Brief History of Criminology
1. Criminology
2. Brief History of Criminology
Criminology
Not too long ago, criminology separated from its mother discipline, sociology
It has since developed habits and methods of thinking about crime and criminal behavior that are uniquely its own
Edwin Sutherland and Donald Gressey
Scope of criminology includes:1. Processes of making laws
2. Processes of breaking laws
3. Processes of reacting toward the breaking the laws
The main question
CAUSE CRIME
Brief History of Criminology
Demonic Perspective (Middle Ages, 1200-1600)
Classical School (the late 1700s and the early 1800s )
Neo-classical school (emerged between 1880 and 1920 and is still with us today)
Positivism (the mid 1800s and early 1900s)
Sociological Criminology (mid 1800s till now)
Demonic Perspective
It is not surprising that any discussion of the existence of evil behavior in the world would begin with religious explanations
Demonic Perspective
Temptation Model
Possession Model
Temptation Model
Mat 26:41 (NIV) "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."
Temptation Model
People are weak
Temptations to sin are impossible to avoid. (Matt. 18:7)
Temptation Model
No matter how tempting the devil's offers might be, the individual always retains the ability to refuse to sin
“Good force" offers rewards and frequently promises spiritual aid to help the beleaguered individual resist the devil's temptations
Temptation Model
This model has a deterrent
component
The threat of hellfire or other eternal punishment for those who chose to do evil
Those who have sinned more will suffer more. For them, there is no end to suffering and despair.
Temptation Model-how to treat criminals?
Public humiliation and banishment were frequently used by religious societies as ways of controlling their deviant populations
For serious deviants, capital punishment wouldbe a final solution
Temptation Model-how to treat criminals?
Cutting of Hands and Feet is a punishment given to people who steal
"As to the thief, Male or female, cut off his or her hands: a punishment by way of example, from Allah, for their crime: and Allah is Exalted in power." - Quran 5:38
Possession Model
Once possessed by an evil spirit the person is no longer responsible for his/her actions
The devil controls the individual's mind and body resulting in evil behavior
Possession Model
One question that is frequently raised concerning the possession model is whether good or moral persons can be possessed
Possession Model-how to treat criminals?
One way of "curing" the individual is through exorcism-a religious ritual aimed at jettisoning the unclean spirit from the body
Exorcism today
Mario Garcia ended up in jail on charges of puncturing his mother-in-law's esophagus with a pair of crucifixes
Prior to the incident, the mother-in-law displayed erratic behavior. The hospital had suggested psychiatric treatment for her
Exorcism today
Garcia had the woman lie down on a bed, while the woman's son, her husband, Garcia's wife, and three young children contributed prayers for support Garcia shoved not one but two 8-inch steel crucifixes into his mother-in-law's mouthThe crosses went deep enough down her throat to pierce her esophagusPolice who were called to the scene found the woman bleeding profusely from the mouth on Garcia's front porch, with Garcia shouting, "The devil is inside her!"
Exorcism today
Garcia was arrested for assault with a dangerous weapon and taken under psychiatric observation.
Police are in agreement with Garcia's family that he did not act with intent to harm “I've seen suspects who thought they had psychic powers, but never one that had a family who believed it, too.”
