The theory of “super-predators” was a prediction that never existed and became a myth to society and criminologist after the fact that the concept that revolves around the myth of super-predators had already create chaos that led many states throughout the country to implement laws in protection for what was to come. All the misconceptions of the exaggerated fear and concerns came to pass and the credits slowly dissipate when the violent wave of events did not exist as it was predicted by the experts. The prediction was never coming to pass, but the consequences that was put forth to the community of such myth lingers within the targeted community because it categorized such group of people as the main cause of the super-predators.
So, what are super-predators? John Dilulio; then a professor at Princeton University of politics and public affairs along with other colleagues came up with the controversy theory based on statistics of juveniles which Dululio labeled as “super-predators.” He characterized the
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The predictions brought forth by Dilulio were a mistake and failed to predict the wave of crimes committing by juveniles. Juvenile crimes did not continue to get worse but in fact it got better which was the opposite from what Dilulio’s predictions of the super-predators. As the laws and penalties that was implemented to cracked down on juvenile crimes based from Dilulio’s predictions; crimes involving juveniles had already steadily declined attributed by the better policing of law enforcements, the decline in crack cocaine industry and the economy as it was beginning to be better itself. Admitting to his mistake, Dilulio issued mesa culpa, acknowledging that “demography is not fate and criminology is not pure science” because he was wrong in his prediction but the damage had already been done where laws had already been placed because of the super-predator myth
1) Inspiration: Grey wolves are considered as apex predators, meaning that they are at the top of the food chain. Grey
Paul Martin, the most famous and frequently cited proponent of the most popular North American overkill or "blitzkrieg" theory proposes the following ideas: 1) the disappearance of megafauna followed within 1,000 years the proposed first introduction of man into North America (Martin P. S. 969). 2) Kill sites are nonexistent for the majority of extinct megafauna because the prey was so ill equipped to deal with the Clovis hunters that they did not have to be tricked or trapped and disappeared s...
Predation could limit the prey distribution and decrease abundance. Such limitation may be desirable in the case of pest species, or undesirable to some individuals as with game animals or endangered species. Predation may also act as a major selective force. The effects of predator prey coevolution can explain many evolutionary adaptations in both predator and prey species. The effects of wolf predation on species of large ungulates have proven to be controversial and elusive.
From 1990 to to the present there has been a sharp increase in juvenile crime across the United States. From 1996 to the present there has been a slight decline from the statistics in 1995(OJJDP). What was the cause for this uprise in juvenile delinquincy? I will discuss 2 different theories to why there was such an increase in juvenile crime rates. I will analyze the rise of the "Gangsta-Rap" culture in the early 1990's and how it may have affected teenagers that are in lower-income families. Many people believe that the increase in real life violence on television is a cause for violence in juveniles. I will discuss the evidence for this theory. It seems to me that the best theory to explain the rise in juvenile crime is the social constructionist theory. Different sub-cultures of teens have higher crime rates than others because of their interests, whether it be the music that they listen to or the types of television programs that they watched as child.
People today use hunting as a sport. Of course, not everyone agrees with hunting, but those who like to hunt justify their actions by saying that they are helping with the overpopulation of animals, like deer. The truth is that we are affecting the population of animals. Animal overpopulation can be due to the loss of an animal’s natural predator. Predators are extremely important in an ecosystem, and they are nature’s way of controlling the animal population. In William Stolzenburg’s book, Where the Wild Things Were: Life, Death, and Ecological Wreckage in a Land of Vanishing Predators, he addresses the importance of predators in an ecosystem. He discusses an experiment done by a zoologist named Robert T. Paine. Paine decided to do an experiment to see what happens when one disrupts an ecosystem. He conducted his experiment on rocks along the shore in which a species of starfish was the top predator. Paine’s experiment consisted of grabbing the starfish off the rocks and throwing them into the ocean. His results showed that one single species has a tremendous effect on its ecosystem. After getting rid of the top predator, about half of the species that
Even though the experts had failed to anticipate the crime drop, which was in fact well under way even as they made their horrifying predictions, they now hurried to...
