Criminology Essays

Criminological Research Essay
Criminological research is known to be the foundation of criminological theory. In order for
criminologist to effectively study crime, they must have the ability to collect criminal data and
carefully analyze it in order to study it from a social perspective. The data that that is gathered by
criminologist is used as an attempt to help them get a better understanding on what motivates a
criminal to act in a criminal manner. By studying crime and criminal data, criminologist have the
ability to get to the root of the crime and come up with effective ways to eliminate it. They are also
known to find associations between crimes that are committed, the criminal who committed the
crime, and how the law defines the crime.
"Measuring crime has always been one of the most difп¬Ѓcult challenges facing criminal justice
researchers." (Maxfield, 1999) Criminologist feel that public information about crime is not very
accurate because crime is both context and very time specific. When studying criminal data,
criminologist can face many hurdles because with criminal data there are individuals who frequently
commit crimes, but unfortunately they are never caught, whereas there are some criminals who
commit their first offense and are arrested for it. As a result of this issue, arrest records don't always
reflect an...show more content...
There are various crime data sources that are available to them, however the two major sources
commonly used in the United States are the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) and the (UCR) and the
National Incident–Based Reporting System (NIBRS). Both of these reporting systems are popular
amongst criminologist today and they play a crucial role in studying crime. Throughout this paper I
will briefly describe each of these data sources and the role that they have in studying crime. I
would also do a comparison on their procedures and
Get more content on HelpWriting.net

Criminology
Why Is Criminology Important?
In this essay, I we be discussing the importance criminology has on the criminal justice system,
criminology involves conducting research and studying social and physical factors of why people
commit crimes and end up in our prisons. criminologists work is important as their work aids in
developing a society that is less prone to acts of criminality and deviance, protecting society. My
primary focus will be on why we have prisons, looking at the type of people we find in them, what
may cause them to end up there. Following up with how criminologists respond to the obvious
problems. I will be supporting my answer by providing statistics and presenting criminological
theories throughout.
As of December 2017,...show more content...
This behavior towards a minority is also linked to the reason many of them end up within the prisons.
There is still a high presence of racism within society, members of the black community are
constantly put under the strains of societies negative perception of them. In 1938 Robert K. Merton
created the criminological strain theory, this theory focuses on delinquency of the lower class,
including the black community. Merton (1938) theory can be used to argue that through the
mistreating black people suffer within society this manner lessens their feel of personal values, these
negative emotions that are created influences strains upon the person which suggests the reasoning's
for a crime to be committed. The idea that if you perform how people already believe you do as a
form of conformity to their beliefs. Although this theory is declining in popularity with many
criminologists as it is unable to explain why those who are put through the same strains don't lead to
preforming crimes (Newburn, 2017).
Criminologists also analyse the social backgrounds and childhood experiences of criminals this is
important as suggesting reasons why crimes may be committed allows crime prediction and
prevention especially in the future. After thorough research criminologists are also able to predict
patterns in family backgrounds linking to

Criminology Essay
Criminology
1. According to the textbook, the legal, and most common, definition of crime is that it is a legalistic
one in that it violates the criminal law and is punishable with jail terms, fines, and other sanctions.
The Human Rights definition of crime defines crime as an action that violates the basic rights of
humans to obtain the necessities of life and to be treated with respect and dignity. Unlike the legal
definition of crime, the Human Rights definition of crime has a broader concept than its counterpart.
With the Human Rights definition of crime, criminologists are allowed to the entire range of acts
and omissions that cause social injury and social harm, while the legal definition of crime would only
allow a...show more content...
The human rights definition of crime is more useful if a criminologist wanted to study a broader
subject of crime. Acts such as racism and sexism could be studied more effortlessly with this
definition than it would be with a legal definition of crime because these acts are violations of basic
human rights, which are accepted universally and do not vary of society to society.
In my view, the better definition is the human rights definition of crime because the human rights
definition of crime does not vary to society to society. If an act violates these human rights, a person
can be prosecuted no matter what country that individual is in.
2. According to the module, the problem of the relativity of crime refers to the fact that
criminologists recognize that crime is an inherently relative concept. The problem of the relativity
of crime is often shown in the fact that the specific kinds of behaviours that are defined as criminal
often vary over time and across different cultures. I refer to the historical example in the module
where Gwynn Nettler provides an example of the way in which definitions of crime changes over
time. Nettler refers to the mid 1930's where the prohibition law in the United States was repealed by
the twenty–first amendment in 1933, while at the same time the possession of gold in the United
States had been made illegal by law. She mentions that in March of 1993 two men could walk down
the street, one of them having a pint of whiskey

