...The Role of Sociology in Criminal Justice A person cannot avoid the experience of making decisions from a list full of options and choices in this life. The choices that an individual makes are vital in determining the shape his or her later life will take. Making the choice to attend or not to attend college is one of the choices a high school graduate has to make. It is essential for an individual standing at the cross roads after high school to be visionary in making a decision to join a college. Attending college is worth it because the knowledge obtained cannot be taken away from you. College education contributes significantly to the person development. College learning is both inside and outside classroom. The college experiences are a reminder that adulthood comes with more responsibility. In addition, it instills in a person the virtue that it is essential to work hard for one to succeed. There exist studies that support the need for a student to attend college. In a survey investigating the importance of college education today as compared to high school education, it was found that almost 90% of the respondents admitted that college education is important. The presentation of this paper agrees with these findings. With the changing societal needs, college education has become important like high school education. Therefore, the perception toward college education makes it important. There are other ways in which attending a college is important. First, college...
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...this paper will discuss how victimology is different from criminology, sociology and psychology. This paper will also discuss hate crimes, the first safe house for battered women, children’s rights groups. Finally, this paper will also discuss organizations that provide advocacy for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse and homicides. Introduction to Victimology Victimology is the study of victims of crime and the interactions between the victim and the perpetrator (victimology, 2006). Victimology is to investigate the victims role in the commission of crimes and sometimes the psychological effect those crimes have on the victims (victimology, 2007). Today’s criminal justice system is a fairly new appearance, in the middle ages victims themselves were responsible for dealing with criminals on their own as there were no authorities to enforce the law. Murder has always been unacceptable behavior, but it was always up to the victims or their survivors to determine the course of action to be taken against the person committing the crime. In 2200 B.C.E. was when Law of Moses, the Code of Hammurabi and Roman law all consisted of elements to individual responsibility for harms committed against others (Doerner & Lab, 2008). It was until the 1940’s that the criminal justice system decided to not only focus their time in trying to understand the criminal activity and criminal behavior but to focus on the victim and possibly be a contributor to their...
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...Criminals are born as such. Discuss: Five year old girl abducted, raped and murdered. It is headlines like this that often make newspaper headlines. When reading a headline such as this the question is often asked ‘How could a human being be capable of doing such a thing to another human being? Another headline may read ‘what led young people to riot?’ in reference to normal young people who took to the streets of London and broke into shops and set fire to pubs. There are many theories as to why people commit crimes. Are these crimes due to inherited predispositions? Are they a response to the strain of disjunction between goals and the means of achieving? Is this because they were written off as delinquents at school? Are these crimes a result of being labelled a murderer or a hooligan? Is the inequality in the capitalist world responsible for these people’s actions? This essay will look at biological, physiological and sociological perspectives to consider why people commit crimes. Deviance can be defined as behaviour that differs from the normal and is subjected to public disapproval. What is labelled as deviant is relative and will clearly differ between cultures. Similarly what is seen as deviant behaviour changes over time, it was once deviant to bear a child out of wed lock but over time it is now considered to be the norm. Lastly deviance is subjective depending on location for example it would be considered to be deviant to chant, shout and walk around topless at...
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...For the academic journal, see Criminology (journal). For the Raekwon song, see Criminology (song). Criminology and penology Pentonvilleiso19.jpg Theory[show] Types of crime[show] Penology[show] v t e Sociology Social Network Diagram (segment).svg History Outline Portal Theory Positivism Antipositivism Functionalism Conflict theories Social constructionism Structuralism Interactionism Critical theory Structure and agency Actor-network theory Methods Quantitative Qualitative Historical Mathematical Computational Ethnography Ethnomethodology Network analysis Subfields Conflict Criminology Culture Development Deviance Demography Education Economic Environmental Family Gender Health Industrial Inequality Knowledge Law Literature Medical Military Organizational Political Race & ethnicity Religion Rural Science Social change Social movements Social psychology Stratification STS Technology Urban Browse Bibliography Index Journals Organizations People Timeline v t e Three women in the pillory, China, 1875 Criminology (from Latin crīmen, "accusation"; and Greek -λογία, -logia) is the scientific study of the nature, extent, management, causes, control, consequences, and prevention of criminal behavior, both on the individual and social levels. Criminology is an interdisciplinary field in both the behavioral and social sciences, drawing especially upon the research of sociologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, social anthropologists, as well as scholars of law. ...
