,
,
, Part 1: Chapter Overviews and Lecture Outlines
Chapter 1
Theoretical Criminology: An Introductory Overview
Chapter Overview:
This chapter begins by defining criminology as focused on the process of
making and breaking laws. It distinguishes criminal justice from criminology
in that the former is more “solutions-oriented” while the latter is more
concerned with the discovery of causes and reasons for committing crime
and theory creation. The authors are quick to point out, however, that
criminal justice practitioners and criminological theorists rely upon one
another to effect change in human behavior. The next section of the chapter
outlines the "evolution" of criminology from the ancient Babylonian Code of
Hammurabi to the current hegemonic status of the sociological perspective
of crime. Therein, the authors note that criminologists often disagree about
the reasons for crime and its relationship to various social problems. Some
scholars argue in favor of individual-level explanations of human behavior
(i.e., micro-level theories) while others espouse macro-level explanations of
crime. These macro-level theories typically focus on social ills such as
poverty, unemployment, and overall disadvantage. The objective of this
introductory chapter is to "prime" the reader toward the notion that a
variety of theoretical perspectives exist and that all have some bearing on
crime. Some theoretical accounts have competing interests while others are
more complimentary. The authors offer guidance to readers to understand
how one can assess the quality of an individual theory and describe how
quality theories can help create an evidence-base to shape criminal justice
practice and policies in an informed, productive way.
Learning Objectives:
After reading this chapter, the student should be able to:
(1) Understand the origins of criminological theory
(2) Discuss the process of theory construction
(3) Describe how to assess the relative merit of a particular theory on the
grounds of its explanatory value
(4) Explain the possible applicability of criminological theory for criminal
justice practices and policies in a general way
Key Terms:
6
Criminological Theory A Brief Introduction 4th Edition J Mitchell
,
, Part 1: Chapter Overviews and Lecture Outlines
Chapter 1
Theoretical Criminology: An Introductory Overview
Chapter Overview:
This chapter begins by defining criminology as focused on the process of
making and breaking laws. It distinguishes criminal justice from criminology
in that the former is more “solutions-oriented” while the latter is more
concerned with the discovery of causes and reasons for committing crime
and theory creation. The authors are quick to point out, however, that
criminal justice practitioners and criminological theorists rely upon one
another to effect change in human behavior. The next section of the chapter
outlines the "evolution" of criminology from the ancient Babylonian Code of
Hammurabi to the current hegemonic status of the sociological perspective
of crime. Therein, the authors note that criminologists often disagree about
the reasons for crime and its relationship to various social problems. Some
scholars argue in favor of individual-level explanations of human behavior
(i.e., micro-level theories) while others espouse macro-level explanations of
crime. These macro-level theories typically focus on social ills such as
poverty, unemployment, and overall disadvantage. The objective of this
introductory chapter is to "prime" the reader toward the notion that a
variety of theoretical perspectives exist and that all have some bearing on
crime. Some theoretical accounts have competing interests while others are
more complimentary. The authors offer guidance to readers to understand
how one can assess the quality of an individual theory and describe how
quality theories can help create an evidence-base to shape criminal justice
practice and policies in an informed, productive way.
Learning Objectives:
After reading this chapter, the student should be able to:
(1) Understand the origins of criminological theory
(2) Discuss the process of theory construction
(3) Describe how to assess the relative merit of a particular theory on the
grounds of its explanatory value
(4) Explain the possible applicability of criminological theory for criminal
justice practices and policies in a general way
Key Terms:
6
Criminological Theory A Brief Introduction 4th Edition J Mitchell
