3.12 Chapter Conclusion
Summary
As society, its perceptions, and the number and type of crimes continue to evolve, it is fitting that the discipline of criminology remains committed to the study of criminal behavior. As you have learned, there is no one-size-fits-all approach that can be attributed to crimes and those who either commit them, witness them, or are victimized by them. Rather, a statement that might come closer to the mark is that criminologists ought to remain objective and flexible in their approach to the causation and outcomes of criminal behavior. Keeping a vigilant eye on emerging trends from careful study may serve to better inform approaches to detection, enforcement, prosecution, corrections, support resources, and management of outcomes in each dimension for the future.
Review Questions
- The discipline of criminology is often described as a merging of the studies of psychology and sociology. Why is it important to consider both?
- What are three conditions that must be met in the routine activity theory?
- What is the general definition of a “victimless crime”? List at least four victimless crimes.
- Differentiate between organized and disorganized crime scenes as classified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
- What was Jeremy Bentham’s contribution to study of criminology? What other criminologist of the time shared Bentham’s viewpoint?
- What are features of the rational choice theory?
- What are the differences between a “crime,” a “tort,” and a “civil wrong”?
- What are some factors that contribute to one’s decision to engage in criminal conduct?
- What are some of the main features of classical criminology?
- The Burgess concentric zone model was a feature of what group of criminologists? Does the concentric zone model still apply today?
Further Reading
Akers, R. L., Sellers, C. S., & Jennings, W. G. (2020). Criminological theories: Introduction, evaluation and application (8th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Brown, S. E., Esbensen, F.-A., & Geis, G. (2019). Criminology: Explaining crime and its context (10th ed.). Routledge.
Gould, S. J. (2016). The mismeasure of man (2nd ed.). W. W. Norton & Company.
Schmalleger, F. (2019). Criminal justice: A brief introduction (4th ed.). Pearson.