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...Introduction To Criminology Prof. Dr. Ayman Elzeiny A-why criminology? There is very important and critical questions , impose it self at our minds. why do people get paid to study crime and criminal behavior , and why do people engage in this area of study ? There are a variety of answers of these questions, built around many kinds of concerns , like the anxiety, anger , and fear that are common responses to crime of the future crimes . former victims of crimes may contribute of showing the importance of studying criminology by, transferring them experience and feeling of anxiety, anger, and fear which Generated from crimes to other persons . Then the need to study criminology become at the forefront of priorities , to predict and control crime; the hope of preventing crime through individual and social reform the wish to understand and explain crime and societal reactions to it; and the simple desire to learn more about crime and what it can tell us about our society . Criminologists disagree, sometimes violently, about which of these kinds of concerns are most legitimate and important . So Criminology was the composite result of the thinking and endeavors of many people, and them desire to the understanding the individual behavior and deviation and the structuring of the social order . The study of crime has engaged the interest of many academic disciplines. Building on centuries of philosophical debate, systematic attempts to explain crime emerged...
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...people who commit a crime share different values to the rest of society. Subculture theories come from two different schools of sociology which are appreciative sociology and strain theory. Appreciative sociology came from the University of Chicago in the early 20th Century; Chicago sociologists were determined to appreciate other lifestyles and cultures in Chicago using a participant observation which existed after a huge number of migrants from Europe and Southern USA. Whyte’s Street Corner Society (1943) suggests that deviant groups in society have clear norms and values which justify their behaviour. The Chicago study would say that it is useful in explaining subcultural crime and deviance because they used participant observations to get more accurate results within different subcultures and Whyte would also agree that it is useful because they could justify their behaviour by the norms and values in which they share. In item A “some sociologists link subcultural crime and deviance to the nature of capitalism” this shows that some sociologists believe that it doesn’t matter about what your norms and values are but depending on the amount of money that you have will determine you to turn to crime. In a stratified society they have goals which are linked with their position in the social system, each layer share different goals, but the system can only work if the majority of people can reach their goals, however, if they can’t then you can reach an anomie. This theory...
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...Sociology Introduction One of the most important trends in the study of sociology is the inevitable social inequality in the society. When talk about inequality, sociologists usually link stratifying institutions which label people into social categories such as the educational system and the formal labor market. The three articles discussed below explore the different faces of inequality in society. These articles are Incarceration and Stratification (2010), The Mark of Criminal Record (2003) and The Black-White Test Score Gap (2004). The overarching theme that will be pointed out below is inequality face by black people in the United States. These articles show inequalities face by black people in three different landscapes: incarceration cells, employment, and education. This paper included the role of media in the proliferation of racial inequality between white and black people. Lastly, this paper also presented the missing gaps on literature and how should we address the problem of racial inequality. Summary Inequality is present in incarceration cells. Wakefield and Uggen (2010) claimed that incarceration became a powerful “engine of social inequality that plays a massive and racialized part in the contemporary stratification system” (Wakefield and Uggen, 2010, p. 388). The study conducted by Wakefield and Uggen (2010) covers the scope of imprisonment and the process of selection into prison. The authors then proceed by giving the implications of incarceration in...