Essay about Criminological Theories
There are many different aspects of criminal justice policy. One in particular is the different theories
of crime and how they affect the criminal justice system. The Classical School of criminology is a
theory about evolving from a capital punishment type of view to more humane ways of punishing
people. Positivist criminology is maintaining the control of human behavior and criminal behavior.
They did this through three different categories of Biological studies, which are five methodologies
of crime that were mainly focused on biological theories, Psychological theories, which contains four
separate theories, and the Sociological theories, which also includes four different methods of
explaining why crime exists. The last theory is...show more content...
Prisons for example, are a dominant sense of making the country feel safer because the criminals
are being locked up. Also, the death penalty can be a form of deterrence towards other criminals
because they are able to see what is happening to other criminals that commit the same types of
crimes. Whether or not this does deter criminals from committing crimes is another story.
The Positivist School of criminology began in the late 19th century and is still a part of society
today. The Positivist School suggests that in order to control crime, you have to use scientific
methods to look for the causes of crime. Some important developments the theory included were
controlling human behavior, controlling criminal behavior, industrial revolutions, the emergence of
modern science, and finally Darwin's theory of evolution. Many assumptions had been made, but a
few in particular stood out to be the most important. Theorists said that human nature is determined
before you are even born. Also that it is differentiated which means that criminals are different from
non–criminals. The five methodologies are based on biological characteristics that may cause the
criminals to commit the crimes they based on certain characteristics. The first method is
physiognomy. This judges character by facial features as well as physical features. It can be traced
back to Ancient Greece and Rome. The second is

criminology Essay
This essay is going to discuss the causes of crime and evaluate the theories of criminalisation using
one theory for each of the following themes. The themes are labelling and deviant identity of
criminalisation, theory of delinquency and criminalisation, theory of political economy and
criminalisation, and finally radical theory of criminalisation. This essay will also show some of the
weaknesses of each of the theories used for these themes.
The first theme is labelling and deviant identity theory of criminalisation, one of the main
contributors to this theory was Howard Becker who in 1963 wrote the book "Outsiders" which
provided the foundations of labelling theory. Becker looked at how social groups created deviance
by creating the...show more content...
Sykes and Matza state that there is five contributory factors to the rationalisation process these are
" denial of responsibility, denial of injury, denial of the victim, condemnation of the condemners,
and appeal to the higher loyalties." Denial of responsibility is when a delinquent will blame
another group for his criminal act such as his parents did not give them a good upbringing or his
school let him down, they look at themselves as the victim. Denial of injury is when they rationalise
there action because nobody was hurt, for example vandalism or shoplifting from a large store chain
who they believe can afford the lose. Denial of the victim is when they state that the victim deserved
it. Condemnation of the condemners they blame the other group for there actions and try to deflect
responsibility and appeal to higher loyalties they are fighting for the ethical good. Chambliss and
Snider state that capitalism is the main contributor to delinquency as we strive to achieve personal
wealth and gain an individual who does not achieve this feel justified in delinquent behaviour.
Theory of political economy and criminalisation this looks at how capitalism can shape delinquent
and deviant behaviour. Chambliss argues :
"The heart of the capitalist economic system is the protection of private property, which is, by
definition, the cornerstone upon which capitalist economies function. It is not surprising, then to
find that criminal law reflects this basic

My Dream Career As A Criminologist
My dream career is to be a criminologist. My interest sparked when I became interested in the mind
and human behavior ever since grade school. Criminology is the study of crimes, effects, and
social impact on society. Criminologist job is to observe the behavior of criminals and seek out
why the crime was committed, this is in order to reduce the rate of future criminal behavior. Their
job duties also include writing research paper and articles. This is a job that I feel that I will
pursue because of my love for writing and also my desire to better our society. There are many
different jobs you can have as a criminologist. There are specific ones such as a profiling. Profiling
is when you spend most of your job as a criminologist looking into old cases, which will help you
with your current criminal. As a profiler when you gather your new information you then identify the
crime trend and motive behind specific crimes.Profiling is the job that I would like to do as a
criminologist. Another job that criminologist can have research and academia. Many criminologists
dedicate their time to being strictly researchers.
Being a criminologist means being in a very intellectual field. The specific majors that many of
future criminologist major in are criminology, psychology, and sociology. There are also other majors
including criminal justice and history. These majors would help you to better understand the actions
and human nature. The academic requirements needed is a bachelor's or

