Portfolio Assignment #1 on Chapter 1 of textbook:  What is criminology?  

Criminology is most commonly defined as the study of crime. There is no exact in depth definition of criminology because in reality each person has their own understanding of what crime is. One’s own definition of crime is usually highly influenced by their beliefs and upbringings. It can be said that in general a criminologist looks into when laws were broken, why they were broken and what the reaction was to those laws being broken. After reading about criminology in depth it is apparent that the study of criminology explores a multitude of ideologies and can be quite complex. 

It seems as though criminologists take a deep dive into a crime and investigate every nook and cranny of the case. This is because it is not easy to simply look at a crime and study it. Criminologists must consider a multitude of things including a crime’s severity, context, impact on society and its consequences. For example, someone who robs a store would most likely be treated by the law differently than someone who to deliberately murders a friend. This distinction is made by criminologists after they look into a case. In order for criminologists to agree on the degree of a crime, they normally take multiple parameters into account. One parameter they consider is whether a “crime” was harmful to someone. If it was harmful they attempted to investigate how harmful it was. They might also investigate the behavior of a suspect and their motive. The public also plays a role in how a crime is viewed. At the end of the day criminologists must consider all of the different aspects of a crime and eventually come to a consensus (pg 7/8). 

It is often difficult for criminologists to come to a consensus when each one has their own ideologies and beliefs. Someone with a conservative mindset would most likely see a case differently than someone with a more progressive mindset. It is imperative to acknowledge how different these beliefs are and how they could impact the understanding of a crime. In the book these two views are heavily contrasted (pg 11). For example someone who is conservative would most likely favor long mandatory prison sentences with harsh conditions and theywould probably agree with the death penalty. Someone who has a more progressive view would favor the opposite. This means they would not agree with the long harsh prison sentences and the death penalty. Problems arise when there is no compromise between the two. This is one of the many reasons why there is so much more to criminology than just the study of crime.

In conclusion there is no clear cut definition of criminology. Criminologists have their hands full examining multiple aspects of a crime while trying to not apply their own bias to the case. It is important to note how easy it is for someone’s personal beliefs and ideologies to sink into their work. The study of crime is therefore a lot more complicated than it seems.

Portfolio Assignment #2 on Chapter 2 of textbook: Does the law represent a consensus or conflict perspective?

September 15, 2022 by awinkler2 Leave a Comment | Edit

There are many different perspectives regarding the law. It is commonly thought of as something that is used to help society and prevent tragedies. There are three components of the law known as criminal, civil and administrative. Crimes can be characterized by actions (commision) or lack of action (omission). Civil law pertains to “legal wrongs” done to specific individuals. Administrative law that involves different agencies. Criminologists tend to have two major perspectives on law.

The first perspective is known as the consensus perspective. Someone who sees this perspective usually believes that the law is in the interest of society. It heavily relies on the boundaries of norms (deviance) in a society. This perspective seeks to explain the behavior behind a violation of society’s norms. On the other hand the conflict perspective is assumed to be in the favor of the wealthy. Laws that are violated by the non wealthy are more readily criminalized. When crimes occur with the upper class, they are normally disregarded and not processed in the actual criminal justice system.

It is important to understand these two perspectives because they heavily affect how people are treated in society. Unfortunately I believe that todays law represents more of a conflict perspective. It is easy to generalize and even stereotype certain cultures with this perspective. In the netflix film “Crack” it was evident that certain communities were discriminated against because it was assumed that they were up to no good. President Bush used drugs as a way to boost his campaign (helping the wealthy). He decided that drugs should be criminalized and he painted a picture of drugs that became demonizing. He then sent in reinforcements to enforce strict laws against drugs which made him look like a hero. Many of the people selling drugs were people of color and they were selling to people who were either white or in the police force. The people who sold drugs were unfortunately the ones that ended up going to jail. The Black Lives Matter Movement recently exposed a more conflict law perspective. Certain communities were targeted and criminalized by the police. It has become evident that due to discrimination the law has reflected a more conflict perspective.

