Criminology

Definitions

• Criminology is the science of crime in all aspects.
• Edwin H Sutherland
• D R Cressey: Criminology is the body of knowledge regarding crime as a social phenomenon.
• Elliot M A Merill
• D R Taft
• Webster Dictionary
• Jock Young formulated six dichotomies to understand criminal behavior:
  • Individual's behavior: Free vs Determinism
  • Functioning of social order: Consensus vs Coercion
  • Definition of Crime: Legal vs Social
  • Extent and Distribution of crime: Limited vs Extensive
  • Causes of crime: Individual vs Social
  • Policy towards criminals: Punishment vs Treatment

Causes of Crime

• Social causes of crime
• Economic causes of crime
• Physical and mental causes of crime
• Geographical causes of crime
• Political causes of crime

Causation of Crime

• Heredity and crime
• Mental Disorder and Criminality
• M' Naghten's Rule of Criminal Responsibility
• Insanity under Indian Criminal Law
• Bio-physical factors and criminality
• Intelligence Testing and criminality
• Personality aspects of criminals
  • Hooton's View
  • Sheldon's Views on Criminality
  • Donald Taft
  • Freud's theory of criminal behavior
  • Glueck's Psychiatric Theory of Crime
• Psychological concept of crime
• Aristotle's Four Laws of Association
• Conflict Theory of Crime
• Female Criminality - Gender-based explanations
• Group Therapy

Sociological Theory of Crime

• Sociological Theory of Criminal Behavior
• Theory of Differential Association
• Multiple Factor Approach to Crime Causation
  • Mobility
  • Culture Conflict
  • Family Background
  • Political Ideology
  • Religion and Crime
  • Economic conditions
  • Ecology of crime
  • Media influence
• Crime in urban and rural areas
• Neighborhood influences