SAMENVATTING INTRO CRIM
Podcast: 16/10
Seminar quiz: 21/10
Exam: 4/11
Bestaande uit:
LECTURES................................................................................. 1
LECTURE 1 – 11 sep.................................................................................1
LECTURE 2 – 18 sep.................................................................................6
LECTURE 3 – 25 sep...............................................................................10
LECTURE 4 – 2 okt..................................................................................15
LECTURE 5 – 9 okt..................................................................................20
LECTURE 6 – 16 okt................................................................................26
LECTURE 7 – 23 okt................................................................................26
RESPONSE LECTURE/PREPS FOR EXAM – 30/10.....................................26
SEMINARS..............................................................................27
SEMINAR 1 – 9 SEPT...............................................................................27
SEMINAR 2 – 16 SEPT.............................................................................30
SEMINAR 3 – 23 SEPT.............................................................................36
SEMINAR 4 – 30 SEPT.............................................................................40
SEMINAR 5 – 7 OKT.................................................................................44
SEMINAR 6 – 14 OKT...............................................................................48
SEMINAR 7 – 21 OKT...............................................................................55
KEY CONCEPTS:....................................................................... 56
LECTURES
LECTURE 1 – 11 sep
THE GOOD CRIMINOLOGIST
1
, - A good criminologist should be curious and tireless. According to
Murphy, criminologists should not “succumb to academic cynicism”.
They should continue asking questions rather than assuming that
research is pointless.
- Criminologists must also be critical. They should consider what is
being studied, whether claims make sense and which subjects are
neglected. They must also ask who is speaking and whose
experiences are not being heard. Zygmunt Bauman calls this
developing your own “crap detector”, meaning the ability to
recognise weak arguments and unsupported claims.
- A criminologist should also be reflexive. Reflexivity means
considering your own position in society, your possible biases and
the influence these may have on your research. Researchers must
remain open to doubt and be willing to change their minds.
- Finally, criminologists should work pragmatically and thoroughly.
This applies to their choice of literature, their use of references and
their digital skills.
DEFINING CRIMINOLOGY
Carrabine and colleagues define criminology in its broadest and most
commonly accepted sense as the study of crime, criminals and criminal
justice. Murphy defines criminology as the study of crime, justice, law and
order issues, as well as the broader dynamics of society. These social
dynamics influence how crime and justice exist and how people
experience them.
Criminology can therefore be understood as the study of crime and the
reactions to crime within a particular context. This context matters
because ideas about crime are shaped by society.
THE HISTORY OF CRIMINOLOGY
1. Criminology originally developed as an applied science.
Governmental concerns strongly influenced the research agenda
and determined which subjects criminologists studied.
2. Criminological thinking began during the second half of the 18th
century and was influenced by utilitarianism. However, it is difficult
to identify the exact beginning of criminology because researchers
studied crime before criminology became an independent academic
discipline.
3. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, many criminologists were
positivists. They tried to identify the factors that determine why
people commit crime. They often asked what makes a criminal
different from an ordinary or supposedly civilised person.
4. Positivists believed that science could improve society. They viewed
criminals as different from ordinary people and believed that this
difference could be inherited or caused by external factors.
5. Criminology later became a broader discipline, with contributions
from psychologists, sociologists, legal scholars, philosophers and
anthropologists.
2
,POSITIVISM AND CESARE LOMBROSO
Cesare Lombroso was a 19th century positivist who
believed that criminals could be recognised by their
physical appearance. He photographed people in
prison and measured features of their faces and
skulls. For example, he studied the size of the
forehead and the distance between the eyes. This
approach is called craniology.
Lombroso claimed that criminals shared physical
characteristics, such as a high forehead, good eyesight, large ears, a
strong jawline, facial asymmetry and tattoos.
His theory was eventually falsified. However, contemporary research still
studies how genetic factors, hormonal imbalances and other biological
factors may influence criminal behaviour. This research developed from
the broader positivist tradition, although Lombroso’s own ideas are now
outdated.
OTHERING
Positivist criminologists studied what makes a criminal different from an
ordinary citizen. Creating such a distinction is called othering.
Othering means presenting a person or group as fundamentally different
from one’s own group. In discussions about crime, criminals may therefore
be presented as a separate group that differs from normal or civilised
people.
THE LEGAL DEFINITION OF CRIME
Tappan defined crime in 1947 as an intentional act or omission that
violates criminal law and is sanctioned by the state as a felony or
misdemeanour.
Criminal law includes domestic and international law, statutory law and
case law. According to this approach, behaviour counts as crime when it
violates criminal law and the state can punish it.