Relationship Between Crime And Criminology
INTRODUCTION
Criminology is the study of crime from a social perspective: the causes of crime, the social impact
of crime, and the criminals involved in the crime. Criminologists study criminology in an attempt to
better understand what motivates the criminal to act in a criminal manner. The criminal law is a
kind of law that controls the offense committed against society. Criminal law should be
distinguished from the civil law. For example, if someone is stealing, then the criminal law will be
used to control or manage the thief. Investigations, arrests and indictments will be made in
accordance with the criminal law. The offense is controlled by the criminal law because the offense
of theft is considered as an offense against society.
What is Criminology?
Crime is a social and economic phenomenon in society. The...show more content...
Both disciplines meet at the focus of crime, for example behavior liable to punishment. But while,
one of the primary tasks of criminal law is to be define that which is punishable under existing law,
criminology on the other hand concerns itself with the criminal acts and the human beings who
infringe the criminal code, and with the environment of these persons. This contrast is due to a
certain simplification which ignores the mutual dependence between criminal law and criminology.
Even though criminology in principle is a descriptive, empirical and non–normative science, the
subject of its investigations cannot be defined without criteria that rest upon social evaluations.
Empirical studies of criminology should always be based upon the existing legal definitions of the
concept of criminality if a well–defined and controllable mass of knowledge is to be obtained. This
does not imply, however, that the field of criminology can be defined simply on the basis of the
legal concept of crime. This concept is not constant from time to time from place to

Conflict Criminology
Conflict criminology is the view that human behavior is shaped by interpersonal conflict and
believe that those who retain social power will use it to further their own ends. Conflict criminology
is all about inequality in society. It suggests that our laws and our norms reflect the interests of
influential members of society. Conflict criminologist hold to the belief that social order is
maintained through competition and conflict, and the 'winners' are those with the most power and
the greatest economic and social resources, benefit by taking advantage of the 'losers.' Radical
criminology is many times referred to as left or neo– marxist. They represent an abundance of voices
and see society as a system. Radical criminology is based on...show more content...
Peacemaking criminology does not base itself on retribution and punishment. Peacemaking
criminology bases its principles from the religious, humanist, critical, and feminist traditions.
Peacemaking emphasizes conflict resolution, rehabilitation, restorative justice, and a belief that
people must cooperate in democratic institutions in order to develop steadfast communities. The
peace perspective emphasizes social justice so crime is never excused. Peacemaking criminology
argue that crime is connected to human suffering and believes for crime to stop we first must end
suffering. The postmodern theory is a theoretical approach that attacks modernity or scientific
rationality. Postmodern criminology holds to the theory that crime is the result of the social
interactions in an area. I've noticed that conflict criminology is considerably more general than
radical criminology. Conflict criminology takes a different approach since it is based on a
"labelling" definition of crime; crime is whatever the agencies of the criminal justice system state
crime to be. Radical criminology appears to be directionless while peacemaking criminology is very
methodically in their approach to crime. Postmodern criminology is in direct conflict with the more
Marxism theory of radical criminology. " By expanding upon theories that have already been
created, it is possible for individuals to evolve the beliefs more and hopefully get closer to the truth
of identifying how a criminal is created and what effects this has on individuals and the society

Criminology: The Evolution of Crime Essay
Criminology has evolved over history into becoming a discipline all its own, along the way it grew
and developed from a multiple sources of disciplines to become an integration of various theories.
Reasons that seek to explain crime and deviant behaviors has mirrored the time in which research
was being conducted and as time continues to change it is to be expected more theories will arise to
incorporate past theories to become ever more inclusive. It is important to understand this
development from the formulation of theories, the evolution of, the determining factors in testing,
particular process such as social learning that are upheld as strong empirically sound theories in order
for scholars to continue to advance further studies. But...show more content...
1). Criminology arose from the social scientific community over the year and has since come into
its own discipline, it examines the entire process of lawmaking, law breaking, and law enforcing"
(as cited in Akers, & Sellers, 2013). Criminology seeks to discover the depth of crime at both the
micro and macro levels, from the individual's natural biological and psychological characteristics, the
nurturing of social and structural institutions, to policy, prevention and control. Most importantly are
that theories must be clear and understandable so that they may be tested, otherwise they will be
undermined and unable to be put up against practice. Theories are expected to pass certain
prerequisites laid out in science i.e. logical consistency, scope and parsimony. Or in other words a
theory should be clearly defined, incorporate an inclusive scope, but is explained using a limited
reasoning. A theory is best if it can avoid being tautological in nature, although sometimes
unavoidable, nevertheless a theories empirical validity and reliability is what the scientific
community relies upon when determining the overall value of theories. After all, the ultimate reason
scientist theorize is to solve the puzzle or

