16
   

Is prison labor unethical?

 
 
Chumly
 
  0  
Reply Fri 27 Jun, 2014 02:18 pm
@JTT,
JTT wrote:
Quote:
I've often found it an unsurprising but still disappointing truth that many people are heavily invested in beliefs that lack empirical research based on the scientific method.
That is so so true, Chumly. And so so sad.
Taking this thought process a bit further JTT, I am not outright implying that rationalism in and of itself has no use at all, but if rationalism is not backed by empiricism (in the context of the relative efficacy of prison privatization versus the alternatives) then I can't put much faith in rationalism as an argument for prison privatization.

Have a look-see here as to the painful lack of empirical research based on the scientific method when it comes to the relative efficacy of prison privatization versus the alternatives http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ontario-to-take-back-control-of-private-super-jail-1.586052
Quote:
It's the first time in the world that there's been an apples-to-apples comparison of two identical facilities," said Sharon Dion of Citizens Against Private Prisons.

But even the review acknowledged it had some shortcomings. Because of construction delays at the private jail, the review only looked at a year's worth of data and couldn't show how it performed over a longer period of time.
What's most worrisome to me about this stuff is that simply because a claim resonates with one's worldview, this in no way suggests the claim has merit. AFAICT both criminology and politics are rather lacking in empirical research based on the scientific method!

Worldview http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_view
Quote:
A comprehensive world view (or worldview) is the fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual or society encompassing the entirety of the individual or society's knowledge and point of view.
Rationalism vs. Empiricism http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/rationalism-empiricism/
Quote:
The dispute between rationalism and empiricism concerns the extent to which we are dependent upon sense experience in our effort to gain knowledge. Rationalists claim that there are significant ways in which our concepts and knowledge are gained independently of sense experience. Empiricists claim that sense experience is the ultimate source of all our concepts and knowledge.
Walter Hinteler
 
  2  
Reply Fri 27 Jun, 2014 02:31 pm
@Chumly,
Chumly wrote:
AFAICT both criminology and politics are rather lacking in empirical research based on the scientific method!
Do you think that all the chairs in criminology, and penal system work and research unscientifically?
Chumly
 
  1  
Reply Fri 27 Jun, 2014 02:44 pm
@Walter Hinteler,
Walter Hinteler wrote:
Chumly wrote:
AFAICT both criminology and politics are rather lacking in empirical research based on the scientific method!
Do you think that all the chairs in criminology, and penal system work and research unscientifically?
Hi Walter, may I ask why you consider your question to have merit?
InfraBlue
 
  2  
Reply Fri 27 Jun, 2014 03:05 pm
@cicerone imposter,
cicerone imposter wrote:

Your mention of "apple harvesting" doesn't prove any point concerning economics.
According to that article, it's less efficient, efficiency being an aspect of economics.

cicerone imposter wrote:
As for 'free labor,' my wife volunteers at the hospital, her church, and the public library - all for free. She does what they require of her, and I'm sure some days at work are busier than others. In the long term, those places where she 'works for free' gets an economic benefit. So, what's your point?

By "free labor" I was referring to laborers who aren't prisoners or slaves.

The point I'm making is that it negatively impacts businessess that do not employ prison labor. Prison labor's effects are tantamount to slave labor's effects in this regard.
0 Replies
 
Walter Hinteler
 
  2  
Reply Fri 27 Jun, 2014 03:27 pm
@Chumly,
Chumly wrote:

Walter Hinteler wrote:
Chumly wrote:
AFAICT both criminology and politics are rather lacking in empirical research based on the scientific method!
Do you think that all the chairs in criminology, and penal system work and research unscientifically?
Hi Walter, may I ask why you consider your question to have merit?
Well, you said that criminology is rather lacking in empirial research on scientific method.
I was engaged in several researches, including about work in prison, at university as in prison and probation office. I thought, it was done sientifically as were all the others.
Chumly
 
  0  
Reply Fri 27 Jun, 2014 03:43 pm
@Walter Hinteler,
Walter Hinteler wrote:
Chumly wrote:
Walter Hinteler wrote:
Chumly wrote:
AFAICT both criminology and politics are rather lacking in empirical research based on the scientific method!
Do you think that all the chairs in criminology, and penal system work and research unscientifically?
Hi Walter, may I ask why you consider your question to have merit?
Well, you said that criminology is rather lacking in empirial research on scientific method.
I was engaged in several researches, including about work in prison, at university as in prison and probation office. I thought, it was done sientifically as were all the others.
Interesting! A very good friend of mine has his doctorate in criminology and teaches at the local university on a full-time basis and is unsurprisingly involved in a number of related activities, not that I am trying to rely on the association fallacy or the argument from authority fallacy. Naturally I like him very much but I can't consider him to be a man of science even if he does at times attempt to rely on it.

It's my view (I guess you already figured out) that the soft sciences leave a fair amount to be desired when it comes to strict, double-blind, peer-reviewed, repeatable, conclusive, empirical research using the scientific method.

In trying to keep more to the particulars of our chat:

1) Please show me the empirical research based on the scientific method that forms the basis of modern North American political decisions.

