Summary Introduction to Criminology(cmy1501)

INTRODUCTION TO CRIMINOLOGY

Crime, Offenders and Criminal Behaviour

Study Unit 1

What is Criminology?

Siegel – according to Siegel (2013:4), criminology is the scientific approach to the study
of criminal behaviour.

 Latin term crimen – means “crime” and “logo” means a “study” or “knowledge”.
 Therefore, the word “criminology” means the study of crime.
 First use of this term was in the nineteenth century coined by the French
sociologist called Toppinard.

Walsh – Criminology is an interdisciplinary science that gathers and analyses data on
various aspects of criminal, delinquent and general anti-social behaviour.

Edwin.H.Sutherland – is celebrated as the father of American criminology.

 Three aspects of Sutherland‟s definition of criminology are sometimes referred to
as the study of law making, law breaking and reactions to law breaking.
1) Law making against crime
2) Area of causes of crime
3) Work of the police, the courts and correctional services.

Bezuidenhout and Little (2011:15) identify the following fields of specialization in
criminology:

1) Criminal law – a branch of public law that covers the definition of crime, criminal
behaviour, rules and regulations on crime preventing punishment of criminals.
2) Crime theories – reasons and explanations provided by criminology social
scientists on causes and occurrencies of criminal behaviour.
3) Victimology – the study of victims of crime.



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, 4) Criminal and deviant behaviour systems – risk assessment strategies that
examine the patterns of criminal behaviour.
5) Criminal justice – the study of agencies of social control that handle offenders.

The Role of Criminologists

 Schmalleger (1996:12) maintains that a criminologist is a graduate who makes a
study of crime, criminals and criminal behaviour.
 According to Brown, Esbensen and Geis (2001) and Gibbons (in Bezuidenhout
and Little 2011:14) – on criminologist is someone whose professional training,
occupational role and earnings or remuneration mainly relate to a scientific
approach to the study and anaylsis of crime phenomena and criminal behaviour.

Beukman – (inBezuidenhout & Little 2011:14) considers the main functions of
criminologists to be:

1) Lecturing at Universities, Colleges;
2) Researching at Universities, Colleges, or institutions such as the Institute of for
Security Studies (ISS);
3) Involved in community service and assisting victims of various violent crimes,
domestic violence and victim support.

Glick (1995:3 – 5) Fundamentally a criminologist‟s task is to – study – define – describe
– explain – formulate policy directives in respect of crime, criminal behaviour and
victimization.

Role players in criminology

 Academics (criminologists)
 Police officers
 Parole officers
 Correctional service officials
 Forensics
 The Discipline of Criminology


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,Du Preez & Neser (1993:62) – the word “science” refers to knowledge (knowing) and
indicates knowledge of a particular discipline that has been systematically collected.

Johnson (1978:49 – 71) the following requirements have to be met if a subject is to
qualify as an independent discipline:

1) It must be its own object of study
2) Identified as a unique and demarcated area of study
3) Have its own procedures or scientific methodology
4) Must have a study theoretical foundation
5) Knowledge generated must be applicable to society
6) Taught or practiced at an educational institution

Fluctuating Parameters of Crime

There are numerous examples of acts defined as crimes in one country being tolerated
and even expected behaviour in another (walsh 2015:3):

 Nazi mass killing of Jews “Holocaust”
 Apartheid racial treatment of black people
 Abortion is a crime in Italy but not in the United States or in Britain
 Crime is studied from a number of perspectives
 Justice is not consistent – in SA horse racing is legal whereas dog racing (known
as greyhound racing) was banned in 1946 still a punishable offence.
 Criminal behaviour is defined by power relations of society
 Prevalent conditions of poverty
 Public tolerance
 Making new rules and regulations

Various Approaches to the Study of Crime

Generally speaking, criminologists study crime from two view points:

1) The Juridical (legal) aspect;
2) The non-juridical (social) aspect

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, The Juridical Definition of Crime

 Focuses on actions that include a deliberate violation of the law of the State for
which punishment may be imposed without justification or excuse (Bezuidenhout
& Little 2011:15).
 Main focus is on wrongdoing.
 Before an act or omission may be defined as a crime, criminal law must regard it
as such a suitable punishment must be in place.
 Hence the precept “no crime without law and no punishment without law”
(Snyman, Middleton, Strauss, Geldenhuys, Albeit & Jordaan 1991:21ff).

Juridical Elements of Crime

1) The Act or conduct – a human act under the control of a human will.
Three modes of action:
1) Transgressing a prohibition
2) Ignoring a prohibition
3) Committing an act that has harmful consequences
2) Wrongfulness – is an act which conflicts with the legal norm or prohibition
however, there are exemptions self-defence, emergency situations, victim‟s
consent and legal command.
3) Guilt element – the culpable frame of mind in which a person commits a
wrongful act.
Two forms of Culpa (accountable behaviour of the perpetrator:
1) Deliberate intent (dolus)
2) Negligence (culpa)
4) The element of punishment – sentencing of criminal offenders in juridical terms
only punishable acts are considered crimes.

The Non-juridical Definition of Crime

Bezuidenhout & Little (2011:16) – Scholars believe that it is too simplistic to be guided
only by criminal law when trying to understand human wrongdoing, criminal or
unacceptable behaviour and the focus of criminology.
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