Criminology Career Paper
The field of criminology has many paths to take to build a career. Some people study criminology
to become local or federal police officers and arrest offenders. Other people study criminology to
help offenders and advocate for their justice and wellness. I have chosen to study the federal side of
criminology with a concentration in Homeland Security. With The Department of Homeland
Security being born in 2002 this discipline is fairly new but it has made a true impact in our society.
Criminology as a discipline will be understood through the exploration of scholars and
organizations. George mason University in Fairfax Virginia displays a page on the criminology
degree options and states that Mason's criminology, law and society degree is designed for students
interested in law enforcement, law, homeland security, and related career fields. As a student in the
program, you will be taught by outstanding professors who have years of experience as both
researchers and practitioners ("Criminology, Law and Society | Programs: BS in Criminology, Law
and Society," n.d.)....show more content...
The University does not have a specific definition to that. Looking further I discovered a second
definition to the discipline. According to The Principles of Criminology it is defined as "the body
of knowledge regarding crime and delinquency as social phenomena" (Sutherland, Cressey, &
Luckenbill, 1992). My definition of criminology with a concentration in Homeland Security as a
discipline is " a study of the criminal aspect of government specifically in the protection of citizens
and the country they live in." From these definitions it is safe to conclude that there is no set
definition of the field as a discipline, everyone will have a different meaning depending on how they
choose to use their

Classical Criminology Essay
Classical Criminology
The classical school of criminology was around in the eighteenth century. It came abount in a time
when the previous dominent spiritual look at defining crime and criminal behaviour was being
challenged by a newer naturalistic approach of the social contract theorists.
The classical school was the established ideas of monarchs, fedual lords and the fathers of the
church. The main pioneers of the classical school were Cesar Beccaria ( 1738–1974) from Italy and
Jeremy Bantham from Britain (1948–1832). From them writing their theories in the eighteenth
century they established the essential components of the rational actor model. They both shared the
idea that crime and...show more content...
They believed that each one of us is a potential criminal, and that crime provides a short cut way to
getting what we need. Responsibility– the classical school believed that if we do something wrong
or do something at the expence of someone we should be able to own up and take responsibilty
for our own actions. Also they believed that punishment was a good way to show potential
offenders what would happen to them if they behaved in a criminal way. They believed that
anyone who breaks the law should be punished to pay the price. They thought that the crime and
he punishment must be linked. They believed that the punishment should be in proportian to the
crime in order for the offender to think about what he has done. for example, if someone is caught
steeling 3000 pounds, then he should be made to pay back 4000 pound fine back. Or stay in
prison for the same ammount of time that the person would have taken to earn the 3000 pounds.
Cesear Beccaria believed that there should be a fixed punishment for crimes written into the law
and not be changed. He believed that all people should be trated equally and the punishments
should not be changed from person to person. His theory can be summerised into the following 13
propositions (taken from an 2nd edition introduction into criminogical theory by Roger Hopkins
Burke). 1) In order to escape social chaos, each member of sociey must sacrifice

Importance Of Criminology In Modern Society
Criminology is " The study of crime, of attempts to control it, and attitudes to it. Crime is
interpreted in its widest sense, so as to include minor as well as major law–breaking..." according to
Walsh and poole 1983.However in reality, criminology has advanced and evolved over the past few
decades that there is no specific description or definition of the term and its role in modern society;
as it's a key part in all aspects and its impact on society can't be listed as it's a never–ending list. In
this essay I will try to express the importance of criminology by discussing the links and impact
criminology has on certain aspects of society such as media & crime and moral panics. The reason I
have chosen these 2 topics is due to them...show more content...
If one business/individuals have too much control over the media, this can influence public opinion
on a range of issues, for example who to vote for in a general election. An example of this in todays
society is the daily telegraph who are supporters of the conservative party and so much so that they
have earned the nickname "Torygraph". Meaning during the run up to the general election the
newspaper focused on the differentiating policies between conservatives and labour. One
differentiating point between the parties was their thoughts on immigration with labour being more
relaxed om immigrants and conservatives wanting to place more rules and regulations in place to
reduce the numbers of immigrants entering the UK. Due to this the daily telegraph took advantage
of their power and created moral panic in the public to vote for conservatives by publishing negative
stories on immigrants and exaggerating them so that more people would vote for tories due to the
negative news published and them supporting that policy.
Moral Panics
A moral panic is best described as a widespread fear. In most cases irrational fear that someone or
something is a threat to their safety and a society as a whole. Moral panic is created by the media
typically and further exaggerated by politicians. Moral panics are centered on the minorities in
society whether its race,

