3.8 TYPOLOGIES OF CRIMES

Criminologists seek to determine the reality of why crimes are committed. To better understand criminal behavior, a classification scheme known as a crime typology is used to study the how and why of deviance occurring in the performance of a criminal act. A number of considerations form the basis for a criminal typology, including the laws that are broken, the offender’s motivation and unique characteristics, and the victim’s behavior before, during, and after their victimization. Criminologists then attempt to identify and if possible categorize homogeneous silos of criminal behaviors. These clusters of criminal acts should be unique and separate from other groups of criminal acts and behaviors. In defining such individual groupings, two general categories emerge: crimes against persons (sometimes referred to as violent crimes due to the propensity for them to occur in assaultive behaviors) and property crimes. While this system assists the criminologist, it can also be murky because of the gaps it creates. For instance, it is possible for a property crime to begin discreetly but suddenly and dynamically evolve into a violent attack when discovered by a homeowner or shopkeeper. Similarly, a person who carjacks a vehicle may encounter no resistance or a violent physical response from the victim. Thus, it is impossible for a one-size-fits-all typology to exist as there are many facets and possible outcomes to almost any crime in progress.

A central and significant consideration of any typology is its relevance to society. The criminologist studying crime typology must recognize that the crimes of the past are not necessarily the same as the crimes committed today. The contemporary impacts associated with the crime of identity theft or technology-driven computer crimes, for instance, cannot effectively be compared to an incident of a petty thief purloining a wallet during a pickpocketing in 1960; a crude attempt at creating a false identification card in 1970; threatening harm by a typewritten note arriving in the mail in 1980; or writing checks on a bank account containing insufficient funds in 1990. The creation of high-end and speedy technology, accompanied by significant advances in supporting materials, creates avenues for greater criminal advantage. Examples include the quality paper and inks mimicking that used in the production of U.S. currency; 3D printers capable of producing ghost guns and other undetectable weapons; and synthetics or precursor chemicals used in the manufacture of illegal drugs sold on American soil. Much of this book will be devoted to the discussion of crimes having a special impact on our country today. These crimes include those perpetrated against the elderly and women, hate crimes, terrorism, corporate and white-collar crime, organized crime, crimes involving firearms, crimes involving narcotics and dangerous drugs, and the aforementioned high-technology and computer crimes. A discussion of the types and classification of crimes follows in Chapter 5.