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...CRIMINAL JUSTICE What can I do with this degree? AREAS SOCIAL SERVICES Corrections Counseling Juvenile Justice Casework Administration Probations & Parole Victim Advocacy EMPLOYERS State and federal correction facilities County jails Precinct station houses Prison camps Youth correction facilities Medium-security correction facilities Voluntary correction facilities Halfway houses and pre-release programs Reintegration programs Alternative schools Juvenile detention centers Juvenile group homes Women’s and family shelters Domestic violence agencies Immigration and naturalization services Other nonprofit organizations STRATEGIES Seek courses or training in topics such as victimology, social problems, diversity issues, or grieving. Supplement curriculum with courses in psychology, sociology, or social work. Gain experience working with a juvenile population in any capacity (i.e., sports teams, summer camp counselor, parks and recreation programs, and community/religious youth groups). Gain related experience in employment interviewing, social casework, substance abuse, and rehabilitation. Learn to work well with people of diverse backgrounds. Consider learning a second language. Maintain a blemish-free driving and criminal record. Gain firearms and self-defense training. Earn a master’s degree in social work or counseling for therapy positions. Obtain a masters degree in criminal justice or business for upper-level positions in facilities management or administration...
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... Why were they on the street in the first place? These and many other questions come to mind when we read this scenario. This is where a Criminologist comes in. Criminologists are trained professionals who look at the individual as well as the society when studying crime. A good starting point for an aspiring Criminologist is a bachelor’s degree in psychology or sociology. Earning a bachelor's degree in psychology, sociology or criminal justice is a logical place to start gaining the skills needed to succeed in a career as a criminologist. People currently in law enforcement, corrections or related field, earning a bachelor's degree may be the only additional education needed to pursue a career as a criminologist. Those looking to do research or teach the profession will need either masters and/or a doctorate degree in the above majors. Each state is different so, look into the state’s criminologists licensure requirements. Some states require licensure and others do not. The criminologist must be analytical and detail oriented. This will require knowledge of statistics. Statistics can help predict criminal behavior from incomplete information. Criminologists must also be...
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...Victimology Shawn Everett AIU Online Abstract This paper will discuss victimology, civil rights movement, children’s rights, crisis centers, and safe houses as well as list organizations and other resources. Victimology Victimology is considered the study of victimization which includes connections between both victim and the offender as well as the interactions between the victim and our criminal justice system which can include the police, courts, and correction officials. It’s also important to know that victimology is not limited to the connection between the victim, offender, and the criminal justice system, but it can also involve connections between social movements and many forms of human rights violations (Stevens, 2003). Victimology was born in the 1940’s after two criminologist from Europe named Von Hentig and Mendelson, also known as the fathers of victimology began studying victims of crimes. Their theory was that the victim’s behavior as well as their attitude was the cause of the crime to be committed. During its birth, the focus of victimology was on how the victims were equally responsible for certain crimes with the offender (Carson, 2009). By the 1960’s the focus of victimology shifted towards the rights of victims due to movements such as the Civil Rights movements and the feminist movements. From the 1970’s to the 1990’s victimology turned towards ways to stop future crimes from happening, help victims of crimes to become organized and empowered...
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...Chapter 1 Introduction To Criminology A-why criminology? There is very important and critical questions , impose it self at our minds. why do people get paid to study crime and criminal behavior , and why do people engage in this area of study ? There are a variety of answers of these questions, built around many kinds of concerns , like the anxiety, anger , and fear that are common responses to crime of the future crimes . former victims of crimes may contribute of showing the importance of studying criminology by, transferring them experience and feeling of anxiety, anger, and fear which Generated from crimes to other persons . Then the need to study criminology become at the forefront of priorities , to predict and control crime; the hope of preventing crime through individual and social reform the wish to understand and explain crime and societal reactions to it; and the simple desire to learn more about crime and what it can tell us about our society . Criminologists disagree, sometimes violently, about which of these kinds of concerns are most legitimate and important . So Criminology was the composite result of the thinking and endeavors of many people, and them desire to the understanding the individual behavior and deviation and the structuring of the social order . The study of crime has engaged the interest of many academic disciplines. Building on centuries of philosophical debate, systematic attempts to explain crime emerged from the developing biological...
