As someone who grew up surrounded by parents who were interested in criminals and crime fiction, it was no surprise that the interest showed in me too. Both my parents read crime fiction and raised me on different psychological/criminal tv shows and films which is why I became so attentive to this course. I am applying for ??? for the purpose of gaining a deeper understanding into the world of crime and behaviour. Psychology is the study of behaviour and mind and when it’s combined with Criminology or Forensics, I’ll get the study of a criminal's mind and what pushes them into committing these unlawful acts. As I got older, I only got more interested into the world of crime and I even ended up producing a presentation on Jack the Ripper for my History class which I got an A on. I want to prove that I am driven to pursue a career in this path which is why I am …show more content…
I was definitely more interested in the lessons which contained more about our behaviour and what causes it. I was particularly interested in Freud because I think he has an interesting perception of the world and I was fascinated by his Tripartite Personality theory. Although his work is subjective and unprovable, I think it brings an original outlook on the source of behaviour. I think that by combining Psychology and Criminology, I can focus on the syllabus which interests me rather than having to endure parts of the course which are of no interest to me and wouldn’t support me in my career goal. I’m not just interested in the psychology side of this course as I’m also invested in the criminology aspect too. Last year I went and bought “The Gates of Janus” by Ian Brady and the book was incredibly thrilling and just being able to get a look inside a serial killer's head was strangely fascinating. I just find their perception of the world so different from my own that it’s enthralling and I want to understand
Fulero, S. M., & Wrightsman, L. S. (2009). Forensic psychology. (3rd ed.). Belmont: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
For decades researchers have speculated about the relationship between levels of violence, and societal conditions such as poverty, urbanism, population composition, and family disruption. National and international level research has concluded that each of these factors are related to crime rates and their trends overtime (Avison & Loring, 1986; Lafree, 1999, Lauristen & Carbone-Lopez, 2011). To examine these factors more closely we should recognize that they are the foundation of many criminological theories, both motivational and control, applied to the macro and individual level. Specifically, these include social disorganization theory (Shaw & MCkay, 1942), anomie-strain theory (Merton, 1968), violent subcultural theories (Anderson, 1999), social bond theory (Hirschi, 1969), self-control theory (Gottfredson & Hirschi, 1990), and biosocial perspectives (Gottfredson & Hirschi, 1983).
Criminology as a genre is defined as the scientific study of crime, as well as its causes, law enforcement interaction, criminal behavior, and means of prevention. In its own way criminology is the history of humanity. As long as people have been on earth there has been criminal activity. Much like most other work atmospheres, it was a male dominated field. A woman seeking to work in criminology was unheard of. Men filled the jobs as police officers, lawyers, judges, and politicians. However, in the 1860s Belva Lockwood became determined to pave the way for women in criminology. As a women’s rights activist, she became one of the most influential women in criminology.
Brown, S & Esbensen, F & Geis, G,. Criminology, Explaining Crime and it's Context. 7th ed.
Criminology is the scientific study of crime and criminals. It is also a study that is constantly changing due to the people in our society, which political, economic and spiritual views of individuals come into consideration. Robert Agnew, an important man to the world of criminology, he was born on December first, in 1953, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Agnew fortunately is still living, and ages sixty years of age. He Attended Rutgers College, a school in New Jersey, where he received his Bachelors of Arts in sociology, although both his Masters and PhD in sociology he obtained in University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Sociology being the study of the functioning of human society. Agnew discovered his passion for teaching after her worked as a teacher’s assistant and served as Associate Editor to Social Forces Journal for a couple years. Agnew started teaching at Emory University, the courses he taught varied from criminology to the introduction of sociology. In addition to teaching, Robert Agnew wrote many books and articles about either criminology or sociology. He was also involved in both field’s sociology and criminology through academics, and contributed to them greatly. Although his best contribution was his development of the general strain theory. A theory in which Agnew elaborated on and decided to adjust his perspective. Having gone through bad experiences in one’s life, can influence in the way that a certain individual thinks, and can lead them towards a life involving crime in their everyday lives.
Critical criminology, also known as radical criminology dates back to the concepts of Marxism. Despite the fact that Fredric Engels and Karl Marx were the founders of contemporary radical criminology, none of them gave explicit focus to crime. William Bonger (1876-1940), a Dutch criminologist was a more direct founder of this concept. It gained popularity during the early 1970s when it tried to explain the causes of contemporary social mayhem. He used economic explanations were used by critical criminology to analyze social behavior by arguing that social and economic inequalities were the main reason behind criminal behavior (Henry & Lainer, 1998). This view reduces the focus on individual criminals and elaborates that the existing crime is as a result of the capitalist system. Just like the conflict school of thought, it asserts that law is biased since it favors the ruling or the upper class and that the legal system that governs the state is meant to maintain the status quo of the ruling class. Critical criminologist are of the view that political, corporate and environmental crime are not only underreported but also inadequately punished by the existing criminal legal system.
