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Chapter 1
What Is Criminology?
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What Is Crime?
Human conduct in violation of
the criminal laws of a jurisdiction
that has the power to make such
laws, and for which there is some
form of authorized sanction.
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Crime and Deviance
Deviance is human activity that violates social norms or is statistically different from the average.
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What Is Criminology?
An interdisciplinary profession built around the scientific study of crime and criminal behaviour, including their forms, causes, legal aspects and control.
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5. What Do Criminologists Do?
A criminologist is one who studies crime, criminals, and criminal behaviour.
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6. Theoretical Perspectives: What Should Be Criminal?
Pluralist Perspective
Behaviours are criminalized through a political process only after debate over the appropriate course of action
Conflict Perspective
Laws are a tool of power used to further the interests of those powerful enough to make them
Consensus
Perspective
Laws should be enacted to criminalize certain forms of behaviour when members of society agree that such laws are necessary
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7. Social Policy and Theory
Social Problems Perspective
Crime is a manifestation of social problems
Social Responsibility Perspective
Crime is an individual responsibility
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8. The Social Context of Crime
The Criminal Event
crime is a social event
crime is a social construction
crime embraces the concept of
social relativity
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9. The Social Context of Crime
Crime means different things to the
offender
victim
society
justice system
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10. The Primacy of Sociology
Crime is social in nature and controlled by effective social policy.
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