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Introduction to Criminology

SOC371, Winter 2021

Chuck Lanfear

Jan 4, 2020
Updated: Jan 6, 2021

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What is Criminology?

Sutherland: "The study of making of laws, the breaking of laws, and reacting to the breaking of laws."

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What is Criminology?

Sutherland: "The study of making of laws, the breaking of laws, and reacting to the breaking of laws."

  • Making Laws: Sociology of Law

  • Breaking Laws: Criminology

  • Reacting to Law Breaking: Sociology of Criminal Justice

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  • While these all fall under broader criminology, most of the discipline focuses on violations of the law

  • These are interrelated though: laws determine what counts as crime and also the response

  • Assumptions about causes of crime shape reactions to breaking the law and legality of things in first place

  • Closely related disciplines like LSJ and penology or criminal justice cover the other ends--we have courses elsewhere covering that.

What is Criminology?

Sutherland: "The study of making of laws, the breaking of laws, and reacting to the breaking of laws."

  • Making Laws: Sociology of Law

  • Breaking Laws: Criminology

  • Reacting to Law Breaking: Sociology of Criminal Justice

 

Criminology is a broad interdisciplinary field...

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  • While these all fall under broader criminology, most of the discipline focuses on violations of the law

  • These are interrelated though: laws determine what counts as crime and also the response

  • Assumptions about causes of crime shape reactions to breaking the law and legality of things in first place

  • Closely related disciplines like LSJ and penology or criminal justice cover the other ends--we have courses elsewhere covering that.

  • Crim includes sociologists, psychologists, economists, philosophers, biologists, geographers, political scientists, legal scholars, and many others.

What is Criminology?

Sutherland: "The study of making of laws, the breaking of laws, and reacting to the breaking of laws."

  • Making Laws: Sociology of Law

  • Breaking Laws: Criminology

  • Reacting to Law Breaking: Sociology of Criminal Justice

 

Criminology is a broad interdisciplinary field...

... but we're focusing on sociological criminology.

2 / 26

  • While these all fall under broader criminology, most of the discipline focuses on violations of the law

  • These are interrelated though: laws determine what counts as crime and also the response

  • Assumptions about causes of crime shape reactions to breaking the law and legality of things in first place

  • Closely related disciplines like LSJ and penology or criminal justice cover the other ends--we have courses elsewhere covering that.

  • Crim includes sociologists, psychologists, economists, philosophers, biologists, geographers, political scientists, legal scholars, and many others.

  • But, criminology is dominated by sociological approaches and this is a sociological crim class, so that will be the focus.

  • We'll be focusing on core mainstream theoretical frameworks and their foundations, which are largely dead white European guys.

  • If you want to go deeper, more critical, or further afield, we can give you suggestions for further reading.

Who am I?

Chuck Lanfear

  • Instructor (not professor)

  • Sociology PhD student

  • My Office Hours (Zoom): Tuesday, 11:00 - 12:00

    • Thiago's (TA) Office Hours: Thursday, 4:00 - 5:00
3 / 26

Who am I?

Chuck Lanfear

  • Instructor (not professor)

  • Sociology PhD student

  • My Office Hours (Zoom): Tuesday, 11:00 - 12:00

    • Thiago's (TA) Office Hours: Thursday, 4:00 - 5:00

My research:

  • Neighborhood Social Control

  • Criminal Opportunity and the Built Environment

  • Racial Bias in Policing

3 / 26

Class is weighted a bit toward my areas of expertise. If you are aware of areas you're interested in that won't be covered, let us know early and I'll see if I can modify things.

Objectives of Course

  • Provide you with an understanding of basic theories, concepts, and methods used by criminologists.

    • Theories underlie policies
4 / 26

Theories are important. Crim theory can have big impacts, both good and bad. Broken windows--a theory--led to stop and frisk and order maintenance in the 1990s.

Objectives of Course

  • Provide you with an understanding of basic theories, concepts, and methods used by criminologists.

    • Theories underlie policies

  • Show you how criminological theories apply to real-world phenomena and current events.

