies the origins and social relationships of humans.

Impulse - a sudden strong urge or desire to act.

Kleptomania - is an irresistible impulse to steal in the absence of economic motive.

Prototype - is a standard or typical example.

Pathological - is caused by or evidencing a mentally disturbed condition.

Introduction To Criminology Reviewer 1

1. The field of criminology is a multi-disciplinary science. One of its
aspect is the study of crime focused on the group of people and
society which is known today as:
A. Criminal Psychology
B. Criminal Sociology
C. Criminal Psychiatry
D. Criminal Etiology

2. Macho means
A. assertive
B. angry
C. heroic
D. stubborn

3. Bilious means
A. wealthy
B. puffed out
C. bad tempered
D. irritable
4. Hypothetical means
A. Temporary
B. Exaggerated
C. Provable
D. Assumed

5. The theory in which reformation is based upon, on the ground

that the criminal is a sick person.
A. Positivist Theory
B. Classical Theory
C. Neo Classical School
D. Sociological Theory

6. It is defined as a crime where a person of respectability and

high social status in the course of his or her occupation commits
the criminal act.
A. Labor Crimes
B. Organized Crimes
C. High Collar crimes
D. White collar crime

7. The strict code of conduct that governs the behavior of the Mafia
members is called ___.
A. Omerta
B. Triad
C. Silencer
D. Mafioso

8. The groups of crimes categorized as violent crimes (Index crimes)

and property crimes (Non Index crimes) are called ___.
A. Conventional crimes
B. Non-conventional Crimes
C. Felony
D. Offense

9. What is the literal meaning of the term Cosa Nostra?

A. This thing of ours
B. Omerta
C. Two Things
D. 5th estate

10. The criminal activity by an enduring structure or organization

developed and devoted primarily to the pursuit of profits through
illegal means commonly known as ___.
A. Organized crime
B. Professional Organization
 C. White collar crime
D. Blue collar crime

11. One of the following represents the earliest codification of the

Roman law, which was incorporated into the Justinian Code.
A. 12 Tables
B. Burgundian Code
C. Hammurabic Code
D. Code of Draco

12. The generic term that includes all government agencies,

facilities,programs, procedures, personnel, and techniques
concerned with the investigation, intake, custody, confinement,
supervision, or treatment of alleged offenders refers to:
A. Correction
B. Penology
C. Criminal Justice
D. the base pillar

13. The Italian leader of the positivist school of criminology, who was
criticized for his methodology and his attention to the biological
characteristics of offenders, was:
A. C Lombroso
B. C Beccaria
C. C Darwin
D. C Goring

14.The theory in criminology, which maintains that a person commits

crime or behaves criminally mainly because he or she is being
possessed by evil spirits or something of natural force that
controls
his/her behavior is called:
A. Devine Will Theory
B. Demonological Theory
C. Classical Theory
D. All of these

15. Criminology changes as social condition changes. This means

the progress of criminology is concordant with the advancement
of other sciences that has been applied to it. This means that
criminology is _____.
A. Dynamic
B. Excellent
C. Progressive
D. None of these
16. In as much as crime is a societal creation and that it exist in a
society, its study must be considered a part of social science.
This means that criminology is __.
A. Applied science
B. Social Science
C. Natural Science
D. All of these

17. The term white- collar crime was coined by

A. E. Sutherland
B. R. Quinney
C. E. Durkheim
D. C. Darwin

18. What is means of "R" in the criminal formula?

A. Total Situation
B. Criminal Tendency
C. Temperament
D. none of these

19. His key ideas are concentrated on the principle of "Survival

of the Fittest" as a behavioral science. He advocated the
"Somatotyping Theory".
A. W Sheldon
B. R Merton
C. E Sutherland
D. Ivan Nye

20. When someone is tagged as criminal, he or she may reject it or

accept it and go on to commit crime.
A. Rational Choice Theory
B. Control Theories
C. Labelling Theory
D. Social Disorganization Theory

Answers: Introduction to Criminology

1. B
2. C
3. D
4. D
5. A
6. D
7. A
8. A
9. A
10. A
11. A
12. A
13. A
14. B
15. A
16. D
17. A
18. D
19. A
20. C