Contemporary Classicism PDF

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Lecture notes on the topic of contemporary classicism...

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Contemporary Classicism Introduction   

These theoretical approaches share ideas from contemporary classicism that crime happens due to rational choice Concerned with criminal events and the circumstances in which they occur Improving living conditions could reduce crime

Rational Choice Theory    

Based on the idea of expected utility- assuming individuals work based on maximising profits and minimising losses A balancing of costs and benefits Lack of attention paid to motivation behind the crime Becker (1968): individuals will commit crimes if the expected utility of them is positive, when the benefits outweigh the losses

Clarke and Cornish    

A series of choices are made that are influenced by social and psychological factors, this is what lead people to the situation, ‘criminal motivations’ The study of why people make decisions and behave in particular ways in different circumstances Summary of rational choice perspective on page 287 Crime is purposive not senseless, there is always some sort of reward

Bounded Rationality    

Even in situations where thoughts seem irrational, there is some form of rationality Behaviour is rational but bounded Page 288- the decisions under which decisions about offending are made This theory focuses on specific types of crime rather than crime in abstract

Crime Scripts   

Step by step accounts of the procedures and decision-making processes involved in particular events Rational choice is sometimes simplistic, reducing our understanding to very straight forward sets of decisions made by criminals Stages of hypothetical criminal career in figure on page 290

Routine Activity Theory    

Can be universally applied to provide insight for crime prevention Simplest theory of crime but flexible Developed by Cohen and Felson Attention should be focused on the situation the offending takes place rather than on the offender

Routine Activity Theory and Crime Trends         

Originally an attempt to make sense of rising crime rates post-war Social and cultural changes during this period produced opportunities for crime that didn’t previously exist Changes in routine activities created opportunities for offending Believes the motivation to offend is important but not all important Direct-contact predatory violations which are illegal acts in which someone definitely and intentionally take or damages the person or property of another Motivated offenders, suitable targets and the absence of a capable guardian cause crime The above is known as the chemistry for crime This theory is separate from others as the likelihood depends on the situation at the time List of what the important changes were in relation to Pages 293-294

Routine Activity Theory Elaborated  

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All crimes have their own chemistry Understanding the chemistry involves: understanding who and what must be present and absent for a crime to occur, finding out what slice of space and time makes this likely and determining how people move into and out of the setting when committing an offence Targets suitability for attack depends on VIVA: value, inertia, visibility, access

Situational Crime Prevention   

Builds on RAT and rational choice Clarke and Felson six shared premises on page 296 Manipulating environment to reduce opportunities for crime and increase risks

Defensible Space and Problem-Orientated Policing     

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Oscar Newman definition of defensible space: a range of mechanisms that bring an environment under the control of its residents A sense of ownership to space was important Jane Jacobs informal social control and Wilson and Kelling’s social decline Newman developed four key areas in the development of social control to reduce crime: territoriality, surveillance, image, environment Criticisms: ignored that reputation of areas was important, housing policies are also ignored, ignored the impact of different policing tactics, gives the impression that space should be defended from ‘others’ Alice Coleman expanded on this idea in the UK (page 297)

Problem-oriented Policing 

Clarke associated with Herman Goldstein

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Police service need to be less reactive and think more about problems that are confronted Police should attempt to devise solutions to the underlying problems

Crime and Opportunity      

A scientific framework for practical thinking about crime Action research in 5 consequential stages shown on Page 298 According to Clarke the opportunity theory has 3 components: targets, victims and crime facilitators More radical version created by Felson and Clarke: it is easy or tempting opportunities that entice people into criminal action 10 principles of their approach on Page 299 Theory has a greater chance of reducing crime immediately

Crime Science      

A body of work understood very differently to traditional criminology Ron Clarke: traditional criminology has been of limited utility to those who have responsibility for limiting or reducing crime Should look more at immediate matters that can be manipulated for practical benefit Criminologists should realise that crime is fuelled by greed and selfishness Pay less attention to the causes of crime and more to how it is committed and prevention First university to open for this has no criminology department so not to hinder its growth

Assessing Contemporary Classicism      

Fails to explain offender motivation Fail to take sufficient account of structural conditions in which the individual decision-making takes place Situational prevention criticisms: it doesn’t reduce crime it just moves it from one place to another Arguments about utilisation of approaches, could increase surveillance for example which is detrimental to overall quality of life These theories strip away what makes people ‘social’ and treats them simple as calculating individuals...