    • How do we control crime?
    • How do we control police misconduct?
    • How do we address crime by nation-states?
4 / 26

Theories are important. Crim theory can have big impacts, both good and bad. Broken windows--a theory--led to stop and frisk and order maintenance in the 1990s.

Objectives of Course

  • Provide you with an understanding of basic theories, concepts, and methods used by criminologists.

    • Theories underlie policies

  • Show you how criminological theories apply to real-world phenomena and current events.

    • How do we control crime?
    • How do we control police misconduct?
    • How do we address crime by nation-states?

  • Make you a critical consumer of claims about crime and crime policies in the news, social media, and political campaigns.

4 / 26

Theories are important. Crim theory can have big impacts, both good and bad. Broken windows--a theory--led to stop and frisk and order maintenance in the 1990s.

Objectives of Course

  • Provide you with an understanding of basic theories, concepts, and methods used by criminologists.

    • Theories underlie policies

  • Show you how criminological theories apply to real-world phenomena and current events.

    • How do we control crime?
    • How do we control police misconduct?
    • How do we address crime by nation-states?

  • Make you a critical consumer of claims about crime and crime policies in the news, social media, and political campaigns.

  • Develop your critical and analytical skills through discussion and written exams.
4 / 26

Theories are important. Crim theory can have big impacts, both good and bad. Broken windows--a theory--led to stop and frisk and order maintenance in the 1990s.

Course Structure

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Two Components

  • Lecture (Me)

    • Overviews of theories
    • Extensions and applications
    • Time to ask questions
    • Attendance appreciated but not required
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Two Components

  • Lecture (Me)

    • Overviews of theories
    • Extensions and applications
    • Time to ask questions
    • Attendance appreciated but not required

  • Section (Thiago)

    • Time to discuss topics
      • You will provide discussion questions
    • There may be activities
    • Participation required1

[1] See the syllabus for an alternative to section participation.

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Content

Week Date Topic
1 Mon, Jan 4 Introduction and Overview of Criminology
1 Wed, Jan 6 Classical Criminology
2 Mon, Jan 11 Definitions of Crime and Criminal Law
2 Wed, Jan 13 Trends in Crime, Violence, Incarceration
3 Mon, Jan 18 No Class
3 Wed, Jan 20 Measuring Crime and Policing
4 Mon, Jan 25 Rational Choice and Deterrence 1
4 Wed, Jan 27 Rational Choice and Deterrence 2
5 Mon, Feb 1 Criminal Careers and Selective Incapacitation
5 Wed, Feb 3 Control Theory and the Life Course
6 Mon, Feb 8 Social Disorganization 1
6 Wed, Feb 10 Social Disorganization 2
7 Mon, Feb 15 No Class
7 Wed, Feb 17 Urban Underclass, Social Capital, and Collective Efficacy 1
8 Mon, Feb 22 Urban Underclass, Social Capital, and Collective Efficacy 2
8 Wed, Feb 24 Broken Windows and Collective Efficacy
9 Mon, Mar 1 Differential Association and Code of the Street 1
9 Wed, Mar 3 Differential Association and Code of the Street 2
10 Mon, Mar 8 Collective Violence 1
10 Wed, Mar 10 Collective Violence 2
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Course Requirements

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Grading

Item Number Percent of Grade
Course Participation 10 15
Discussion Questions 17 15
Midterm Exams 2 40
Final Exam 1 30

  • 95% or higher is a 4.0

  • Each 2.0% corresponds to a .1 final grade difference

    • Your Final Grade = 4−95−Percentage20

    • e.g. 89/100 is a 3.7

    • This is rounded down1: 90/100 is also 3.7

[1] I'll bump you up if you're real close.

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If distribution is looking low, will bump everyone up (not curve)

Participation

Components:

  • Active participation in section

    • Attendance ≠ Participation

  • Demonstration of having read the material

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Participation

Components:

  • Active participation in section

    • Attendance ≠ Participation

  • Demonstration of having read the material

If unable to attend, you can submit a 1-page (no more than 500 word) reading and discussion response prior to scheduled section discussion.

  • This option must be preapproved by me/TA via email1

  • Responses which are not preapproved will not be accepted

[1] You can get approval for more than one at a time. Just let us know your situation.