Criminology And Sociology And Criminology
Where the Two Meet
Criminology is where criminal justice and Sociology meet and come together. Sociology is a social
science where the study of the development, structure, and functioning of human society happen.
Criminology is also a social science that studies crime and criminal behavior. Sociologists, by
studying society and relationships, are able to determine the thoughts and actions of individuals or
criminals. Each science can relate to other sciences and Criminology relates to Psychology, Sociology
and more. Sociology and Criminology both contribute to society. Every day were faced with new
and bigger issues and as Sociologists, it is up to them to understand why and figure out the issues at
hand and how to deal with them....show more content...
Another social issue that is a problem with in society today would be opinions. People are
allowed to have a difference of opinion. We are all able to believe different and not think the same
and still live in harmony. There needs to be an understanding and respect in difference of opinions.
On the other hand, Criminology is about the crime and criminals in society. It involves law
enforcement and the criminal justice system. Criminal justice and Criminology are related fields,
but are not the same things. Criminal justice focuses more on upholding social control and
Criminology is the study of the crimes and criminals. Whereas, both are just as important.
Criminology, with the help of other social sciences, go deep within the criminal and the crime to
get to the bottom of what they are thinking, what has made them do it, why they did it, what is
next, and also how to stop it and how to prevent it from happening again. Criminology also deals
with issues in the field. Some of these issues involving Criminology might be, capital punishment,
what is illegal and what is not, sentencing, maintaining social order, is Criminology gender blind,
who makes criminal law, does crime pay, if so what and to who and the list continues. As you begin
researching and asking yourself these questions, you become aware of all the

Essay on Criminology in the Future
CRIMINOLOGY IN THE FUTURE
1
Criminology in the Future
As the world changes, people change, new technology advances, and so does crime. Criminals look
for new ways to commit crime and the "loop holes" in the laws. The justice system needs to stay on
top of these new technologies to protect the people.
With the advancement of technology, law officials have to follow the rules of law. Law Enforcement
must keep these "liberties" in mind when fighting cybercrime. The Bill of Rights guarantees "civil
liberties" to Americans. These include the freedom of speech, right to assemble and freedom of
religion, the 1st Amendment right.
The 5th Amendment protects Americans from self–incrimination, due process, double jeopardy on
capital...show more content...
Future criminology is the study of likely futures as they relate to crime and its control, and futurists
working in the area of criminology try to imagine how crime will look in both the near and distant
future. Futurists make assumptions about the future so they can plan, prepare, and prevent crime.
According to Criminology Today, in 2002,Police Futurists Internationalist joined the FBI to create
the Futures Working Group, whose aim is to develop and encourage others to develop forecasts and
strategies to maximize ethically the effectiveness of local, state, federal, and international law
enforcement bodies as they strive to maintain peace and security in the 21st century. A report by the
increasing effects of globalization would lead to a world of new crimes, like energy smuggling and
produce conditions. They stated that the Internet was very influential in shaping the future of the
social world. The boundaries between criminal syndicated, terrorists groups, andgangs will continue
to disappear. Electronic and philosophical ones will replace physical boundaries as individuals
discover new virtual communities (Criminology Today, p. 421).
In the United Kingdom, Foresight Crime Prevention Program, led by the government, bring people
knowledge and ideas to look ahead and prepare for the future (Criminology Today, p. 422).
According to Criminology today social characteristics will affect the future crimes throughout the
world. More people