Class Activity 9/15

September 15, 2022 by awinkler2 Leave a Comment | Edit

9/15

Fav movies/shows:

1. Criminal Minds
2. How to get away with murder
3. White Collar
4. NCIS
5. Extremely wicked shockingly evil and vile
6. Tiger King
7. Ted Bundy tapes
8. Psych
9. Hawaii 5 O
10. Blacklist
11. Queen of the South

Podcast:

Crime junkie

Anatomy of Murder

Ideas about crime portrayed:

• Motive
• Evidence
• Forensic Analysis
• Hostage negotiation
• Criminal sentencing
• Victims/families
• romanticize/glamorize the criminals
• Police vs criminal 

Perceptions about crime:

• Behavioral analysis- thinking from the criminals point of view
• Desensitize us
• You meet a ton of criminals in your life

5 facts that seem real:

1. A psycopath/murderer can be anyone
2. Life experiences affect an individual’s thought process
3. Innocent people are usually harmed emotionally or physically when a crime is committed
4. Not every case is what it seems. There’s always more than meets the eye.
5. Police officers and federal agents are regularly exposed to extreme tragedies 

Questions 9/15

What is the Uniform Crime Report (UCR)?

Uniform Crime Reports (UCR): information collected by local police departments and forwarded to the FBI.

What are index crimes/ non-index crimes?

Index Crimes:

illegal acts that are really serious.

Eight Index crimes:

1. Criminal homicide
2. Forcible rape
3. Robbery
4. Aggravated assault
5. Burglary
6. Larceny-theft
7. Motor vehicle theft
8. Arson

Non-index crimes:

white collar crimes/anything not listed above

What crimes are excluded from Index offenses?

kidnapping, embezzlement, corporate fraud, and white collar crimes

What is the dark figure of crime?

The police were only being informed about a small fraction of crime.

What do SRD and NCVS stand for, and how do these approaches address the dark figure?

SRD: self-report data

NCVS: National Crime Victimization Survey: people who have been affected by crimes

What are some examples of major trends that are observed in UCR, SRD, NCVS data?

UCR: crime increased from 1960 through 1990 and has been declining since 1991, 95 percent of the U.S. population

NCVS: national probability sample of persons over the age of 12, relative stability and even a decline since 1973

NRD: relative stability and even a decline since 1973

Reflection #4

Today’s guest speaker Gil Zamora did a great job of giving real world context to the concepts that we have been learning in class so far. His experience was definitely evident as he spoke about what it was like to be a criminal sketch artist. I was very interested in the importance of understanding how unreliable memory can be. We have spoken a lot in class so far about how different bias’ and perceptions can affect the outcome of a case. It never occurred to me that this concept also applies when trying to identify a suspect. Although eyewitness accounts of crimes are important, they can lead to unreliable information which could cause an innocent person to be put behind bars. 

To me, the most interesting concept from today’s speaker was the concept of asking improper questions to a witness while sketching. For example, in class today he decided to have us all describe features to him so that he could draw out a “suspect”. One student was asked to describe the suspect’s eyebrows. The guest speaker then prompted him by asking whether the suspect had a unibrow or not. That question was considered “improper” because it suggested something to the witness that they did not bring up first. It is more important for the sketch artist to get correct information than to draw a really nice realistic sketch. Details are extremely important when identifying the correct suspect in a case.

It was really interesting to hear about a different aspect of crime today. Both professors that I’ve heard from so far have had different experiences with criminology and it has been interesting to see the difference between real life crime and what we see in T.V shows.

In Class Questions 10/2

• Outline the main tenets of classical criminological theory

“the study of the processes of making laws, breaking laws, and reacting towards the breaking of laws” (Sutherland & Cressey, 1974, p. 3)

Theory and methodology are essential components of criminological theory.

Hedonistic calculus: the weighing of pleasure versus pain

Assuming that people have free will to make decisions

• What role does rational choice play in criminal behavior for classical theorists?

Rational choice leads people into justifying criminal behavior. For instance during the inquisition when people were tortured by members of the church who believed they were doing the right thing.

• Why is the concept of deterrence so importance to classical theory? 