I am a thirty two year old single mother, who is a returning student to Empire State College after a three year break. I began at Empire State College in 2011 with hopes of graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice. Prior to that, I graduated from SUNY Genesee Community College with my associates in Criminal Justice in 2004 and I thought my college days were done; that there was no further need to advance my education to just be a police officer. However, getting into a full time police position was much more difficult than I ever imagined. At the time in 2011, I was working full time dispatching for the NYS Park Police, and working for two other part time police agencies working a variety and multitude of shifts. The feeling of being overwhelmed was a constant struggle, but I surprised myself that with hard work I was able to make good grades. Fast forward a
Simon, J. (2010). Public Criminology? A Cool Read on a Hot Topic. Governing Through Crime.
I have always taken an interest in Criminal Justice and crime prevention ever since middle school and I set out to make my career goal to become a Criminal Justice professional. Thus, pursuing a Criminal Justice master’s degree has been a part of my plans for the future and will become one of my core focuses that I will set up in my graduate studies. It will also enable me to become a more competent working professional and encourage me to advance towards the doctoral program.
The Law today is a summary of various principles from around the world from the past and the present. Early practises of law were the foundation of the law that we know and abide by today. These practises were referred to as the Classical school. Over time however, different criminologist have altered and greatly improved the early, incomplete ideas and made them more complete and practical to more modern times. This newer version is referred to as the Positivist school. This rapid change from the classical to the positivist perspective was due to the change and growth of civilization. Even though one perspective came from another, they are still different in many ways and it is evident when relating them to section 462.37, Forfeiture of Proceeds of Crime, and section 810, Sureties to keep the Peace. The Classical School of criminology’s time of dominance was between 1700 and 1800. Its conception of deviance was that deviance was a violation of the social contract. Classical theorists believed that all individuals were rational actors and they were able to act upon their own free will. A person chose to commit crimes because of greed and because they were evil. The primary instrument that could be used in regards to the classical school to control crime was to create “criminal sanctions that instil fear of punishment in those contemplating criminal acts” (Gabor 154). Classical school theorists believed the best defence was a good offence and therefore they wanted to instil so much fear into people about what would happen to them if they were to commit a crime that even those who were only thinking of committing a crime were impacted greatly. The classical school individuals operated entirely on free will and it was their ...
This essay will examine the early approaches of criminology which aided in its development using the theories of Beccaria (theory of freewill) and Lombroso (biological theory), and will compare the arguments for rehabilitation and for treatment. An answer to what Criminology could be is that it is the scientific/theoretical study of crime and criminals which incorporates into its study both individuals, society and organisations. Criminology came about at the end of the 1700s from society’s need to understand crime in the social world. The purpose of Criminology is to give us an insight into the criminal mind/world. Criminology incorporates other social sciences such as psychology, history
Understanding Psychology and Crime; Perspectives on Theory and Action, New York. PENNINGTON, D ( 2002) , Introducing Psychology: Approaches, Topics and Methods, London, Hodder Arnold TANNENBAUN, B, (2007),Profs link criminal behaviour to genetics [online] , Available at: http://thedp.com/index.php/article/2007/11/profs_link_criminal_behavior_to_genetics [accessed 16th October 2011]. http://www.docstoc.com/docs/41182390/Explanations-of-Criminal-behaviour
Social harmony has become a powerful and popular indicator to asset a population’s quality of life. So much so, people’s attitude toward crime rates has shifted from a lukewarm state to a profoundly sensitive level. Accordingly, the public’s increasing fears have translated into more and more restrictive policies to punish crimes. Therefore, crime prevention is considered as a strategic approach to lessen the probability of criminal behaviors in a political community, and to maintain social-control following the heated debates on civilians’ safety.
I enjoy reading about crime; I am currently reading a book called Hunting Humans; which is various profiles of serial killers. I am an inquisitive person and also very suspicious, I tend to read between the lines, so its not surprising I love Psychological thrillers like "Seven" and "Silence of the Lambs".
Over the years I have been a faithful fan of anything crime related; the anatomy of a crime, from the crime itself, to the investigation, and finally the court for trial and sentencing. I enjoyed the process. The internet became an interesting tool for me to learn all the different things I wanted to know about the subject of crime. I would see something in the media or on television but kept a neutral point of view about technology that was used on a program. Logically speaking, if a crime could be solved in 47 minutes and DNA results took weeks or months, not minutes to process than would it not make sense that real life crimes would be solved far quicker in the name of swift justice. This is the reason why I enjoy learning in a real world environment about different aspects of criminology. I must admit I did feel as though I had a good basic grasp of what forensic science is, but this class helped to put some missing pieces in place.