Criminology : Types Of Criminal Personality
Criminology: Different Crimes Criminology: What is criminal personality? The term personality
is used to define and describe the temperament and emotional attributes of a person. (S. Jones
2016). These behaviors are consistent and influence a person's behavior so that a person may be
compelled to act in the manner almost daily. The term criminal personality means a person who is
of the nature to commit crime due to their temperament, ways of thinking, feeling and acting. In
this paper there will be various examples and criminal personality. Criminology: Two Theories of
Criminal Personality Freud's Psychodynamic theory is made up of 3 components: the I.D., Ego,
and Superego. Freud believed that if a person has unresolved conflicts between the I.D. and the
Superego, the end result would be crime. Freud understood this was lack of emotional stability,
disturbed childhood and or lack of emotional development. The second theory is John Bowlby's
theory of maternal deprivation. Bowlby believed that children that have not bonded would show a
lack of empathy for others, isolation and antisocial behaviors. The third theory evaluated is Hans J.
Eysenck's trait theory of Extroversion and Introversion that break down types of personality. Freud's
Psychodynamic Theory Freud believed peoples mental functions stem from the unconscious mind.
These mental functions are repressed experiences will denote the submerged part of the iceberg.
They are also described as mental inner conflict

Essay On Criminology And Criminal Justice
The question that I have when I want to minor in Criminology and Criminal Justice is why U.S
have the highest prisoners compare to others countries. I want to figure out why it is the case.
From Prison State Frontline video, I realized that the rate of people who are drug addicted and
mentality ill are high. For example, locking people for traffic fines, locking people for small
amount of drug or marijuana, locking up people who are intoxicated in the public will not help the
public more safety. Locking up people who have metal ill problem are not going to solving the fact
that these people are needed treatments instead of locking them up and keep them out of the public.
Instead spending millions of dollars to keep them lock up, hired to guards and, why not using those
millions of dollars on created a better system to help them stay out...show more content...
The reason is because they are try to fit themselves in the society, they received more of isolation
than a second chance. It is easy to realize that their chance to survive in the society after get out of
jails is low. How many companies will accept a person who have a history in prison and who many
people will trust a person who have the background as a criminal normal without any cautions and
judgmental .There is a slim chance that they will get accepted by the society. Many prisoners
have no hope in their future, they do not know what to do and where they will goes because they
been lock up in prison for the main part of their life. The perfect example from the video is Keith
Huff, where he goes back to jails after two months he got out. He have no family, no hope, and no
future. He does not know what his future look like or his life will be in living a live in prison
because he keep came back. There are limited of supporters and resources to help me survived
through the hard time in real life. So, they tend to returned to do what they do in the

Essay on Feminist Criminology
Feminist Criminology:
How useful is it in its analysis of female crime?
MSc Criminology and Forensic Psychology
Feminist criminology emerged out of the realisation that criminology has from its inception centred
on men and the crimes they commit. Although it can be argued female criminality was researched
by Lombroso, as far back as 1800's, female crime, it's causes and the impact in which it had on
society was largely ignored by the criminological futurity. Those Criminologist who did attempt to
research female crime such as Thomas and Pollak were not only very damning of women but were
also very condescending, choosing to stereotype them as either Madonna or whore (Feinman).
Law abiding women were described as passive,...show more content...
In defence of Liberal Feminism, Waitlake points out that we should not be too quick to write this
theory off as Eisenstein writes in her book The Radical Future of Liberal Feminism, it may still
have a bright future ahead, However; she state until a Liberal feminist hits the glass ceiling, it is
impossible for this perspective to capture the full impact of patriarchal society.
Radical Feminist
Radford (2001) had this to say in regards to Radical Feminism;
"Radical Feminism offers systematic analysis of the nature of women's oppression including the
way it is sustained through law and criminal justice processes. It is not only to understand male
dominance and control of women and but also to end it." Like Liberal Feminism, Radical
Feminism seeks to end partriarchy. However; In contrast to Radical Feminism, focuses more on
the issue of men's oppression of women rather other social conditions. The crux of this perspective
is sexuality which is seen as the locus of male power Mackinnon (1989a). Tong (1989) states
Radical feminist only have to ask such questions as "who rapes whom?," who batters whom, " for
whom does pornography exist, for the ultimate answer to the question to be, men! Radical