The origin of classical school
Started in Europe (the late 1700s and the early 1800s)
Criminal justice needed to be updated
Throughout Europe the use of torture to secure confessions and force self-incriminating testimony had been widespread
Classical school was against tortures
Before classical school… (in the early 1800s)
Infliction of bodily pain to extort evidence or confession
Torture employed devices such as the rack (to stretch the victim's joints to breaking point), the thumbscrew, the boot (which crushed the foot), heavy weights that crushed the whole body, the iron maiden (cage shaped like a human being with interior spikes to spear the occupant)
Classical School
Two famous writers during this classical period were Cesare Beccaria (1738-1794) and Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832)
Cesare Beccaria (1738-1794)
People should be presumed innocent until proven guilty (no torture) The law should be codified (written) with punishments prescribed in advance Punishment should be limited (less harsher) to only that necessary to deter people from ever committing it again (no capital punishment)
Cesare Beccaria (1738-1794)
Punishment should be severe, certain, and swiftSeverity is the least important, certainty the next in importance, and celerity, or swiftness, is about as equal in importance as certainty) The criminal justice system should be organized around crime prevention
Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832)
Believed that individuals weigh the probabilities of present and future pleasures against those of present and future pain
People act as human calculators, they put all factors into a sort of mathematical
equation to decide whether or not
to commit an illegal act
Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832)
Punishment should be just a bit in excess of the pleasures derived from an act and not any higher than that
Since punishment creates unhappiness it can be justified if it prevents greater
evil than it produces
The Neo-classical School
A revision of classical school
Neo-classical criminologists recognized that the free will approach had a number of shortcomings
Leading proponents were Gabriel Tarde (1843-1904) and his student Raymond Saleilles (1898)
The Neo-classical School
Some behaviors are very irrationalSelf-defense or mistake of fact
Mistake of fact
If a defendant goes into a supermarket and places eight items in a basket which is presented to the cashier Both honestly believe that all eight items have been scanned, and the defendant pays the sum shown on the billA store detective, however, notices that a mistake was made by the cashier so that only seven items were actually pricedThis detective arrests the defendant after leaving the storeThe defendant honestly believes that he has become the owner of goods in a sale transaction (not a thief)
The Neo-classical School
So, not all persons were completely responsible for their own actions
Positive treatment toward "mental illness" type explanations
Categorization of Motives
Understanding homicide
The accurate determination of motive in any crime is highly subjective
Social scientists have used several approaches to categorize motives
One strategy is to distinguish b/w instrumental and expressive motivation
Instrumental Motivation
Violent acts with instrumental motivations are directed at some valued goal beyond the act itself (Menendez brothers may have killed their parents for the instrumental goal of protecting themselves or collecting the insurance payment)
Instrumental Motivation
Eric and Lyle Menendez were convicted of first-degree murder for the brutal shotgun slaying of their parents in Beverly Hills. Their defense was based on the “abuse excuse”
The apparent motives ranged from the brothers’ fear of their father’s abuse to their desire to collect $11 million in insurance
Expressive Motivation
Expressive actions are those motivated exclusively by rage, anger, frustration, or more generally, the heat of passion (self-defense, accidental homicides)
UCR Supplementary Homicide Reports classification of motives
Arguments (53%)Participation in other felony crimes, especially robbery and drug offenses (32%)Youth gang activity (8%)Brawls under the influence of drugs or alcohol (4%)Miscellaneous situations such as killings by babysitters, gangland slaying, and sniper attacks (1%)
The Victim-Offender Relationship
Three types of relationships are often identified:
A. Familial (especially spouses and siblings)(22%)
B. Acquaintances (including friends, girlfriends, boyfriends, neighbors, and coworkers)(57%)
C. Strangers (21%)
Positivist School in Criminology
The demand for facts, for scientific proof (determinism) There are body and mind differences between peoplePunishment should fit the individual criminal, not the crime (indeterminate sentencing, disparate sentencing, parole) Criminals can be treated, rehabilitated, or corrected (if not, then they are incurable and should be put to death)
Fundamental assumptions
The basic determinants of human behavior are genetically based
Observed gender and racial differences in rates and types of criminality may be at least partially the result of biological differences b/w the sexes and racially distinct groups
Positivist School in Criminology
Most people believe the leading figure of positivist criminology (often called the father of criminology) was Lombroso (1835-1909).
On Criminal Man, was first put together in 1861, and made the following points:
The Underlying Logic
Defective genes
AtavismMental and
Physical Inferiority
CriminalBehavior
Inability to Learn and
Follow legal rules
Sociological Theories of Crime
Search for factors outside the individual - socialization, subcultural membership, social class
Explains crime by reference to the institutional structure of society
Sociological Theories of Crime
Society
Neighborhood
Parents
School
Peers
Role models
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