2) Also, given that prison privatization considerations are decided in the arena of modern North American politics, please show me the criminologist sourced empirical research based on the scientific method as used by politicians to decide on the relative efficacy of prison privatization versus the alternatives.

3) Finally please assess on a percent weighting how much of the present political decisions as to the relative efficacy of prison privatization versus the alternatives have been made based on empirical research using the scientific method as opposed to all other political decisions making influences.
cicerone imposter
 
  1  
Reply Fri 27 Jun, 2014 05:58 pm
@Chumly,
Fingerprints, DNA, tire tracks, circumstantial evidence, witness(es), video, photo, documented records, ......
Chumly
 
  0  
Reply Fri 27 Jun, 2014 08:16 pm
@cicerone imposter,
cicerone imposter wrote:
Fingerprints, DNA, tire tracks, circumstantial evidence, witness(es), video, photo, documented records, .....
I'm not unaware of forensic science, however I fail to see what point you wish to make, at least as it relates to my recent chat with Walter.
cicerone imposter
 
  1  
Reply Fri 27 Jun, 2014 08:40 pm
@Chumly,
Just responding to your post,
Quote:
Chumly wrote:
AFAICT both criminology and politics are rather lacking in empirical research based on the scientific method!


Quote:
sci·en·tif·ic meth·od
noun
a method of procedure that has characterized natural science since the 17th century, consisting in systematic observation, measurement, and experiment, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses.
Chumly
 
  0  
Reply Fri 27 Jun, 2014 10:02 pm
@cicerone imposter,
I'm not unaware of the scientific method and note I referred to "empirical research based on the scientific method" and not simply the scientific method however there in an argument to be made that my phrase contains some level of redundancies. Alas again I fail to see what point you wish to make.
cicerone imposter
 
  1  
Reply Fri 27 Jun, 2014 11:08 pm
@Chumly,
You lost me; 'empirical research' in criminology is ongoing.
Walter Hinteler
 
  2  
Reply Fri 27 Jun, 2014 11:15 pm
@Chumly,
I'm not up-to date with results of research here, much less what is going on the USA in this field. (My former criminology as well as the head of the prison I've worked in frequently were in the USA - but that's more than 30 years ago.)
0 Replies
 
Chumly
 
  1  
Reply Sat 28 Jun, 2014 10:04 am
@cicerone imposter,
cicerone imposter wrote:
You lost me; 'empirical research' in criminology is ongoing.
Firstly criminology does not solely attempt to rely on "empirical research based on the scientific method" and secondly how successful criminology is in attempting to use "empirical research based on the scientific method" is an open question. Alas again I fail to see what point you wish to make.
Chumly
 
  1  
Reply Sat 28 Jun, 2014 10:37 am
I could broaden the topic somewhat by pointing out that the reason why there are people in prison is because they were convicted in a court of law and sentenced accordingly, however it's worth noting that their incarceration rests on that fact that they are being punished for breaching particular societal normatives.

Many of these societal normatives are not only questionable in terms of public harm versus public good but are far from universal in nature.

Public nudity laws and the war on drugs being just two of many good examples that are not only questionable in terms of public harm versus public good but are far from universal in nature.

Narrowing the topic somewhat, Corrections Corporation of America and The GEO Group both strongly invest in increasing rates of recidivism, and in promoting laws that increase rates of incarceration.

I would argue that neither Corrections Corporation of America's nor The GEO Group's efforts in these regards are to the net benefit of the individual or the public, quite the contrary in fact!
Walter Hinteler
 
  2  
Reply Sat 28 Jun, 2014 10:45 am
@Chumly,
Chumly wrote:
Many of these societal normatives ... but are far from universal in nature.
Since there is no universal criminal code that is not surprising. (40 years ago since I heard philosophy of law, and I'm still glad that did need it only basicly for the exams.)
cicerone imposter
 
  2  
Reply Sat 28 Jun, 2014 11:26 am
@Chumly,
Then, why is DNA so successful in reversing crimes charged against defendants and put into prisons? That's not 'questionable' by any sense of that word. The success of empirical research based on the scientific method is successful whether you wish to agree with that or not! It works.
Chumly
 
  0  
Reply Sat 28 Jun, 2014 12:17 pm
@cicerone imposter,
cicerone imposter wrote:
Then, why is DNA so successful in reversing crimes charged against defendants and put into prisons? That's not 'questionable' by any sense of that word. The success of empirical research based on the scientific method is successful whether you wish to agree with that or not! It works.
It would appear you do not understand what is meant by criminology in any sort of broader sense given it draws on many disciplines inclusive of the behavioral sciences and the law.

Why you appear to be stagnating on the myopic notion that criminology equals the forensic sciences to the obvious exclusion of many other disciplines is mystery to me.

I cannot help it if you do not understand what criminology encompasses nor if you do not wish to take the time to find out however both Goggle and Wikipedia should assist you.