The law is therefore the main criterion. Behaviour that has not been
prohibited by criminal law does not count as crime according to the legal
definition.
THE SOCIOLOGICAL DEFINITION OF CRIME
Thorsten Sellin argued in 1938 that criminology should be
scientific rather than exclusively legal. According to Sellin,
criminology therefore required a scientific definition of crime.
The sociological definition searches for similarities between the
norms of different societies. It asks which behaviours societies
generally consider wrong.
Crime is therefore understood as both a moral and social problem.
This approach also studies deviant behaviour. Behaviour can be
considered wrong or deviant by society even when criminal law
does not prohibit it.
3
, THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVIST DEFINITION OF CRIME
Howard Becker asked why society criminalises some forms of behaviour
but not others. Social constructivism focuses on the process through
which behaviour receives the label of crime.
According to Murphy, what society views as crime is a product of the
dynamics within that society.
Becker argues that social groups create deviance by creating rules. When
people break these rules, society can label them as outsiders. Deviance is
therefore created through rules and the social reactions to people who
break them.
According to Walklate, powerful people and institutions define which
behaviour counts as crime. Power is therefore central to this definition
because not everyone has equal influence over the creation and
application of rules.
The sociological definition asks which norm someone has broken. The
social constructivist definition asks why that norm exists and who decided
that breaking it should be considered criminal.
RADICAL SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM AND
ABOLITIONISM
Louk Hulsman developed a more radical social constructivist
approach connected to abolitionism. According to Hulsman,
categories of crime are created by the criminal justice
system rather than by victims or society in general. He
therefore argued that criminology should abandon the
concept of crime.
Hulsman stated that crime has no ontological reality. This
means that crime does not exist as an independent and self evident
phenomenon. Crime is a product of criminal policy because institutions
and policies determine which behaviour receives the label of crime.
The legal and sociological definitions both use a relatively fixed criterion.
The legal definition uses the law, while the sociological definition uses
social norms. Social constructivism instead studies how these criteria are
created and how power influences this process.
POWER AND CRIMINALISATION
These images represent groups and
interests that may receive less protection
because of unequal power relations. A
lack of power can be connected to a
person’s ethnic background,
socioeconomic position, gender or age.
These are different axes along which
inequality can appear. If power influences
what society defines as crime, powerful
actors may be able to influence the rules
that also apply to themselves. The
lecture therefore asks whether a
4
Podcast: 16/10
Seminar quiz: 21/10
Exam: 4/11
Bestaande uit:
LECTURES................................................................................. 1
LECTURE 1 – 11 sep.................................................................................1
LECTURE 2 – 18 sep.................................................................................6
LECTURE 3 – 25 sep...............................................................................10
LECTURE 4 – 2 okt..................................................................................15
LECTURE 5 – 9 okt..................................................................................20
LECTURE 6 – 16 okt................................................................................26
LECTURE 7 – 23 okt................................................................................26
RESPONSE LECTURE/PREPS FOR EXAM – 30/10.....................................26
SEMINARS..............................................................................27
SEMINAR 1 – 9 SEPT...............................................................................27
SEMINAR 2 – 16 SEPT.............................................................................30
SEMINAR 3 – 23 SEPT.............................................................................36
SEMINAR 4 – 30 SEPT.............................................................................40
SEMINAR 5 – 7 OKT.................................................................................44
SEMINAR 6 – 14 OKT...............................................................................48
SEMINAR 7 – 21 OKT...............................................................................55
KEY CONCEPTS:....................................................................... 56
LECTURES
LECTURE 1 – 11 sep
THE GOOD CRIMINOLOGIST
1
, - A good criminologist should be curious and tireless. According to
Murphy, criminologists should not “succumb to academic cynicism”.
They should continue asking questions rather than assuming that
research is pointless.
- Criminologists must also be critical. They should consider what is
being studied, whether claims make sense and which subjects are
neglected. They must also ask who is speaking and whose
experiences are not being heard. Zygmunt Bauman calls this
developing your own “crap detector”, meaning the ability to
recognise weak arguments and unsupported claims.
- A criminologist should also be reflexive. Reflexivity means
considering your own position in society, your possible biases and
the influence these may have on your research. Researchers must
remain open to doubt and be willing to change their minds.
- Finally, criminologists should work pragmatically and thoroughly.
This applies to their choice of literature, their use of references and
their digital skills.
DEFINING CRIMINOLOGY
Carrabine and colleagues define criminology in its broadest and most
commonly accepted sense as the study of crime, criminals and criminal
justice. Murphy defines criminology as the study of crime, justice, law and
order issues, as well as the broader dynamics of society. These social
dynamics influence how crime and justice exist and how people
experience them.
