Criminal events intertwined. They may be accidental or causal. For example, alcohol-related violence resulting in drunken and disorderly behaviour.
Criminology in the system of sciences helps to explain and solve the problems of crime in detail. Thanks to her methods, crimes can be systematized. So, some of its principles can be involved in the development of measures to prevent acts, as well as to reduce the rate of crime. However, the discipline is more effective and complex than it seems at first glance.
Shaping the science of crime: what does it include?
The concept of criminology as a science was first formed in 2001, but its roots go back at least 50 years. Initially, the discipline included ideas relating to crime prevention through environmental design, environmental criminology, and general crime analysis. All this helped in drawing up a psychological portrait of the offender.
Criminology is based on the theory of crime,built on opportunity. This includes the theory of routine activities, the perspective of rational choice, the theory of criminal structures. Thus, crime cannot be called an accident. Basically, it is influenced by a series of environmental factors that contribute to the provocation of criminal events, and also depends on the individual inclination of people, as well as on their past. Subjects of criminology as a science: conditions, motives and personality of a person who decides to break the law.
Criminology has three main principles:
- Application of scientific methods.
- Research on crime and security issues.
- Harm reduction.
Criminology methods are used to solve a variety of problems, in the first place - mass crimes (for example, burglary), as well as more serious and complex gifts (for example, terrorism or human trafficking). There is now strong evidence of the effectiveness of targeted measures to combat crimes that involve the manipulation of personal facts about a person. True, in the eyes of the public, such a method is recognized as unethical. He is condemned. It should be remembered that, first of all, criminology is the science of crime. She puts moral values on the back burner.
Because discipline is facing a bigger problem. For example, its theoretical foundations are too narrow, and the boundaries do not have a clear horizon. Interfering with the online world and resolving inconsistencies in the estimated data is also in question.
Similar areas and distinctive features
Criminology is a recognized social science. It has long been central to the problems of crime and policing. It is one of the main subjects covering a wide range of forensic sciences.
Nevertheless, relations between the two areas remain tense. For example, leading criminologist Ron Clark has dismissed much of the goals, theories, and methods of criminology as not relevant to important aspects of science. Meanwhile, the creation of forensic science has been met with skepticism from many criminologists, criticizing some of the need for the field and accusing others of threatening civil rights.
The close connection between the two spheres is undeniable. Factors that generally distinguish criminology as a legal science from forensic science include:
- Focusing on offenders and crime.
- Wide range of sciences on which it relies (physical, biological, computer and engineering, as well as social).
- Opportunities to explain the deed done and build a way to fight it.
- Interest in research on ways to reduce crime.
Science and scientific methods
Despite the special place of criminology in the system of sciences and the rapid spread in everyday life, its defining characteristics and precise delineation remain controversial.
The basis for discipline is logic, rationality, clarity in definitionproblems, rigorous use of evidence, and transparency, not only in methods, but in the explicit detailing of any assumptions and underlying theories. As a rule, it is wrong to claim absolute objectivity, therefore the scientific approach is aimed at reducing subjectivity. This is done by limiting bias wherever possible. All this is confirmed with the help of reliable data and the indication of informative sources.
Crime and its control is a hot topic both emotionally and politically. A scientific approach to research is essential to create a solid evidence base that can balance myths, stereotypes, and the unwarranted popularity of false information.
Thus, the tasks of criminology as a science are:
- A thorough study of the causes, motives and consequences of objective and subjective factors of crimes.
- Review of statistics of all types of offenses and methods of dealing with them.
- Compiling a psychological portrait of a person.
- Determination of the mechanisms of a particular act.
- Measures and directions to prevent recurrence.
One of the key contributions of scientists is that they ask questions that often involve challenging the conventional view of the world. For example, the suggestion in ancient Greek times that the world was round and not flat represented a radical departure from the belief of the past, which subsequently changed astronomy in a completely different direction. When it comes to wrongdoing, being clear about the nature of the problem (and its potential complexity) is a vital step towards a solution. Forensic scientists recognize that a wide range of analytical approaches can help overcome many of the difficulties encountered.
Crimes: what is discipline based on?
The place of criminology in the system of sciences is closely connected with other areas. This discipline refers not only to the scientific method, but also to the social, psychological, biological and computer sciences, which make a significant contribution to the fight against illegal activities. Other fruitful areas are applied subjects that have a scientific basis, such as engineering, architecture, and design.
But what kind of science is criminology by nature? It is an interdisciplinary field and also includes individual studies that often transcend disciplinary boundaries. Technology plays a key role in shaping crime control, but the people have the final say.
Currently, new technologies are being used, including modern video surveillance, automatic face recognition or 3D body scanners. Collaboration between engineers and social scientists in the development and implementation of innovations can ensure that the final products are not only effective, but also help to achieve the goals of law enforcement officers. In addition, the work of people is responsible for ethics, allowing you to remove criticism from the public. So, this discipline is based on a range of other sciences and modern technology.
Wide structured investigation
In a simple sense, a crime is an activity that violates the law. However, it is generally accepted that crime is a social and moral concept. In particular, socio-political, temporal and geographical factors influence its borders. An offense committed in one part of the continent may not be considered as such in another part of the planet.