Further, that you claim I dismiss empirical research based on the scientific method is the height of absurdity as I said no such thing and in fact I am a firm believer in the efficacy of empirical research based on the scientific method.
Chumly
 
  0  
Reply Sat 28 Jun, 2014 12:26 pm
@Walter Hinteler,
Walter Hinteler wrote:
Chumly wrote:
Many of these societal normatives ... but are far from universal in nature.
Since there is no universal criminal code that is not surprising. (40 years ago since I heard philosophy of law, and I'm still glad that did need it only basicly for the exams.)
Notwithstanding social normatives and moral relativism, I am not convinced there are no tacit universal rules of human conduct. Whether people adhere to them however is another matter altogether as is how how well they are apllied to any given society!
0 Replies
 
cicerone imposter
 
  2  
Reply Sat 28 Jun, 2014 12:28 pm
@Chumly,
You're the one missing the whole point;
Quote:
crim·i·nol·o·gy
ˌkriməˈnäləjē/
noun
the scientific study of crime and criminals.

This includes the science that may prove that the defendant is also innocent.
Our country has a Constitution that protects the individual from unfounded charges of crimes based on the presumption of innocence. The study of human behavior must show proof of innocence as well as guilt.

Chumly
 
  1  
Reply Sat 28 Jun, 2014 12:55 pm
@cicerone imposter,
cicerone imposter wrote:

You're the one missing the whole point;
Quote:
crim·i·nol·o·gy
ˌkriməˈnäləjē/
noun
the scientific study of crime and criminals.

This includes the science that may prove that the defendant is also innocent.
Our country has a Constitution that protects the individual from unfounded charges of crimes based on the presumption of innocence. The study of human behavior must show proof of innocence as well as guilt.
As to whatever "whole point" you claim you are making you are welcome to it however as discussed it would appear you do not understand what is meant by criminology in any sort of broader sense given it draws on many disciplines inclusive of the behavioral sciences and the law.

As to playing the war of quoting definitions, that's rather boring to say the least but here's Wikipedia's
Quote:
Criminology (from Latin crīmen, "accusation"; and Greek -λογία, -logia) is the scientific study of the nature, extent, management, control, consequences, and prevention of criminal behavior, both on the individual and social levels. Criminology is an interdisciplinary field in the behavioral sciences, drawing especially upon the research of sociologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, social anthropologists, as well as scholars of law.

The term criminology was coined in 1885 by Italian law professor Raffaele Garofalo as criminologia. Later, French anthropologist Paul Topinard used the analogous French term criminologie.[1]


Contents
1 Schools of thought
1.1 Classical school
1.2 Positivist school
1.2.1 Italian school
1.2.2 Sociological positivism
1.2.3 Differential association (subcultural)
1.3 Chicago school
1.4 Social structure theories
1.4.1 Social disorganization (neighborhoods)
1.4.2 Social ecology
1.4.3 Strain theory (social strain theory)
1.4.4 Subcultural theory
1.4.5 Control theories
1.5 Symbolic interactionism
1.5.1 Labeling theory
1.6 Individual theories
1.6.1 Trait theories
1.6.2 Rational choice theory
1.6.3 Routine activity theory
1.7 Biosocial theories
1.8 Marxist criminology
2 Types and definitions of crime
3 Causes and correlates of crime
4 Subtopics
5 See also
6 References
6.1 Notes
6.2 Bibliography
7 External links

Schools of thought[edit]In the mid-18th century criminology arose as social philosophers gave thought to crime and concepts of law. Over time, several schools of thought have developed. There were three main schools of thought in early criminological theory spanning the period from the mid-18th century to the mid-twentieth century: Classical, Positive, and Chicago. These schools of thought were superseded by several contemporary paradigms of criminology, such as the sub-culture, control, strain, labeling, critical criminology, cultural criminology, postmodern criminology, feminist criminology and others discussed below.

Classical school[edit] The neutrality of this article is disputed. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. (January 2013)

The Classical School, which developed in the mid 18th century, was based on utilitarian philosophy. Cesare Beccaria,[2] author of On Crimes and Punishments (1763–64), Jeremy Bentham (inventor of the panopticon), and other classical school philosophers argued that:[citation needed]

1.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 avoids pain, and a 'rational calculator' weighing up the costs and benefits of the consequences of each action. Thus, it ignores the possibility of irrationality and unconscious drives as motivators.[citation needed]
3.Punishment (of sufficient severity) can deter people from crime, as the costs (penalties) outweigh benefits, and that severity of punishment should be proportionate to the crime.[3]
4.The more swift and certain the punishment, the more effective it is in deterring criminal behavior.
The Classical school of thought came about at a time when major reform in penology occurred, with prisons developed as a form of punishment. Also, this time period saw many legal reforms, the French Revolution, and the development of the legal system in the United States.[citation needed]

Positivist school[edit]The Positivist school presumes that criminal behavior is caused by internal and external factors outside of the individual's control. The scientific method was introduced and applied to study human behavior. Positivism can be broken up into three segments which include biological, psychological and social positivism.[4]

