Instructor Guide to Accompany CRIM, Fourth Canadian Edition
Solution Manual for CRIM Introduction to Criminology 4ce Ron HoffmanGregory P. BrownLarry J. Siegel Chapter 1-14
Chapter 1 – Crime and Criminology BRIEF CHAPTER OUTLINE Introduction Introduction to Criminology A Brief History of Criminology
Classical Criminology
Positivist Criminology
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Early Positivism
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Biological Determinism
Sociological Criminology •
The Chicago School
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Socialization Views
Conflict Criminology
Contemporary Criminology What Criminologists Do: The Criminological Enterprise
Criminal Statistics
The Sociology of Law
Developing Theories of Crime Causation
Understanding and Describing Criminal Behaviour
Penology
Victimology
Deviant or Criminal—How Criminologists Define Crime
The Consensus View of Crime
The Conflict View of Crime
The Interactionist View of Crime
Definition of Crime
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Instructor Guide to Accompany CRIM, Fourth Canadian Edition Crime and the Criminal Law Common Law
Contemporary Criminal Law
The Elements of a Crime •
Actus Reus
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Mens Rea
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Absolute Liability
Criminal Defences
The Evolution of Criminal Law
Ethical Issues in Criminology
IF NOTHING ELSE, STUDENTS SHOULD LEARN…
The major theoretical perspectives of crime causation.
There is a lengthy history of different views and different approaches to criminal law that have all contributed to our current Canadian criminal justice system.
Definitions of crime and criminal behaviour can and will vary depending on the particular view of crime held by each individual criminologist.
In most instances, to be convicted of a crime in Canada, the actus reus and mens rea of that crime must be proven.
The criminal law outlines specific prohibited activity and expects to achieve formal social control through the enforcement of these laws.
There are many potential criminal defences that are available to an accused, depending on the crime at issue.
Criminologists hold significant social and ethical responsibility given that they are regarded as experts in the criminal justice system and given the potential consequences of their recommendations for criminal justice policy change.
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Instructor Guide to Accompany CRIM, Fourth Canadian Edition
CHAPTER SUMMARY This chapter explores various historical perspectives on crime and criminal behaviour to help students understand the basis and purpose of our current Canadian criminal justice system. Criminology is an interdisciplinary science in which scientific study is used to explore the nature, extent, cause, and control of criminal behaviour. Students are exposed to the classical criminology perspective, which regards individuals as having the free will to choose either criminal or conventional behaviours for reasons of greed or personal need, posits that the punishment should be proportional to the crime, and assumes that the more certain, swift, and severe the punishment, the better society will be at controlling criminal activity. Students also learn about positivist criminology, a branch of social science that uses the scientific method to consider human behaviour as a complex product of social, biological, psychological, or economic forces. Students will review the two branches of positivist criminology: early positivism and biological determinism. Students then explore sociological criminology, which focuses on the relationship between various social factors and crime, including the unique Chicago School group, who specifically studied the relationship between environmental conditions and crime. Finally, conflict criminology views human behaviour as shaped by economic and political forces and sees crime as a function of class conflict. Contemporary criminology perspectives are described as the evolution of previously held viewpoints on criminal behaviour. For example, classical theory evolved into the modern rational choice theory, which argues that criminals are rational decision makers. Similarly, Lombrosian theory has evolved into contemporary biosocial and psychological perspectives. The original Chicago School vision has also been updated into social structure theory, which maintains that disadvantaged economic class position is a primary cause of crime. In this chapter, students also explore the role of the criminologist in society and the responsibilities borne by criminologists as experts in the field of criminal behaviour and criminal justice. There are many areas in which criminologists specialize, including criminal statistics, the sociology of law, theory construction, criminal behaviour systems, penology, and victimology. Students also learn about the difference between deviant behaviour (behaviour that departs from the social norm but is not necessarily criminal) and criminal behaviour (actions deemed socially harmful or dangerous that are included in criminal law) and the factors involved
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Instructor Guide to Accompany CRIM, Fourth Canadian Edition in the declaration by society that an act is no longer merely deviant but has moved into the realm of criminal behaviour. The chapter additionally explores the three primary perspectives that help students understand the various views on what constitutes a crime: 1. Consensus view: the belief that the majority of citizens in society share common values and agree on what acts should be criminalized. 2. Conflict view: the belief that criminal behaviour is defined by those in power to protect and advance their own self-interest. 3. Interactionist view: the belief that those with social power are able to impose their values on society, and then those values define what is considered to be criminal acts.
The chapter also explores the history of the common law and statutory law in Canada and defines the two requisite elements of crime under Canadian law: actus reus, the guilty act, and mens rea, the guilty mind. Criminal defences to allegations of criminal behaviour are also discussed in terms of excuse defences, which are based on a lack of intent, and justification defences, which are claims that an act was justified in the circumstances. The goals of Canadian criminal law are to enforce social control, discourage revenge, express public opinion and morality, deter criminal behaviour, punish wrongdoing, and maintain social order. The chapter closes with a brief discussion about the major ethical issues facing criminologists regarding what to study, whom to study, and how to study, given the importance of the work of criminologists and the reliance placed on such work by society.
STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES After reading Chapter 1, the student should be able to 1. Describe the field of study of criminology. 2. Identify the key theorists in the development of the discipline of criminology. 3. Summarize the major theoretical perspectives in criminology and the focus of each. 4. Identify the subareas that constitute the discipline of criminology. 5. Explain how the definition of behaviours as deviant or criminal can change over time.
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Instructor Guide to Accompany CRIM, Fourth Canadian Edition 6. Explain the origins of British common law and interpret its relationship to contemporary Canadian criminal law. 7. Analyze the relationship between mens rea and actus reus in the determination of criminal offences. 8. Evaluate the ethical issues in conducting criminological research with individuals who are engaged in criminal activities.
WHY SHOULD STUDENTS CARE? Students should care about learning and understanding the ideas covered in Chapter 1 because 1. Human understanding of the causes and appropriate responses to criminal and deviant behaviour has evolved over the past centuries because of the influences of several primary criminological perspectives. 2. Without an understanding of the history underpinning Canadian criminal law, it is difficult to understand the structure of our current criminal justice system and the decisions underlying much of our common and statutory laws. 3. Understanding the basic elements of any crime found in the Canadian Criminal Code is necessary to comprehend the reasons for conviction or acquittal in many cases, as well as the potential defences that an accused can advance in response to a criminal allegation. 4. The chapter provides students with an overview of many of the potential areas in which criminologists tend to engage over their careers. This will allow students to identify some of those areas that could be of particular interest in beginning their own careers. 5. It is important that students understand not only the potential roles of the criminologist in Canada but also the significant impact that their research and their claims can have on the Canadian criminal justice system. This places criminologists in a position of tremendous ethical and social responsibility, and it is important that this responsibility is exercised wisely.
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