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...Lombrosian Theory, Positivist and Classical criminology, are discussed. Other disciplines namely Sociology, Psychology, and the Criminal Justice Sector are examined and applied to the broad subject of criminology, to show the network of how this subject came to be recognised as such a discipline. Exposed are main issues that occur for the likes of criminologists and other social scientists when challenged with defining criminology; and the problems that definition’s carry with themselves. This essay will look in to the birth of criminology as a new discipline and how it has evolved in what it is known today as an applied social science. Explanation of what an ‘applied social science’ will be detailed and collectively the answer to the meaning and validity of the label of ‘rendezvous discipline’ will be provided. Topics that criminology is weaved into for instance are Globalisation, Capital Punishment, Serial Killing, Media, and Genocide. Used to demonstrate the importance that this discipline provides, in a range of contexts Media is the focus later in the essay. Criminology can be studied on its own as a subject, and also applied and used in determining why certain acts of criminality occur in society, referring often to patterns in crime using Criminological Statistical Analysis. In the opinion of Maguire et al (2012) ‘the study of the various social practices associated with criminal justice is currently divided into two main areas marked by a combination of disciplinary tools...
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...This essay intends to focus on the over-representation of indigenous people in the criminal justice system from a sociological viewpoint. This over-representation becomes sociologically significant when it is seen as an expression of inequality meaning that wider social issues are at play that effect indigenous people specifically. The two major reasons or drivers of this over-representation stem from this inequality; the first is an element of institutional discrimination found in both the courts and the police services in Australia which tend to target indigenous people disproportionately with the facilitation of legislation and practices which indigenous people have little to no involvement in formulating. The second is a set of cultural and social norms that exist amongst indigenous people which clash with the norms of the dominant white culture who are responsible for the laws and regulations that all groups in society are meant to abide by. Furthermore social conflict theories on crime such as those formulated by Turk and Sellin provide a rich theoretical support for the reasons behind the over-representation of indigenous people in the criminal justice system. The over-representation of aboriginal people in Australia is a perfect example of the effects of inequality in modern society, arising from clashing cultural norms and institutional discrimination found within the criminal justice system caused by said inequality social conflict theories are...
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...observer’s values, conditions that vary at different times and with different observers. According to this view, these terms have no scientific value and no legitimate status as sociological concepts. Such nihilism and counsel of despair are not justified. True, there is no consensus on the meaning of these terms, and they are, indeed, burdened with value connotations. However, they point to a number of distinctions that sociology must take into account. Concept of deviance. Turning first to the concept of deviant behavior, we must distinguish among the several definitions of the term, which are discussed below. Behavior that violates norms. Deviant behavior is behavior that violates the normative rules, understandings, or expectations of social systems. This is the most common usage of the term and the sense in which it will be used here. Crime is the prototype of deviance in this sense, and theory and research in deviant behavior have been concerned overwhelmingly with crime. However, normative rules are inherent in the nature of all social systems, whether they be friendship groups, engaged couples, families, work teams, factories, or national societies. Legal norms are then but one type of norm whose violation constitutes deviant behavior. It is important to note that although deviance, in this sense, and conformity are “opposites,” they represent the poles within the same dimension of variation;...
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...Sociology Central Teaching Notes Crime and Deviance 1. Basic Concepts Sociology Central www.sociology.org.uk Crime and Deviance Basic Concepts In this section of the course we will be exploring the nature of conformity to - and deviation from social rules in both our own and other societies. In order to do this, we will initially need to understand a number of basic concepts that we can develop. In more detail at a later point. Before we start to do this, however, it might be useful to briefly map-out the various general areas covered by the syllabus. In this respect, we will be looking at a major aspect of deviant behaviour in our society (crime) and the way such behaviour is associated with various social categories such as: Class Age Gender Ethnicity Locality / Region In simple terms, we need to look at the various explanations of crime and deviance that have been produced by sociologists over the past 100 or so years. The concept of power is a very significant one in relation to the way social rules are created and applied and, for this reason, we need to examine this concept as a means of understanding the nature of social conformity and deviance. A significant aspect of (deviant) behaviour is the reaction of others to that behaviour and, in this respect, we will be particularly concerned with an examination of the role of the mass media in the process of Deviancy Amplification. The concern here will be to outline the role of "official" agencies...
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