Italian school[edit]Cesare Lombroso was an Italian Sociologist working in the late 19th century who is sometimes regarded as the father of criminology. He was one of the largest contributors to biological positivism and was founder of the Italian school of criminology.[5] Lombroso took a scientific approach, insisting on empirical evidence, for studying crime.[6] Considered as the founder of criminal anthropology he suggested that physiological traits such as the measurements of one's cheek bones or hairline, or a cleft palate, considered to be throwbacks to Neanderthal man, were indicative of "atavistic" criminal tendencies. This approach, influenced by the earlier theory of phrenology and by Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution, has been superseded. Enrico Ferri, a student of Lombroso, believed 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. Criminologists have since rejected Lombroso's biological theories, with control groups not used in his studies.[7]

Sociological positivism[edit]Sociological positivism suggests that societal factors such as poverty, membership of subcultures, or low levels of education can predispose people to crime. Adolphe Quetelet made use of data and statistical analysis to gain insight into the relationship between crime and sociological factors. He found that age, gender, poverty, education, and alcohol consumption were important factors related to crime.[8] Rawson W. Rawson utilized crime statistics to suggest a link between population density and crime rates, with crowded cities creating an environment conducive for crime.[9] Joseph Fletcher and John Glyde also presented papers to the Statistical Society of London on their studies of crime and its distribution.[10] Henry Mayhew used empirical methods and an ethnographic approach to address social questions and poverty, and presented his studies in London Labour and the London Poor.[11] Émile Durkheim viewed crime as an inevitable aspect of society, with uneven distribution of wealth and other differences among people.

Differential association (subcultural)[edit]Crime is learned through association. The criminal acts learned might be generally condoning criminal conduct or be justifying crime only under specific circumstances. Interacting with antisocial peers is a major cause of crime. Criminal behavior will be repeated and become chronic if reinforced. When criminal subcultures exist, many individuals can learn associatively to commit crime and crime rates may increase in those specific locations.[12]

Chicago school[edit]The Chicago school arose in the early twentieth century, through the work of Robert E. Park, Ernest Burgess, and other urban sociologists at the University of Chicago. In the 1920s, Park and Burgess identified five concentric zones that often exist as cities grow, including the "zone in transition" which was identified as most volatile and subject to disorder. In the 1940s, Henry McKay and Clifford R. Shaw focused on juvenile delinquents, finding that they were concentrated in the zone of transition.

Chicago School sociologists adopted a social ecology approach to studying cities, and postulated that urban neighborhoods with high levels of poverty often experience breakdown in the social structure and institutions such as family and schools. This results in social disorganization, which reduces the ability of these institutions to control behavior and creates an environment ripe for deviant behavior.

Other researchers suggested an added social-psychological link. Edwin Sutherland suggested that people learn criminal behavior from older, more experienced criminals that they may associate with.

Theoretical perspectives used in criminology include psychoanalysis, functionalism, interactionism, Marxism, econometrics, systems theory, postmodernism, genetics, neuropsychology, evolutionary psychology, etc.

Social structure theories[edit]This theory is applied to a variety of approaches within criminology in particular and in sociology more generally as a conflict theory or structural conflict perspective in sociology and sociology of crime. As this perspective is itself broad enough, embracing as it does a diversity of positions.[13]

Social disorganization (neighborhoods)[edit]Social disorganization theory is based on the work of Henry McKay and Clifford R. Shaw of the Chicago School.[14] Social disorganization theory postulates that neighborhoods plagued with poverty and economic deprivation tend to experience high rates of population turnover.[15] These neighborhoods also tend to have high population heterogeneity.[15] With high turnover, informal social structure often fails to develop, which in turn makes it difficult to maintain social order in a community.

Social ecology[edit]Since the 1950s, social ecology studies have built on the social disorganization theories. Many studies have found that crime rates are associated with poverty, disorder, high numbers of abandoned buildings, and other signs of community deterioration.[15][16] As working and middle class people leave deteriorating neighborhoods, the most disadvantaged portions of the population may remain. William Julius Wilson suggested a poverty "concentration effect", which may cause neighborhoods to be isolated from the mainstream of society and become prone to violence.[17]

Strain theory (social strain theory)[edit]Strain theory, (also known as Mertonian Anomie), advanced by American sociologist Robert Merton, suggests that mainstream culture, especially in the United States, is saturated with dreams of opportunity, freedom and prosperity; as Merton put it, the American Dream. Most people buy into this dream and it becomes a powerful cultural and psychological motivation. Merton also used the term anomie, but it meant something slightly different for him than it did for Durkheim. Merton saw the term as meaning a dichotomy between what society expected of its citizens, and what those citizens could actually achieve. Therefore, if the social structure of opportunities is unequal and prevents the majority from realizing the dream, some of them will turn to illegitimate means (crime) in order to realize it. Others will retreat or drop out into deviant subcultures (gang members, "hobos": urban homeless drunks and drug abusers).[18]

Subcultural theory[edit]Main article: subcultural theory
Following on from the Chicago school and Strain Theory, and also drawing on Edwin Sutherland's idea of differential association, subcultural theorists focused on small cultural groups fragmenting away from the mainstream to form their own values and meanings about life.