Classical Theory of Criminology Essay
Criminology is the study of why individuals engage or commit crimes and the reasons as to why
they behave in certain ways in different situations (Hagan, 2010). Through understanding the reasons
or why an individual commits a crime, one can come up with ways to prevent and control crime or
rehabilitate criminals. There exist a large number of criminology theories, some link crime to an
individual or person; they believe a person weighs the cons and pros and makes a conscious
decision on whether to commit or not commit a felony. Others see the society as having a duty to
make sure that its members do not engage in criminal acts by providing a secure and safe living
place. Some claim that some people have hidden or dormant characteristics...show more content...
According to this theory, the rational remedy for preventing crimes would be establishing harsher
punishments or sentences for committing crimes. Cesare Beccaria is considered to be the classical
theory founder. His concept even in today's world continues to play a significant role in many
countries legal systems, however, this approach happens to be more flexible in the modern world.
Cesare Beccaria theory emerged as a result of a reaction against the barbaric system of justice,
punishment and law present before 1789. It mainly emphasized on human rationality and free will
(Beccaria, 1986). The classical criminology theory was not concerned in studying and understanding
criminals, but concentrated on legal processing and law making. According to the theory, crime was
believed to be an activity engaged or committed out of free will and that criminals weighed their
actions consequences. Punishment is established or developed in order to prevent individuals from
engaging in criminal acts and it should be greater than the benefits of criminal acts (Akers & Sellers,
2012). The classical theory stressed on the legal crime definition rather than emphasizing on what
defined or determined criminal behavior. It is essential to understand the background in

Pursuing A Degree In Criminology Essay
My ambition has always been to work in Criminology. I am applying for this course as crime,
criminal justice, law and the psychology behind why people commit crimes has interested me since
early childhood. Working within criminology requires a wide range of skills that include dedication,
reliability, concentration and the ability to remain professional and I believe that I posses these skills.
Growing up I would watch documentaries, TV shows and read books about crime and the criminals
behind the crimes. These helped demonstrate to me some of the reasons why people may commit
their crimes, along with the different punishments that are given and how the legal system works.
From a young age I have been fascinated with how these crimes are...show more content...
I believe the skills I gained from this placement will benefit me in this course. I was able to utilise
my skills in time keeping, communication and teamwork whilst proving my dedication and
hard–working nature. I formed a strong caring relationship with residents and worked with them as
individuals and as part of a group in order for them to feel comfortable and to help trigger past
memories. This improved my confidence, motivated me and made me realise that in the future I
want to help and protect people and the society in which we all live in. I believe attending
placements in Criminology will help me to do this and will aid my ambition and desire to go into the
Police Force or into Forensic Psychology in the future.
I am a hardworking and dedicated student. I take pride in my work and show commitment at all
times which I believe is important as it will help me achieve my goals and complete this course. I
find learning new things exciting and I believe that I would be a good student in Criminology.
Once I have completed this degree, I would like to complete a master's degree in Criminology and
criminal psychology or forensic psychology in order to increase my psychological knowledge in
policing and

Essay on Criminology
Figuring out why people commit crimes is one of the central concerns of criminology. Do most
criminals act rationally after weighing the costs of crime? Is society ever to blame for an
individual to commit a crime? Do mental diseases or even genetics factor into whether a person
will live a life of crime. Over the years, many people have developed theories to try to answer these
questions. In fact, the number of theories of why people commit crimes sometimes seems to equal
the number of criminologists. I explore these questions and much more in the paper that follow.
The foundation of classical criminology is its central belief that individual criminals engage in a
process of rational decision making in choosing how to commit crime...show more content...
As a part of this relationship individuals gave up some of their liberties in the interest of the common
good, with the purpose of the law being to ensure that these common interests were met. For
Beccaria, this meant that the law should be limited and written down so that people could make
decisions on how to behave. More importantly, punishment was to п¬Ѓt the crime not the individual
and was to be certain and swift (Williams & McShane, 2010). Offenders were to be seen as
reasonable people with the same capacity for resisting offending behavior as non–offenders. The
guiding principle of the criminal justice process was the presumption of innocence; and in this
general framework punishment was to be seen as a deterrent to criminal behavior. The central
concern of the law and the criminal justice process was therefore the prevention of crime through
this deterrent function.
Bentham's concern was upon utilitarianism which assumes the greatest happiness for the greatest
numbers. He believes that individuals weigh the probabilities of present and future pleasures against
those of present and future pain (Postema, 1998).
It should be noted however that the classical school of thought has had an enduring inп¬‚uence as
many legal systems are built on some of its key precepts. The idea of intent for example, emphasizes
the importance of the state of mind of the individual and their capacity for making choices. Notions
of proportionality in relation to punishment are

Criminology Essays

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

More from Paper Writing Service Reviews

More from Paper Writing Service Reviews (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Criminology Essays