The concept is important because it caused people to turn to using punishment so that people didn”t enjoy crime.

“Prevent crime instead of punish it”

• Outline the importance of certainty, severity, and speed to the deterring effects of punishment.

The deterrent effects of punishment were the cornerstone of the criminal justice system. Certainty: important because it tells someone that they will 100% get punished if they commit a crime.

Severity: punishments have to be severe so that people actually don’t commit the crime must outweigh pleasure

Speed: it is important that the punishment happens quickly because thats more incentive not to commit the crime, making sure things are still relevant

Tipping point of punishment

• How rational is choice?

We sometimes don’t have the information we need to make the right decision.

• Does deterrence work?

Deterrence works to an extent.

Reflection #5 on Deterrence 10/2/2022

Growing up I was always a little concerned about what people thought about me. I am not someone who likes attention so, I always made sure that I did not stick out in a crowd. Because of this, I never broke any rules or did anything that would draw someone’s attention to me. That to me was enough to deter me from breaking rules. I also did not like missing out on things when I was younger. My parents would often tell me that if I did not behave, I would have to miss out on a fun birthday party or dessert. These “punishments” were motivation for me to behave. I also did not like the idea of going to the principal’s office at school. It seemed humiliating and I never wanted my parents to be disappointed in me.

The law itself was also something that deterred me from doing anything wrong. I would watch the news about people being arrested and it would definitely scare me. I think as a kid I felt that police officers had a lot of power and every time I would see one, it would make me a little bit nervous.

Journal Entry 10/13

1. Rational choice and determinist theorists have very different ideas about what causes people to engage in criminal and deviant behaviors. Describe the main differences between the two.

The main difference between rational choice and determinist theory is that the rational theory is more about calculated decisions and the determinist theory is more about predetermined events.

2. What is the goal of the pre-crime unit in Minority Report?

The goal of the pre-crime unit in Minority Report is to stop/prevent a crime from happening. They achieve this by stopping the person who is going to commit the crime before they can even do it.

3. What assumption does the unit make concerning the cause of criminality? Consider how this might relate to deterministic theories of crime.

This unit assumes that a person is going to commit a crime no matter what. They don’t believe that the individual may choose to not take part in a crime. It’s as though their fate is sealed the second the crime is detected. 

4. Does ‘free will’ play any part in the behaviors and actions of the characters in the film? 

John Anderton showed free will when he made the decision to not kill the man that killed his child even though it was predicted. The precog constantly reminded him that he had a choice.

5. Consider the ethical implications of determinism as illustrated in Minority Report. For example, should people be arrested and convicted of crimes they have not committed, but who are genetically or psychologically disposed to do so? 

I personally don’t think that people should be arrested and convicted of crimes that they have not done yet. People can get help or advise before commiting a crime which could change their actions.

6. In what ways can “pre-crime” prediction be useful/beneficial to society? In what ways can it be harmful? Use examples from the film to explain.

“Pre-crime” can be useful because it can prevent people from getting harmed or killed. For instance in the beginning of the film it supposedly saved a women from getting stabbed by her husband. It can be harmful because it doesn’t give people the opportunity to make a choice about their harmful actions. They aren’t given any time to explain their actions or their thoughts. When the man in the beginning of the film was arrested for hurting his wife he kept saying that “he never even did anything” because technically he didn’t.

7. Try to locate an example of society labeling and consequently punishing or targeting people viewed as belonging to a criminal/deviant group before they have done anything.

In the film the people that were living in poorer apartments were used to the bots running through their building. One couple was in the middle of a fight and the bots came and scanned their eyes. Once their eyes were scanned they went back to arguing like nothing happened. This means that they were probably used to being scanned as a suspect for crime.

The Sociological Perspective

1. What is the Sociological imagination?

-”The sociological imagination is simply a “quality of mind” that allows one to grasp “history and biography and the relations between the two within society.”

-”The sociological imagination is the practice of being able to “think ourselves away” from the familiar routines of our daily lives to look at them with fresh, critical eyes.”

2. How does a sociological perspective differ from rational choice and biological/psychological theories of crime?

A sociological perspective differs from rational choice because it looks more at the societal conditions around a crime.