Albert K. Cohen tied anomie theory with Freud's reaction formation idea, suggesting that delinquency among lower class youths is a reaction against the social norms of the middle class.[19] Some youth, especially from poorer areas where opportunities are scarce, might adopt social norms specific to those places which may include "toughness" and disrespect for authority. Criminal acts may result when youths conform to norms of the deviant subculture.[20]

Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin suggested that delinquency can result from differential opportunity for lower class youth.[21] Such youths may be tempted to take up criminal activities, choosing an illegitimate path that provides them more lucrative economic benefits than conventional, over legal options such as minimum wage-paying jobs available to them.[21]

British subcultural theorists focused more heavily on the issue of class, where some criminal activities were seen as 'imaginary solutions' to the problem of belonging to a subordinate class. A further study by the Chicago school looked at gangs and the influence of the interaction of gang leaders under the observation of adults.

Sociologists such as Raymond D. Gastil, have explored the impact of a Southern culture of honor on violent crime rates.[22]

Control theories[edit]Another approach is made by the social bond or social control theory. Instead of looking for factors that make people become criminal, these theories try to explain why people do not become criminal. Travis Hirschi identified four main characteristics: "attachment to others", "belief in moral validity of rules", "commitment to achievement" and "involvement in conventional activities".[23] The more a person features those characteristics, the less the chances are that he or she becomes deviant (or criminal). On the other hand, if those factors are not present in a person, it is more likely that he or she might become criminal. Hirschi expanded on this theory, with the idea that a person with low self control is more likely to become criminal.[24]

A simple example: someone wants to have a big yacht, but does not have the means to buy one. If the person cannot exert self-control, he or she might try to get the yacht (or the means for it) in an illegal way; whereas someone with high self-control will (more likely) either wait or deny themselves that want, or seek an intelligent intermediate solution such as to join a yacht club to obtain access to using a yacht by group consolidation of resources without violating social norms. Social bonds, through peers, parents, and others, can have a countering effect on one's low self-control. For families of low socio-economic status, a factor that distinguishes families with delinquent children from those who are not delinquent is the control exerted by parents or chaperonage.[25] In addition, theorists such as David Matza and Gresham Sykes argued that criminals are able to temporarily neutralize internal moral and social behavioral constraints through techniques of neutralization.

Symbolic interactionism[edit]Symbolic interactionism draws on the phenomenology of Edmund Husserl and George Herbert Mead, as well as subcultural theory and conflict theory.[26] This school of thought focused on the relationship between the powerful state, media and conservative ruling elite on the one hand, and the less powerful groups on the other. The powerful groups had the ability to become the 'significant other' in the less powerful groups' processes of generating meaning. The former could to some extent impose their meanings on the latter, and therefore they were able to 'label' minor delinquent youngsters as criminal. These youngsters would often take on board the label, indulge in crime more readily and become actors in the 'self-fulfilling prophecy' of the powerful groups. Later developments in this set of theories were by Howard Becker and Edwin Lemert, in the mid 20th century.[27] Stanley Cohen who developed the concept of "moral panic" (describing societal reaction to spectacular, alarming social phenomena such as post-World War Two youth cultures (e.g. the Mods and Rockers in the UK in 1964, AIDS and football hooliganism).

Labeling theory[edit]Labeling theory refers to an individual being labeled in a particular way and was studied in great detail by Howard Becker.[28] It arrives originally from sociology but is regularly used in criminological studies. It is said that when someone is given the label of a criminal, they may reject it or accept it and go on to commit crime. Even those that initially reject the label can eventually accept it as the label becomes more well known particularly amongst their peers. This can become even more profound when the labels are about deviancy and it is said they can lead to deviancy amplification. Klein (1986) [29] conducted a test which showed that labeling theory affected some youth offenders but not others.

Individual theories[edit]Trait theories[edit]At the other side of the spectrum, criminologist Lonnie Athens developed a theory about how a process of brutalization by parents or peers that usually occurs in childhood results in violent crimes in adulthood. Richard Rhodes' Why They Kill describes Athens' observations about domestic and societal violence in the criminals' backgrounds. Both Athens and Rhodes reject the genetic inheritance theories.[30]

Rational choice theory[edit]Main article: Rational choice theory (criminology)

Cesare BeccariaRational choice theory is based on the utilitarian, classical school philosophies of Cesare Beccaria, which were popularized by Jeremy Bentham. They argued that punishment, if certain, swift, and proportionate to the crime, was a deterrent for crime, with risks outweighing possible benefits to the offender. In Dei delitti e delle pene (On Crimes and Punishments, 1763–1764), Beccaria advocated a rational penology. Beccaria conceived of punishment as the necessary application of the law for a crime: thus, the judge was simply to conform his sentence to the law. Beccaria also distinguished between crime and sin, and advocated against the death penalty, as well as torture and inhumane treatments, as he did not consider them as rational deterrents.

This philosophy was replaced by the Positivist and Chicago Schools, and not revived until the 1970s with the writings of James Q. Wilson, Gary Becker's 1965 article titled "Crime and Punishment"[31] and George Stigler's 1970 article "The Optimum Enforcement of Laws".[32] Rational choice theory argues that criminals, like other people, weigh costs/risks and benefits when deciding whether or not to commit crime and think in economic terms.[33] They will also try to minimize risks of crime by considering the time, place, and other situational factors.[33]

Gary Becker, for example, acknowledged that many people operate under a high moral and ethical constraint, but considered that criminals rationally see that the benefits of their crime outweigh the cost such as the probability of apprehension, conviction, punishment, as well as their current set of opportunities. From the public policy perspective, since the cost of increasing the fine is marginal to that of the cost of increasing surveillance, one can conclude that the best policy is to maximize the fine and minimize surveillance.