10 / 26

Contact me if you will always or usually be unable to attend section

Discussion Questions

Submit two discussion questions via Canvas

  • Due 5 PM the day prior to relevant lecture
    • No late submissions or make-up
  • Address different readings unless there is only one
  • If there are more than two readings, pick just two for questions
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Discussion Questions

Submit two discussion questions via Canvas

  • Due 5 PM the day prior to relevant lecture
    • No late submissions or make-up
  • Address different readings unless there is only one
  • If there are more than two readings, pick just two for questions

Aim for open-ended and thought-provoking:

Harcourt suggests that broken windows policing is based on extending the concept of harm to include disorderly conduct in public spaces. How does this relate to controlling language or writing that is perceived as harmful?

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Questions should be open ended

Extensions or new applications for the material

Comparisons to other readings; e.g. X says this, but Y says this.

Discussion Questions

Submit two discussion questions via Canvas

  • Due 5 PM the day prior to relevant lecture
    • No late submissions or make-up
  • Address different readings unless there is only one
  • If there are more than two readings, pick just two for questions

Aim for open-ended and thought-provoking:

Harcourt suggests that broken windows policing is based on extending the concept of harm to include disorderly conduct in public spaces. How does this relate to controlling language or writing that is perceived as harmful?

Avoid clarifications1 or questions with clear objective answers:

"What is swiftness in classical theory and how is it related to crime today?"

[1] You can in addition write clarification questions. These will be answered in section or lecture.

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Questions should be open ended

Extensions or new applications for the material

Comparisons to other readings; e.g. X says this, but Y says this.

Since these are meant to provoke discussion, they should be debatable, and not something directly empirically answerable.

Exams

2 Midterms

1 Final

Structure:

  • Open-book with a few days to work
  • Only short-answer questions with firm word count limits
  • Citations expected:
    • ex: "Shaw & McKay (1942) proposed delinquent subcultures as a mechanism for stability in neighborhood crime rates."
    • Material from outside course must have an entry in Works Cited
    • Assigned class material can just be author(s) and date
    • Any major format (e.g. ASA) acceptable but be consistent
12 / 26

Exams

2 Midterms

1 Final

Structure:

  • Open-book with a few days to work
  • Only short-answer questions with firm word count limits
  • Citations expected:
    • ex: "Shaw & McKay (1942) proposed delinquent subcultures as a mechanism for stability in neighborhood crime rates."
    • Material from outside course must have an entry in Works Cited
    • Assigned class material can just be author(s) and date
    • Any major format (e.g. ASA) acceptable but be consistent

Emphasis of exams is demonstrating understanding, critical thinking, and application of concepts, not regurgitation of facts, names, or dates.

12 / 26

Course Texts and Readings

Two books:

  • Short and accessible yet major contributions to criminology
  • Available as eBooks through the UW library but affordable in print
13 / 26

Course Texts and Readings

Two books:

  • Short and accessible yet major contributions to criminology
  • Available as eBooks through the UW library but affordable in print

Ruth D. Peterson & Lauren J. Krivo (2010) Divergent Social Worlds

  • An analysis of urban neighborhood crime from a structural theory of racial-spatial inequality.
13 / 26

Course Texts and Readings

Two books:

  • Short and accessible yet major contributions to criminology
  • Available as eBooks through the UW library but affordable in print

Ruth D. Peterson & Lauren J. Krivo (2010) Divergent Social Worlds

  • An analysis of urban neighborhood crime from a structural theory of racial-spatial inequality.

John Hagan & Wenona Rymond-Richmond (2009) Darfur and the Crime of Genocide

  • An analysis of the Darfur genocide from a differential social organization theory of collective racial violence.
13 / 26

Course Texts and Readings

Two books:

  • Short and accessible yet major contributions to criminology
  • Available as eBooks through the UW library but affordable in print

Ruth D. Peterson & Lauren J. Krivo (2010) Divergent Social Worlds

  • An analysis of urban neighborhood crime from a structural theory of racial-spatial inequality.

John Hagan & Wenona Rymond-Richmond (2009) Darfur and the Crime of Genocide

  • An analysis of the Darfur genocide from a differential social organization theory of collective racial violence.