Because there are functions in the science of criminology. They allow you to effectively operate within existing legislation, as well as quickly respond to a crime scene. Among them:
- Explanatory. The specialist aims to study the details, as well as the distinctive features of the case.
- Descriptive. The material of special literature, the details of the case are used to compile the phenomena and causes of the offense committed.
- Prognostic. Options about the future behavior of the offender.
- Software. The expert builds on the information obtained from the above points and is engaged in the implementation of further work plans.
Although criminology is broad in scope, individual studies can vary greatly in terms of the specific crime as well as the theory to be analysed. For example, differences in data may appear after a certain time, as criminals come up with new schemes. Examples include illegal goods, services, victims, targets, places, technologies, and a variety of formal and informal subterfuges.
Even focusing on a rather narrow offense like rape, you can find different types of research in criminology:
- The nature and motive of the rape (for example, rape in the family, acquaintance, stranger, rape of men, or action in certain settings: prisons, schools, etc.).
- Psychological portrait of rapists.
- Characteristics of the victims.
- The effect of rape on the victim.
- Police response to reported crime.
- Use of DNA evidence in investigations.
- Effect of specific anti-rape measures.
Reduce risk in everyday life
Criminology is a science based on reducing the risks and harms caused by crime and security problems. Harm is another broad construct that includes loss or damage, which can be physical, emotional, financial, reputational, or social.
The contribution of discipline to harm reduction varies widely. Every year the crime statistics change. No matter how effective the methods are, atrocities continue to be committed every day. The risk of becoming a victim of crime is still high. It may take much more time, effort and attention to future innovations before it can be proved that the results of theoretical and practical research have an effective application in the fight against crime.
Key theories in criminology
Central to the discipline is the idea thatOpportunity plays an important role in explaining and therefore in fighting crime. The emergence of criminology as a science is rooted in the distant past, when the first codes were created. The dawn of criminology was also touched by Plato, who argues that crimes are committed only by uneducated people. Or, according to Aristotle, they speak of the bad character of a person. So, in ancient times, it was believed that criminology is the science of a tendency to atrocities, impulses and dark desires to harm another person.
However, it was not until the 1980s and 1990s that theories of possibility represented a radical break with traditional notions of delinquency as an inevitable consequence of a person's criminal or individual propensity.
On the contrary, theories of possibility involve shifting the focus from crime to crime itself. The former is seen, like any other form of human behavior, as the product of an interaction between position and situation.
Three theories have become fundamental to the development of criminology.
Theory of Routine Activities
This concept touches upon the basic "chemistry" of criminal events. In laying it out, Cohen and Felson in 1979 proposed that crime has three main components:
- Motivated criminal.
- A suitable target.
- Victim and no guardian.
Atrocities occur, they argued, only when these elements converge in space and time. As a result of the crimeis distributed randomly, but is reflected in the regularity of the daily ("routine") activities of its components.
Crime Theory
The concept of a criminal picture tries to explain why crime is distributed not randomly, but naturally. The central component is the “space of activity”. These are areas where offenders move regularly as they go to work, home and carry out their usual social activities.
According to the theory, criminals usually identify their own targets as they move between these key locations along familiar routes. Research based on crime theory tends to focus on geographic distribution in particular, although temporal patterns reflecting the daily rhythms of perpetrators (or their victims) are also of considerable interest.
Rational choice perspective theory
Judgment positions criminals as rational decision makers. They are thought to operate solely with limited rather than complete rationality: decision-making is in its infancy and is limited by factors such as lack of information, the effects of drinking, and lack of time.
It is said that when making a serious decision to commit an atrocity or not, a potential criminal takes into account several factors:
- Probable risk of discovery.
- Reward and effort costs.
- The extent to which he canbe justified or not justified.
Therefore, if a person weighs and concludes the damage to himself and the time spent, then this can save someone's life.
Career potential
Criminology intersects with other sciences, taking into account the involvement of a number of elements. For example, it contains the key features of sociology, biology and psychology. Therefore, the spectrum of study in universities should not be directed exclusively to one activity, but to cover others as well.
At the moment, future criminologists are studying in the areas of "Jurisprudence" or "Criminal Law and Criminology", including completing a master's degree for more in-depth study.
Specialists can work in law enforcement agencies, including the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the prosecutor's office, the investigative committee, and also - after gaining the necessary experience and professional skills - engage in private work. However, there are difficulties here, since organizational activities also fall on the shoulders of a person.
The Future of Criminology
The modern world, the accessibility of each person to information through virtual media and the Internet - this has a positive effect on the instant provision of information. The approach is convenient because criminology is a science that combines a dynamic body of research and considerable flexibility in tackling specific problems in public safety.
However, there is a danger that the development of criminologymay be hampered by difficulties in securing funding for interdisciplinary work. Specialists who are enthusiastic about their professional activities may simply not choose it due to a lack of vacancies. Also, a significant problem is still the lack of consistency and consistency in the practical and theoretical research base, which negatively affects the effective application of knowledge in real life.
Despite the negative aspects of science, crime continues to be an acute problem in society, which increases the demand for specialists in this field.