In the 1800s Cesare Lombroso (1835-1909), Italian criminologist, wrote in his book L'Uomo Delinquente (187...
The classical school is not concerned with why criminals are criminals, but seeks to reduce crime by using punishment as a means of deterrent, on the basis that individuals will choose to exercise their own free will and will employ rational decision making. By contrast, Ceasare Lombrosso (1835 – 1909) and the positivist school dismissed such ideas and theorised that criminality is a personality trait that one is born with and can be diagnosed by certain physical appearances, and is thus a more scientific method of establishing the reasons for criminal behaviour. However, this essay will concentrate on the strengths and weaknesses of the classical school.
Predator and prey interactions play a huge role in the ecosystem. Introducing prey to predication can alter prey behaviors. The prey have developed mechanisms and traits that allow them to better survive when faced with predators. When predators are present in an environment, they give off chemical or acoustic cues that their prey sense. By analyzing this communication, prey then are able to alter their behavior so they are less likely to be consumed by their predators.
Noelle-Neumann, E. (1974), The Spiral of Silence A Theory of Public Opinion. Journal of Communication, 24: 43–51.
Casare Beccaria, the father of classical criminology, believed that certainty, severity, and celerity (or speed) could prevent crime. He said that as certainty of punishment went up, the less likely someone is to break the law. So if criminal knew that they would be punished, they would be more hesitate to committed crime. He believes that the laws need to be clear and must always be enforced. His second principle of deterrence stated that the faster the punishment is set in the less likely crime will happen. Beccaria believed that the less time between the crime and the punishment, the stronger impact it would have on the individual. His last principle addressed severity of the crime. He believe that this was the least important of the...
Criminologists and sociologist have long been in debate for century's to explain criminal behaviour. The two main paradigms of thought are between 'nature' and 'nurture'. Nature is in reference to a learnt behaviour where a multitude of characteristics, in society influence whether a person becomes deviant such as poverty, physical abuse or neglect. Nurture defines biological features which could inevitability lead to a individuals deviant or criminal behaviour, because criminality is believed by biological positivist to be inherited from a persons parents. However, I believe that criminal behaviour is a mixture of characteristics that lead to deviant acts such as psychological illness & Environmental factors. Therefore, this essay will aim to analyse both biological positivist and psychological positivist perspectives in hope of showing to what extent they play a role in criminal behaviour. Firstly, the essay will look at Cesare Lombroso's research on physical features and how these ideas have moved on to then develop scientific ideas such as genetics to explain criminal behaviour. Secondly, the essay will focus on external factors which may be able to explain criminal behaviour such as the social influences, life chances and Material deprivation.
Realistic Conflict Theory As one of the oldest social psychology theories, the Realistic Conflict Theory deals with the conflict and hostility that is projected to arise between individuals or groups competing over the same limited resources. Therefore, as a resource, opportunity, or even goal, becomes harder to obtain, the amount of aggression is projected to increase as well. This theory is not only visible in many everyday situations, but it also establishes a basis for which discrimination and prejudice can be partly explained. The initial study of this theory was conducted in a three-step experiment.
Cesare Beccaria who was coined the father of criminology, helped form the way our criminal justice system today in the way that we look at deterring criminals and reducing crime. The Rational Choice Theory added to the conversation started by Classical Criminologists as it relates to reducing
After Comte and Darwin developed their theories about the world, they were followed by several criminologists who also believed that science could answer many of the problems that were present in society, particularly in the field of criminology. One of these men was Cesare Lombroso, who was the first to actually focus on criminology as a science (Adler et al 2012). Lombroso believed criminals could be identified because of physical differences between them and non-criminal members of society (Adler et al 2012). In order to recognize these people he created what he called the "atavistic stigmata" which are characteristics exhibited by humans who were less developed (Adler et al 2012:66). Individuals who exhi...