If you need a supplementary reference text:

  1. Kubrin, Stucky, & Krohn. (2009) Researching Theories of Crime and Deviance.
  2. Crutchfield, Kubrin, Bridges & Weis. (2008) Crime: Readings
13 / 26

The Approach

  1. Context

    • Conditions of life
    • Responses and critiques
14 / 26

Theories are rooted in times and places

Academic work is a never-ending conversation--nothing exists in a vacuum

The Approach

  1. Context

    • Conditions of life
    • Responses and critiques

  2. Theoretical Assumptions

    • Basis for theory
    • "If this is the case, then..."
14 / 26

Theories are rooted in times and places

Academic work is a never-ending conversation--nothing exists in a vacuum

All theories make some assumptions about how the world works

Based on these, they derive principles. A lot of science is about evaluating the assumptions and principles that follow from them.

Note theories based on wrong assumptions can sometimes make completely correct predictions, like heliocentric models of planets

The Approach

  1. Context

    • Conditions of life
    • Responses and critiques

  2. Theoretical Assumptions

    • Basis for theory
    • "If this is the case, then..."

  3. Policy Implications

    • Causes imply interventions
14 / 26

Theories are rooted in times and places

Academic work is a never-ending conversation--nothing exists in a vacuum

All theories make some assumptions about how the world works

Based on these, they derive principles. A lot of science is about evaluating the assumptions and principles that follow from them.

Note theories based on wrong assumptions can sometimes make completely correct predictions, like heliocentric models of planets

Theories imply causes and causes imply things you can try to change

Interventions based on incorrect theories are more likely to have unexpected consequences--we'll talk about some later

The Approach

  1. Context

    • Conditions of life
    • Responses and critiques

  2. Theoretical Assumptions

    • Basis for theory
    • "If this is the case, then..."

  3. Policy Implications

    • Causes imply interventions

  4. Evidence

    • Quantitative
    • Qualitative
14 / 26

Theories are rooted in times and places

Academic work is a never-ending conversation--nothing exists in a vacuum

All theories make some assumptions about how the world works

Based on these, they derive principles. A lot of science is about evaluating the assumptions and principles that follow from them.

Note theories based on wrong assumptions can sometimes make completely correct predictions, like heliocentric models of planets

Theories imply causes and causes imply things you can try to change

Interventions based on incorrect theories are more likely to have unexpected consequences--we'll talk about some later

Reciprocal relationship between quant and qual

Qual typically generates theories and questions

Quant typically them and looks at generalizability

Qual also examines mechanisms and assumptions

Some Metatheory

15 / 26

Causal Models

All theories either imply or explicitly state a causal model.

16 / 26

Causal Models

All theories either imply or explicitly state a causal model.

Theories consist of:

  1. Assumptions: Taken for granted statements

    • The foundations of theories
16 / 26

Causal Models

All theories either imply or explicitly state a causal model.

Theories consist of:

  1. Assumptions: Taken for granted statements

    • The foundations of theories

  2. Propositions: Testable hypotheses or predictions of interest

    • These typically emerge from assumptions
16 / 26

Causal Models

All theories either imply or explicitly state a causal model.

Theories consist of:

  1. Assumptions: Taken for granted statements

    • The foundations of theories

  2. Propositions: Testable hypotheses or predictions of interest

    • These typically emerge from assumptions

In criminology, the key assumptions are often about human nature...

  • e.g. Humans are rational utility maximizers (Homo economicus)
16 / 26

Sometimes we purposely use assumptions we know aren't completely correct because the consequences are minor in our application. Perfectly rational actors are an example.

Causal Models

All theories either imply or explicitly state a causal model.

Theories consist of:

  1. Assumptions: Taken for granted statements

    • The foundations of theories

  2. Propositions: Testable hypotheses or predictions of interest

    • These typically emerge from assumptions

In criminology, the key assumptions are often about human nature...

  • e.g. Humans are rational utility maximizers (Homo economicus)

...or mechanisms...

  • e.g. Disorder signals that a neighborhood is out of control.