3. The textbook identifies 3 different classifications of sociological perspectives. What are they?
   1. Social Structure
   2. Social Process
   3. Social Reaction

4. What are the main characteristics of social structural theories of crime?

• Macros theories, linking the key troubles of individuals to their social structural origin
• Crime is a product of characteristics of society
• Focus of theories is on crime (done by people lower in society)
• Social structure theories most popular in 1950’s

Cocaine Cowboys – Journal Response

• Apply Strain Theory to the episode of Cocaine Cowboys

Hints:

Are American cultural goals represented in the show (think about wealth and the

+American dream)

Is there any evidence that the protagonists (Willy and Sal) faced structural strain?

In what way are they innovators?

They were business men that started the drug industry in Miami.

What kinds of legitimate/illegitimate opportunity structures were available to

them?

Do strain theories explain all the antisocial behavior in the show?

Yes, Will and Sal had a close knit group of people that they took care of but didn’t do much with people out of that group.

Is one version of strain theory more applicable than others?

I think that they are circumstantial.

• Sals family owned the bakery
• Sal didn’t have any money and he wanted to earn alot of money
• Sal got out of Miami high school
• His parents didn’t speak english
• Sal’s parents were hard working people (his parents were amazing but they were never around) this is probably part of the reason he was the way he was
• Sal read the bible alot
• Sal=peace maker Willy=scary
• They didn’t wanna stay poor
• They started as small pushers in junior high but they didn’t do well
• Willy and Sal were selling dime bags
• Willy was Sal’s dummy
• Cocaine was easier to sell
• People from little havana a (cuban ghetto)
• Nobodies parents spoke english parents were always working two jobs and the kids didn’t want to have to work like them
• Operation video canary
• Sal and Willy went from selling grams to kilos
• They developed the cocaine business
• They then got involved in the cartel
• Parents had hard times and everyone was pursuing the american dream (money) nobody thought that it was criminal
• Family business
• They were robin hoods
• They give back to the community and helped everyone
• They weren’t violent

Social Problems Process Prompt 11/16

The theory that resonated with me the most was Travis Hirschi’s social bond theory. It never occurred to me how our daily lives and interactions could effect our decision making. It makes sense that a conformist would be less likely to break the law. I would consider myself a conformist in many ways. For instance I do care about what my parents think about my decisions. I am well aware that it would be bad news if I were to do something that they did not approve of. I think that my sensitivity towards their feelings (and my own) cause me to stay away from deviant behavior.

The four elements of bond theory that we discussed (attachment, involvement, commitment and belief) are extremely important in our day to day lives. The more people that we hang out with, the more people there are to conform to. My involvement in sports, work and school make me really busy. This could also be why I resonated with social bond theory. I am super involved in a lot of things. I simply don’t have time to participate in deviant behavior. That is not to say that busy people aren’t deviant but, it leads to less opportunity in some cases. I am also involved in many organizations that do not tolerate deviant behavior. This could also explain why I am a conformist. I also found social reaction and labeling theories interesting. Stereotypes can definitely play a part in social reaction which is something that we see a lot of today.

I have exhibited deviant behavior in small little ways like driving too fast on the road or not wearing my seatbelt. I have been caught doing these things which costs money. I think it is important to note that a lot of people are in a silent agreement that some crimes (driving too fast) are not that bad and therefore it feels okay to participate in it.

Please upload a brief overview of your perceived participation. Did you attend all or most classes? Did you keep up with readings, portfolio assignments? Did you participate in class (big group discussions and/or small group work?), did you watch all documentaries in class without leaving, etc? I have a sense of your participation but it is always helpful to have your input here.

The only time I missed class was right before our midterm exam back in October. I felt like I did a good job of keeping up with all readings and assignments. I did participate in class but I was more vocal in my journals than I was during class discussions. When there was a documentary in class I would usually ask for permission to leave and watch on my own time. As a commuter that option was much easier for me because I would not get home as late. Most assignments should be under the Deviance and Crime tab on my Eportflio but if one is hard to find, it is most likely on my main page.