SOCI3603 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Nudity, Social Movement, Totalitarianism
Introduction to criminology Jan 5, 2017
Changing Boundaries of Criminology
Perspective matters, there are a variety of perspectives; the victim, their family
and communities, the law, and the public
Can be influenced by media, public understanding of case, public reaction,
context of event and stereotypes, and characteristics of victims and offenders.
Why do perspective and boundaries change?
As morals change, so do definitions of appropriate and inappropriate actions
Boundaries change as society changes
Boundaries are fluid in nature in respect to criminal activities
Importance of Perspective
Need to step back and ask ourselves
What influences changes in understanding abut what is and is not considered
criminal in a particular society at a particular moment in time?
Defining Crime and Criminology Jan 10 & 12
Sutherland’s definition: criminology is the body of knowledge regarding crime as a
social phenomenon. It includes within its scope the process of making laws, of breaking
laws, and of reacting toward the breaking laws. The objective of criminology is the
development of a body of general and verified principles and of other types of knowledge
regarding this process of law, crime, and treatment or prevention (page 9)
Diverse Nature of Crime
Crime products significant physical injury, psychological harm, and financial loss
Media fuels our fascination with crime and shapes public image
Preoccupation with violent crimes however, crime and deviance are highly
diverse
Crime and Deviance
Crime and deviance overlap, making the boundary between the two is difficult
Nonetheless, crime and deviance are two distinct terms
Are all deviant acts criminal? Are all criminal acts deviant?
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Deviance: refers to behaviour that deviates from the norm- but not classified as
criminal
Crime: refers to what law considers as crime
How Laws are made
Deviance is used to describe behaviours that violate social norms, including laws.
There is a continuum of deviance:
oOn one end, we have behaviours that are contrary to the usual way of
doing things. I.e. too many items at the grocery store check out
oOn the more extreme end, we have behaviours that result in the violation
of laws. I.e. stealing
Criminologists are interested in studying all social norms that regulate conduct
and our reactions when these norms and broken
oWe’re also interested in the process of how an act becomes labelled as
deviant
Views of Deviance
Objective views claim that the presence of certain characteristic define deviance;
behaviours of people with such characterises are deviant while those without them
are not
oExample: green hair, left handed
Subjective views claims that there is no shared trait or characteristic that defines
deviance. We are socialized to define deviance
Social construction of deviance
What is crime?
Any form of human behaviour that is designated by law as criminal and subject to
a penal sanction
Crime is a social construct:
oAn act becomes enshrined in law or is viewed as a social problem because,
at some point in the history, influential persons, groups, or social
movements convince lawmakers and the public of its evils or harms
Depends on when you ask this same question
Morals change over time and a change in what we deem to be immoral a
change in what we think should be criminalized
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oA variety of factors influence this transformation: the economy, history,
social events, politics etc.
What are the similarities and differences between deviance and crime?
oRole of norms, setting and sanction
Role of Norms
Norms can be viewed in two wars:
oPrescription are the formal rules laid down by society
oExpectation are what we anticipate people will do
Example: expected behaviour professor and students in a classroom
Crime in a formal and legal sense can only be the violation of prescription, not
expectation
We prosecute people for violation by the law, prescriptions that are formalized in
a certain way
Role of Setting
Need to understand behaviour in a social context
Circumstances are important in determining if a behaviour is deviant and criminal
Nudity on beaches and sexual intercourse in a public place (to examples to
illustrate deviance and crime)
Where does the borderline lie that makes nudity on beaches or sexual intercourse
in public spaces criminal or deviant behaviours
Violating the prescription is one thing but how far can one stretch the unwritten
expectation
How is it acceptable to be nude on a beach
Where are the boundaries and when do the police start enforcing the law
As a women, exposing her boobs in downtown Fredericton is clearly unacceptable
and if you try to defy this condition, you are subject to legal sanction
Admitting behaviour is breast feeding
Partner swapping clubs: code of conduct and dress code. In Canada that kind of
place is very private
All the examples above are related to the body and sexuality
Some, restrictions are imposed on certain behaviour regarding bodies and
sexuality
It relates also to taboos. What is acceptable or not in our society
Focussing strictly on behaviour is not enough to determine a crime
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Document Summary
Perspective matters, there are a variety of perspectives; the victim, their family and communities, the law, and the public. Can be influenced by media, public understanding of case, public reaction, context of event and stereotypes, and characteristics of victims and offenders. As morals change, so do definitions of appropriate and inappropriate actions. Boundaries are fluid in nature in respect to criminal activities. Need to step back and ask ourselves. Sutherland"s definition: criminology is the body of knowledge regarding crime as a social phenomenon. It includes within its scope the process of making laws, of breaking laws, and of reacting toward the breaking laws. The objective of criminology is the development of a body of general and verified principles and of other types of knowledge regarding this process of law, crime, and treatment or prevention (page 9) Crime products significant physical injury, psychological harm, and financial loss. Media fuels our fascination with crime and shapes public image.