With this perspective, crime prevention or reduction measures can be devised that increase effort required to commit the crime, such as target hardening.[34] Rational choice theories also suggest that increasing risk of offending and likelihood of being caught, through added surveillance, police or security guard presence, added street lighting, and other measures, are effective in reducing crime.[34]

One of the main differences between this theory and Jeremy Bentham's rational choice theory, which had been abandoned in criminology, is that if Bentham considered it possible to completely annihilate crime (through the panopticon), Becker's theory acknowledged that a society could not eradicate crime beneath a certain level. For example, if 25% of a supermarket's products were stolen, it would be very easy to reduce this rate to 15%, quite easy to reduce it until 5%, difficult to reduce it under 3% and nearly impossible to reduce it to zero (a feat which would cost the supermarket so much in surveillance, etc., that it would outweigh the benefits). This reveals that the goals of utilitarianism and classical liberalism have to be tempered and reduced to more modest proposals to be practically applicable.

Such rational choice theories, linked to neoliberalism, have been at the basics of crime prevention through environmental design and underpin the Market Reduction Approach to theft [35] by Mike Sutton, which is a systematic toolkit for those seeking to focus attention on "crime facilitators" by tackling the markets for stolen goods [36] that provide motivation for thieves to supply them by theft.[37]

Routine activity theory[edit]Routine activity theory, developed by Marcus Felson and Lawrence Cohen, draws upon control theories and explains crime in terms of crime opportunities that occur in everyday life.[38] A crime opportunity requires that elements converge in time and place including (1) a motivated offender (2) suitable target or victim (3) lack of a capable guardian.[39] A guardian at a place, such as a street, could include security guards or even ordinary pedestrians who would witness the criminal act and possibly intervene or report it to police.[39] Routine activity theory was expanded by John Eck, who added a fourth element of "place manager" such as rental property managers who can take nuisance abatement measures.[40]

Biosocial theories[edit]Biosocial criminology is an interdisciplinary field that aims to explain crime and antisocial behavior by exploring both biological factors and environmental factors. While contemporary criminology has been dominated by sociological theories, biosocial criminology also recognizes the potential contributions of fields such as genetics, neuropsychology, and evolutionary psychology.[41]

Marxist criminology[edit]In 1968, young British sociologists formed the National Deviance Conference (NDC) group. The group was restricted to academics and consisted of 300 members. Ian Taylor, Paul Walton and Jock Young - members of the NDC - rejected previous explanations of crime and deviance. Thus, they decided to pursue a new Marxist criminological approach.[42] In The New Criminology, they argued against the biological "positivism" perspective represented by Lombroso, Hans Eysenck and Gordon Trasler.[43]

According to the Marxist perspective on crime, "defiance is normal - the sense that men are now consciously involved…in assuring their human diversity." Thus Marxists criminologists argued in support of society in which the facts of human diversity, be it social or personal, would not be criminalized.[44] They, further, attributed the processes of crime-creation not to genetic or psychological facts, but rather to the material basis of a given society.[45]

Types and definitions of crime[edit]Both the Positivist and Classical Schools take a consensus view of crime — that a crime is an act that violates the basic values and beliefs of society. Those values and beliefs are manifested as laws that society agrees upon. However, there are two types of laws:

Natural laws are rooted in core values shared by many cultures. Natural laws protect against harm to persons (e.g. murder, rape, assault) or property (theft, larceny, robbery), and form the basis of common law systems.
Statutes are enacted by legislatures and reflect current cultural mores, albeit that some laws may be controversial, e.g. laws that prohibit cannabis use and gambling. Marxist criminology, Conflict criminology and Critical Criminology claim that most relationships between state and citizen are non-consensual and, as such, criminal law is not necessarily representative of public beliefs and wishes: it is exercised in the interests of the ruling or dominant class. The more right wing criminologies tend to posit that there is a consensual social contract between State and citizen.
Therefore, definitions of crimes will vary from place to place, in accordance to the cultural norms and mores, but may be broadly classified as blue-collar crime, corporate crime, organized crime, political crime, public order crime, state crime, state-corporate crime, and white-collar crime.[46] However, there have been moves in contemporary criminological theory to move away from liberal pluralism, culturalism and postmodernism by introducing the universal term 'harm' into the criminological debate as a replacement for the legal term 'crime'.[47]

Causes and correlates of crime[edit]Main article: Correlates of crime
Many different causes and correlates of crime have been proposed with varying degree of empirical support.

