CCJ27- Week 1 Glossary Learning Objective Terms PDF

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Summary

A Glossary of Essential terms for Week 1 as set out by the Learning Objectives. Week 1's Topic is
Introduction: What is Crime? What is Criminology?...

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Week 1 Glossary Essential Terms ONLY Criminology Definition: Criminology is the study of making, breaking and reacting to the breaking of laws. The objective of Criminology is to develop generally verifiable theories of crime also including law and treatment (rehabilitation). 1. Best defined by Edwin Sutherland a. “Criminology is the body of knowledge regarding crime as a social phenomenon. It includes within its scope the processes of making laws, of breaking laws, and of reacting toward the breaking of laws. The objective of criminology is the development of a body of general and verified principles and of other types of knowledge regarding this process of law, crime, and treatment.” (Edwin Sutherland) 2. Part 1 of Definition: Criminology is the study of making, breaking and reacting to the breaking of laws 3. Part 2 of Definition: Criminology is the development of generally verifiable theories of crime also including law and treatment (rehabilitation) Formal/Legal Definition of Crime: Crime defined by legislative codes that identify certain behaviours as punishable by the state Crime as Social Harm Definition of Crime (Edwin Sutherland): The state does not always define certain crimes that would cause greater social harm as a legally defined crime. This can apply to crimes such as White-Collar Crime and Corporate Crime which may not be dealt with as a criminal matter, yet they can cause greater social harm than legally defined crime. Example is toxic waste being dumped instead of correctly disposed of. Crime as conduct or Norm Violation Definition: This definition of crime viewed that crimes that were norm violations could be globally classified scientifically between cultures/societies. There were later problems when it was argued that there were different norms in different cultures and over time. Yet this was originally successful for a brief period. Some of these crimes were classified as following:  Folkways- were minor violations that were usually offensive of cultural/social norms

 Mores- were classified as more serious violations that were usually in criminal laws (Western Societies)  Codes- that were offences in traditional/oral cultures e.g. murder etc. Crime and Human Rights Violation Definition: This definition emerged in 50’s and 60’s. The state is usually the offender. Includes the state legalising certain horrific behaviours such as murder, genocide, etc. This definition is used when criminologists or United Nations are investigating/prosecuting, or is used for case studies by criminologists when the offending country that committed the violation has formally/legally defined the violation as non-criminal and it the crimes do not fit under the legal definition of crime. As the state defines what crimes are illegal this definition is used by the UN and Criminologists to study and enable adequate ability to prosecute the offending state. Examples of this when the NAZI Germany has made horrific crimes such as rape, murder, and expulsion of the Jews because they ‘legally defined’ the crimes as legal. This led to the UN Declaration of Human Rights and resulted in a world criminal court, by defining crimes that are not of the states ‘legal definition’. Positivism: Science can only deal with phenomena that are directly observable- these observations will show if the phenomena fit the theory or not. The belief that sociology can be scientific just as other sciences such as physics etc.

The Three Major Sociological Paradigms: 1.

Functionalism

2.

Social Conflict Theory

3.

Symbolic Interactionism:

Functionalism: (Macro paradigm) Society is made of social structures which are interrelated to form a stable society and each social structure has a part in maintaining society. There is the wide consensus of what is morally desirable in a functionalist view. Social Conflict Theory (Karl Marx): (Macro paradigm) A sociological view that society is a system based on inequality, there are dramatic differences between the social classes which cause social conflict which in turns leads to social change.

Symbolic Interactionism: (Micro paradigm) A paradigm that explains the symbolic communications that occur continually within social interactions in specific social settings. People’s perceptions of reality continue to change and variate. Positivism: Science can only deal with phenomena that are directly observable- these observations will show if the phenomena fit the theory or not. The belief that sociology can be scientific just as other sciences such as physics etc. Criminological Positivism: An approach to the study of criminology that assumes that people’s criminal actions are NOT a result of free will (as believed in Classical Criminology) but are rather determined by certain internal factors such as biological and psychological and external factor such as social and cultural. Social Scientific Methodology: refers to the ways in which social scientists identify research questions, collect data, test hypothesis about this data, form conclusions, and develop theories about these conclusions....