Transcript
Criminology ~ Final Exam
Chapter 1: (33pts.)
What is Criminology?
Criminology is the scientific study of the nature, extent, management, causes, control, consequences, and prevention of criminal behavior, both on the individual and social levels. As a subset of sociology, criminology is a scientific discipline that focuses on all aspects of crime and at all levels of society. This includes the causes of crime as well as its consequences. It also seeks to measure the effectiveness of society's responses to crime and propose ways to both prevent and address criminal behavior. Technically speaking, the term "criminology" specifically refers to the actual study of crime, performed by social scientists known as criminologists.
What do Criminologists do?
Criminologists represent a subset of sociologists who specialize in criminal behavior. They use their analytical backgrounds to assist law enforcement in identifying and understanding criminal behavior. They look at crime as a social phenomenon and thus a social problem and study all aspects of crime and its effects on society as a whole.
What are some employment opportunities available in the field of criminology?
Criminology is associated with a whole host of varied and diverse jobs and specialties.
Most people tend to understand criminology as anything having to do with crime, including law enforcement, forensics, criminal profiling, and forensic psychology.
Careers in Criminal Justice
Besides the scientific discipline itself, criminology careers are perhaps most often associated with jobs in the criminal justice arena. Criminal justice is the practical application of criminology in society. The criminal justice system has three main components: law enforcement, courts, and corrections or punishment.
Some of the careers options within this area include:
Police officers
Detectives and criminal investigators
Corrections officers
Probation and community control officers
Police dispatchers
FBI special agents
Secret Service special agents
U.S. Border Patrol agents
ICE Agents
Naval Criminal Investigative Services agents
DEA agents
U.S. Marshals
Careers in Forensic Science
In addition to careers in criminal justice, many people associate criminology with forensic science. The term "forensics" means "of or having to do with the law," meaning that forensic science simply refers to the application of scientific principles to legal concepts and questions. Popularly, forensics has become synonymous with crime scene investigation and evidentiary analysis.
Careers available within forensic science can include:
Forensic scientists
Forensic ballistic experts
Bloodstain pattern analysts
Forensic anthropologists
DNA experts
Trace evidence experts
Forensic entomologists
Toxicologists
Serologists
Forensics can also be applied to almost any area or specialty, including:
Forensic accounting
Forensic engineering
Forensic photography
Forensic art
Forensic animation
Forensic computer investigation
Criminal and Forensic Psychologist Careers
Careers in criminology can also be found in other specialized areas. Due to the sociological component, psychology is a natural fit for studying and counseling people who have been affected by crime.
Some careers available for aspiring psychologists who are interested in criminology include:
Forensic psychologists
Criminal profilers
Jury consultants
Counsellors
Social workers
Prison psychologists
Chapter 3: (33pts.)
What is neoclassical criminology, and how does it differ from classical perspective?
Neoclassical criminology is a school of thought that is defined by many different theories. Neoclassical criminology can be defined, simply, as a school of thought that assumes criminal behavior as situationally dynamic and individually-determined. Neoclassical theories of crime assert that deterring, reducing, or eliminating crime can occur through stricter child-rearing practices, enhanced punishments, and/or an increase in surveillance and security. Neoclassical thought is typically linked to politically conservative crime control policies. This is primarily because these theories advocate for an increase in more aggressive forms of policing, zero-tolerance parole and probation practices, and increased prison sentences for all crimes.
Both classical and neoclassical criminology are attempts to deal with crime in a logical way instead of resorting to outright vengeance. Neoclassical theory is not an attempt to disprove or debate classical theory but an expansion of the theory. Classical criminology assumes that people who commit crimes make a rational choice to do so based on the pleasure they hope will result and will choose not to commit crimes if they know there is a strong chance they will experience pain instead. Neoclassical criminology defines crime more broadly as actions that offend against a shared understanding of morality.
How does it build on the classical perspective?
The neoclassical perspective added an analysis of environmental factors beyond rational self-interest. In neoclassical thinking, it is possible to do more to deter crime than just to catch and punish criminals; the environment can be changed in ways that make crime less likely to occur. Neoclassical criminologists sought to explain crime because of problems such as poverty, low intelligence or family structure.
Chapter 6: (34pts.)
What are the major principles of psychological perspectives on criminal behavior?
There are six major principles of psychological perspectives on criminal behavior.
The first principle being that the individual is the object of interest to be analyzed.
The second aspect and the major motivational piece is the personality, which points to the motives of the individual.
The third principle says that crimes are a result of abnormal, dysfunctional, or inappropriate mental processes within an individual’s personality.
The fourth states that criminal behavior may have a purpose for the individual, to address certain needs. This behavior would be considered inappropriate only when compared to social norms.
The fifth principle describes normality, that being what is accepted by society as a whole, as being appropriate, or typical.
Finally, the sixth principle is that defective or abnormal mental processes can have many causes including a mind that is diseased, inappropriate conditioning, bad role models and trouble adjusting to inner conflicts.