Subtopics[edit]Areas of study in criminology include:

Comparative criminology, which is the study of the social phenomenon of crime across cultures, to identify differences and similarities in crime patterns.[48]
Crime prevention
Crime statistics
Criminal behavior
Criminal careers and desistance
Domestic violence
Deviant behavior
Evaluation of criminal justice agencies
Fear of crime
The International Crime Victims Survey
Juvenile delinquency
Penology
Sociology of law
Victimology
See also[edit] Sociology portal
Main article: Index of criminology articles
Anthropological criminology
Taboo
Crime
Crime science
Criminal law
Forensic psychology
Forensic science
Market Reduction Approach
Social cohesion
Sociology of deviance
The Mask of Sanity
List of criminologists
References[edit]Notes[edit]1.^ Deflem, Mathieu (Editor) (2006). Sociological Theory and Criminological Research: Views from Europe and the United States. Elsevier. p. 279. ISBN 0-7623-1322-6.
2.^ Beccaria, Cesare (1764). Richard Davies, translator, ed. On Crimes and Punishments, and Other Writings. Cambridge University Press. p. 64. ISBN 0-521-40203-4.
3.^ Beccaria, Cesare (1764). Richard Davies, translator, ed. On Crimes and Punishments, and Other Writings. Cambridge University Press. p. 64. ISBN 0-521-40203-4.
4.^ David, Christian Carsten. "Criminology - Crime." Cybercrime. Northamptonshire (UK), 5 June 1972. Web. 23 Feb. 2012. <http://carsten-ulbrich.zymichost.com/crimeanalysis/10.html>.
5.^ Siegel, Larry J. (2003). Criminology, 8th edition. Thomson-Wadsworth. p. 7.
6.^ McLennan, Gregor, Jennie Pawson, Mike Fitzgerald (1980). Crime and Society: Readings in History and Theory. Routledge. p. 311. ISBN 0-415-02755-1.
7.^ Siegel, Larry J. (2003). Criminology, 8th edition. Thomson-Wadsworth. p. 139.
8.^ Beirne, Piers (March 1987). "Adolphe Quetelet and the Origins of Positivist Criminology". American Journal of Sociology 92 (5): pp. 1140–1169. doi:10.1086/228630.
9.^ Hayward, Keith J. (2004). City Limits: Crime, Consumerism and the Urban Experience. Routledge. p. 89. ISBN 1-904385-03-6.
10.^ Garland, David (2002). "Of Crimes and Criminals". In Maguire, Mike, Rod Morgan, Robert Reiner. The Oxford Handbook of Criminology, 3rd edition. Oxford University Press. p. 21.
11.^ "Henry Mayhew: London Labour and the London Poor". Center for Spatially Integrated Social Science.
12.^ Anderson, Ferracuti. "Criminological Theory Summaries". Cullen & Agnew. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
13.^ Hester, S., Eglin, P. 1992, A Sociology of Crime, London, Routledge.
14.^ Shaw, Clifford R. and McKay, Henry D. (1942). Juvenile Delinquency and Urban Areas. The University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-75125-2.
15.^ a b c Bursik Jr., Robert J. (1988). "Social Disorganization and Theories of Crime and Delinquency: Problems and Prospects". Criminology 26 (4): p. 519–539. doi:10.1111/j.1745-9125.1988.tb00854.x.
16.^ Morenoff, Jeffrey, Robert Sampson, Stephen Raudenbush (2001). "Neighborhood Inequality, Collective Efficacy and the Spatial Dynamics of Urban Violence". Criminology 39 (3): p. 517–60. doi:10.1111/j.1745-9125.2001.tb00932.x.
17.^ {{Ulbrich, Carsten B. "Criminology - Cybercrime." Englisch. Niddatal Ilbenstadt (DE), 15 July 1972. Web. 22 Feb. 2012. <http://cybercrime.carsten-ulbrich.eu/7.html.}}
18.^ Merton, Robert (1957). Social Theory and Social Structure. Free Press. ISBN 0-02-921130-1.
19.^ Cohen, Albert (1955). Delinquent Boys. Free Press. ISBN 0-02-905770-1.
20.^ Kornhauser, R. (1978). Social Sources of Delinquency. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-45113-5.
21.^ a b Cloward, Richard, Lloyd Ohlin (1960). Delinquency and Opportunity. Free Press. ISBN 0-02-905590-3.
22.^ Raymond D. Gastil, "Homicide and a Regional Culture of Violence," American Sociological Review 36 (1971): 412-427.
23.^ Hirschi, Travis (1969). Causes of Delinquency. Transaction Publishers. ISBN 0-7658-0900-1.
24.^ Gottfredson, Michael R., Hirschi, Travis (1990). A General Theory of Crime. Stanford University Press.
25.^ Wilson, Harriet (1980). "Parental Supervision: A Neglected Aspect of Delinquency". British Journal of Criminology 20.
26.^ Mead, George Herbert (1934). Mind Self and Society. University of Chicago Press.
27.^ Becker, Howard (1963). Outsiders. Free Press. ISBN 0-684-83635-1.
28.^ Slattery, Martin (2003). Key Ideas In Sociology. Nelson Thornes. pp. 154+.
29.^ Kelin, Malcolm (March 1986). "Labeling Theory and Delinquency Policy: An Experimental Test". Criminal Justice & Behaviour 13 (1): 47–79. doi:10.1177/0093854886013001004.