Assumptions are often fiercely contested and sometimes untestable.

16 / 26

Sometimes we purposely use assumptions we know aren't completely correct because the consequences are minor in our application. Perfectly rational actors are an example.

Causal Graphs

Scientists often use causal graphs to depict models.


17 / 26

Key Issues

  • Reverse Causality

    • Y may cause X instead
    • We typically rely on assumptions about directionality
18 / 26

Key Issues

  • Reverse Causality

    • Y may cause X instead
    • We typically rely on assumptions about directionality

  • Spuriousness

    • X falsely appears to cause Y
    • Instead X and Y are both caused by another factor (e.g. Z)
18 / 26

Key Issues

  • Reverse Causality

    • Y may cause X instead
    • We typically rely on assumptions about directionality

  • Spuriousness

    • X falsely appears to cause Y
    • Instead X and Y are both caused by another factor (e.g. Z)

  • Mediation

    • Complete mediation means X only effects Y through Z.
    • Partial mediation means X effects Y directly and through Z.
18 / 26

Key Issues

  • Reverse Causality

    • Y may cause X instead
    • We typically rely on assumptions about directionality

  • Spuriousness

    • X falsely appears to cause Y
    • Instead X and Y are both caused by another factor (e.g. Z)

  • Mediation

    • Complete mediation means X only effects Y through Z.
    • Partial mediation means X effects Y directly and through Z.

  • Moderation

    • X causes Y, but by how much depends on Z.
18 / 26

More Like Ice Crime


Ice cream sales cause violent crime

19 / 26

Spuriousness


The effect of ice cream sales is spurious; hot weather causes both crime and ice cream sales.

20 / 26

When a paper says they control for something, this is what they're adjusting for.

Mediation


Hot weather causes crime only because more people are outside; the number of people outside mediates the effect of hot weather on crime

21 / 26

Moderation


Social distancing moderates these relationships, because now fewer people are outside on hot days and those people stay away from each other.

22 / 26

It Gets Complicated


23 / 26

Using Graphs

Many of the theories in this course will be depicted with causal graphs.

24 / 26

Using Graphs

Many of the theories in this course will be depicted with causal graphs.

All claims (propositions) about the world imply a theory (with assumptions).

24 / 26

Using Graphs

Many of the theories in this course will be depicted with causal graphs.

All claims (propositions) about the world imply a theory (with assumptions).

When you encounter new claims, it can be clarifying to sketch the implied causal graph.

24 / 26

Using Graphs

Many of the theories in this course will be depicted with causal graphs.

All claims (propositions) about the world imply a theory (with assumptions).

When you encounter new claims, it can be clarifying to sketch the implied causal graph.

If the causal relationships don't make sense, it may reveal a flawed theory:

  • Outcomes which happen before their causes (reverse causality)

  • Obvious causes left out (spuriousness)

  • Ambiguous or nonsensical mechanisms

  • Unwarranted assumptions

24 / 26

Using Graphs

Many of the theories in this course will be depicted with causal graphs.

All claims (propositions) about the world imply a theory (with assumptions).

When you encounter new claims, it can be clarifying to sketch the implied causal graph.

If the causal relationships don't make sense, it may reveal a flawed theory:

  • Outcomes which happen before their causes (reverse causality)

  • Obvious causes left out (spuriousness)

  • Ambiguous or nonsensical mechanisms

  • Unwarranted assumptions

Be critical consumers of theories

24 / 26

Questions

25 / 26

For Next Time

Readings:

  • Hagan (1985) “Defining Crime: An Issue of Morality.” in Modern Criminology: Crime, Criminal Behavior, and Its Control

  • Trevino (1996) "Cesare Beccaria: Legal Reformer" in The Sociology of Law

  • Radzinowicz (1966) "The Liberal Position" in Ideology and Crime

Things to pay attention to:

  1. The context the classical school emerged from

  2. The assumptions of the classical school--human nature, the role of government

    • The assumed causes of crime
    • The proposed ideal responses which emerge from those assumptions
26 / 26

What is Criminology?

Sutherland: "The study of making of laws, the breaking of laws, and reacting to the breaking of laws."

2 / 26
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