Criminology can therefore be understood as the study of crime and the
reactions to crime within a particular context. This context matters
because ideas about crime are shaped by society.
THE HISTORY OF CRIMINOLOGY
1. Criminology originally developed as an applied science.
Governmental concerns strongly influenced the research agenda
and determined which subjects criminologists studied.
2. Criminological thinking began during the second half of the 18th
century and was influenced by utilitarianism. However, it is difficult
to identify the exact beginning of criminology because researchers
studied crime before criminology became an independent academic
discipline.
3. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, many criminologists were
positivists. They tried to identify the factors that determine why
people commit crime. They often asked what makes a criminal
different from an ordinary or supposedly civilised person.
4. Positivists believed that science could improve society. They viewed
criminals as different from ordinary people and believed that this
difference could be inherited or caused by external factors.
5. Criminology later became a broader discipline, with contributions
from psychologists, sociologists, legal scholars, philosophers and
anthropologists.
2
,POSITIVISM AND CESARE LOMBROSO
Cesare Lombroso was a 19th century positivist who
believed that criminals could be recognised by their
physical appearance. He photographed people in
prison and measured features of their faces and
skulls. For example, he studied the size of the
forehead and the distance between the eyes. This
approach is called craniology.
Lombroso claimed that criminals shared physical
characteristics, such as a high forehead, good eyesight, large ears, a
strong jawline, facial asymmetry and tattoos.
His theory was eventually falsified. However, contemporary research still
studies how genetic factors, hormonal imbalances and other biological
factors may influence criminal behaviour. This research developed from
the broader positivist tradition, although Lombroso’s own ideas are now
outdated.
OTHERING
Positivist criminologists studied what makes a criminal different from an
ordinary citizen. Creating such a distinction is called othering.
Othering means presenting a person or group as fundamentally different
from one’s own group. In discussions about crime, criminals may therefore
be presented as a separate group that differs from normal or civilised
people.
THE LEGAL DEFINITION OF CRIME
Tappan defined crime in 1947 as an intentional act or omission that
violates criminal law and is sanctioned by the state as a felony or
misdemeanour.
Criminal law includes domestic and international law, statutory law and
case law. According to this approach, behaviour counts as crime when it
violates criminal law and the state can punish it.
The law is therefore the main criterion. Behaviour that has not been
prohibited by criminal law does not count as crime according to the legal
definition.
THE SOCIOLOGICAL DEFINITION OF CRIME
Thorsten Sellin argued in 1938 that criminology should be
scientific rather than exclusively legal. According to Sellin,
criminology therefore required a scientific definition of crime.
The sociological definition searches for similarities between the
norms of different societies. It asks which behaviours societies
generally consider wrong.
Crime is therefore understood as both a moral and social problem.
This approach also studies deviant behaviour. Behaviour can be
considered wrong or deviant by society even when criminal law
does not prohibit it.
3
, THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVIST DEFINITION OF CRIME
Howard Becker asked why society criminalises some forms of behaviour
but not others. Social constructivism focuses on the process through
which behaviour receives the label of crime.
According to Murphy, what society views as crime is a product of the
dynamics within that society.
Becker argues that social groups create deviance by creating rules. When
people break these rules, society can label them as outsiders. Deviance is
therefore created through rules and the social reactions to people who
break them.
According to Walklate, powerful people and institutions define which
behaviour counts as crime. Power is therefore central to this definition
because not everyone has equal influence over the creation and
application of rules.
The sociological definition asks which norm someone has broken. The
social constructivist definition asks why that norm exists and who decided
that breaking it should be considered criminal.
RADICAL SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM AND
ABOLITIONISM
Louk Hulsman developed a more radical social constructivist
approach connected to abolitionism. According to Hulsman,
categories of crime are created by the criminal justice
system rather than by victims or society in general. He
therefore argued that criminology should abandon the
concept of crime.
Hulsman stated that crime has no ontological reality. This
means that crime does not exist as an independent and self evident
phenomenon. Crime is a product of criminal policy because institutions
and policies determine which behaviour receives the label of crime.
The legal and sociological definitions both use a relatively fixed criterion.
The legal definition uses the law, while the sociological definition uses
social norms. Social constructivism instead studies how these criteria are
created and how power influences this process.
POWER AND CRIMINALISATION
These images represent groups and
interests that may receive less protection
because of unequal power relations. A
lack of power can be connected to a
person’s ethnic background,
socioeconomic position, gender or age.
These are different axes along which
inequality can appear. If power influences
what society defines as crime, powerful
actors may be able to influence the rules
that also apply to themselves. The
lecture therefore asks whether a
4