30.^ Rhodes, Richard (2000). Why They Kill: The Discoveries of a Maverick Criminologist. Vintage. ISBN 0-375-40249-7.
31.^ Gary Becker, "Crime and Punishment", in Journal of Political Economy, vol. 76 (2), March–April 1968, p.196-217
32.^ George Stigler, "The Optimum Enforcement of Laws", in Journal of Political Economy, vol.78 (3), May–June 1970, p. 526–536
33.^ a b Cornish, Derek, and Ronald V. Clarke (1986). The Reasoning Criminal. Springer-Verlag. ISBN 0-387-96272-7.
34.^ a b Clarke, Ronald V. (1992). Situational Crime Prevention. Harrow and Heston. ISBN 1-881798-68-2.
35.^ Sutton, M. Schneider, J. and Hetherington, S. (2001) Tackling Theft with the Market Reduction Approach. Crime Reduction Research Series paper 8. Home Office. London. http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/prgpdfs/crrs08.pdf
36.^ Sutton, M. (2010) Stolen Goods Markets. U.S. Department of Justice. Centre for Problem Oriented Policing, COPS Office. Guide No 57. http://www.popcenter.org/problems/stolen_goods/
37.^ Home Office Crime Reduction Website. Tackling Burglary: Market Reduction Approach. http://www.crimereduction.homeoffice.gov.uk/burglary/burglaryminisite07.htm
38.^ Felson, Marcus (1994). Crime and Everyday Life. Pine Forge. ISBN 0-8039-9029-4.
39.^ a b Cohen, Lawrence, and Marcus Felson (1979). "Social Change and Crime Rate Trends". American Sociological Review (American Sociological Association) 44 (4): 588–608. doi:10.2307/2094589. JSTOR 2094589.
40.^ Eck, John, and Julie Wartell (1997). Reducing Crime and Drug Dealing by Improving Place Management: A Randomized Experiment. National Institute of Justice.
41.^ Kevin M. Beaver and Anthony Walsh. 2011. Biosocial Criminology. Chapter 1 in The Ashgate Research Companion to Biosocial Theories of Crime. 2011. Ashgate.
42.^ Sparks, Richard F., "A Critique of Marxist Criminology." Crime and Justice. Vol. 2 (1980). JSTOR. 165.
43.^ Sparks, Richard F., "A Critique of Marxist Criminology." Crime and Justice. Vol. 2 (1980). JSTOR. 169.
44.^ Sparks, Richard F., "A Critique of Marxist Criminology." Crime and Justice. Vol. 2 (1980). JSTOR. 170 - 171
45.^ J. B. Charles, C. W. G. Jasperse, K. A. van Leeuwen-Burow. "Criminology Between the Rule of Law and the Outlaws." (1976). Deventer: Kluwer D.V. 116
46.^ "Attack the System » Crime and Conflict Theory." Attack the System. Ed. Attack the System. American Revolutionary Vanguard, 6 June 2007. Web. 23 Feb. 2012. <http://attackthesystem.com/crime-and-conflict-theory/>.
47.^ Hillyard, P., Pantazis, C., Tombs, S., & Gordon, D. (2004). Beyond Criminology: Taking Harm Seriously. London: Pluto
48.^ Barak-Glantz, I.L., E.H. Johnson (1983). Comparative criminology. Sage.
Bibliography[edit]Jean-Pierre Bouchard, La criminologie est-elle une discipline à part entière ? / Can criminology be considered as a discipline in its own right ? L’Evolution Psychiatrique 78 (2013) 343-349.
Wikibooks: Introduction to sociology
Beccaria, Cesare, Dei delitti e delle pene (1763–1764)
Barak, Gregg (ed.). (1998). Integrative criminology (International Library of Criminology, Criminal Justice & Penology.). Aldershot: Ashgate/Dartmouth. ISBN 1-84014-008-9
Pettit, Philip and Braithwaite, John. Not Just Deserts. A Republican Theory of Criminal Justice ISBN 978-0-19-824056-3 (see Republican Criminology and Victim Advocacy: Comment for article concerning the book in Law & Society Review, Vol. 28, No. 4 (1995), pp. 765–776)
Simply Criminology - Criminology Articles, Research, Reviews and Library: (see The Online Criminology Resource
Blatier, Catherine, "Introduction à la psychocriminologie". Paris : Dunod, 2010.
Blatier, Catherine, "La délinquance des mineurs. Grenoble". Presses Universitaires, 2nd Edition, 2002.
Blatier, Catherine, "The Specialized Jurisdiction: A Better Chance for Minors". International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family. (1998), pp. 115–127.
Deflem, Mathieu, 1997. "Surveillance and Criminal Statistics: Historical Foundations of Governmentality." pp. 149–184 in Studies in Law, Politics and Society, Volume 17, edited by Austin Sarat and Susan Silbey. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Dr. R. Thilagaraj: Issues and Problems in Reintegrating Young Offenders into Society Funded by the University Grants Commission, New Delhi. http://www.unom.ac.in/index.php?route=department/department/profile&deptid=22&facultyid=74
 

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