Parallels between Victimology and Criminology

Experiencing the Parallels between Victimology and Criminology

All too often, society is inclined to allow criminals to receive leniency for their crimes as a result of the environment in which a person may have existed. Even if the criminal was not influenced by their environment to commit the crime, the criminal is liable to adopt the persona of the victim in order to gain sympathy. This is often successful because when more well-off individuals are in the presence of those that are considered to be less fortunate, they may feel guilt. In many cases, this guilt is not necessary. However, if an individual begins to express their opinion that by adopting the role of a victim the criminal is dodging the responsibility of the crime, they will likely be criticized greatly for their thoughts.

Victimology, even if it is sincere, is often a way in which individuals justify a crime to themselves and to others. For example, one of the most commonly held beliefs within the United States of America is that of the great American dream, in which everyone is happy, living in a nice house and the parents have stable occupations making a comfortable living for their families. This does not at all reflect the reality of inner city slums and poor rural areas. By clinging to the belief that no matter what, even without trying in some cases, individuals deserve to experience the American dream, they may be inclined to take what they feel they deserve rather than try to work for it. Some people will rationalize that they have no means to work for this dream, and they had no choice but to act out in the way that they did. However, this blaming of society does not change the reality of the situations. By allowing one person to get away with a crime because of a victim mentality would be a slap in the face to the people that do work to succeed.

Herein lays the most important parallel between victimology and Criminology. While it is simple to blame society for one’s troubles, this does not begin to solve the problem. Individuals from all sides need to think about how the society may impact the role of the criminal and to take steps in order to change things. This way, when an individual tries to adopt a victim mentality, we can state as a society that there were other options. By outlining the different options in such a setting, even more people can be exposed to the ways in which society is working to stabilize equality between different categories of individuals and work to reduce crime as a product of environment or surroundings. Criminology works to examine how society and the criminal interact, and this needs to be looked at under extreme scrutiny in order to find the causes of problems and work towards successful solutions.

There are also instances in which those who are perceived to be in a seat of power will become corrupt. It is important to look at this too. Individuals may attempt to adopt a victim role in this scene as well in order to appeal to the sympathetic public. Aside from sociopaths, individuals have moral standards that will tell them what is wrong and what is right. For anyone to adopt the role of the victim in order to gain sympathy is a ploy against the considerate nature of others. When it comes to crime, the people that should be playing the role of the victim are those who were victimized during the act of the crime. For individuals that live, they are many times much stronger than people may have believed them to be, and it is nauseating that the criminal will then try to adopt a role that the person they violated will not even take on in the court room.

British Journal of Criminology

Exploring the British Journal of Criminology

There are a number of studies and journals that are involved in the discussion of criminology. One of the most widely read and well reputed journals that study and examine criminology would be the British Journal of Criminology. Quality pieces and articles that are contributed from sources from around the world are gathered in issues of the British Journal of Criminology. It is very easy for individuals, either from a scholarly or academic perspective or even those from a researcher’s perspective, to use the British Journal of Criminology as a reference source because of the reputation that the Journal has. However, it does not just expose the work of different academics, but also publishes articles that peers write and have reviewed, as well as a book review segment within the Journal.

The British Journal of Criminology has its publishing basis within the United Kingdom, but its shipment range is much more expansive and in fact spans the entire globe. Regardless of their place of residency in the world, individuals can subscribe to the British Journal of Criminology. Even if an individual does not wish to subscribe to the British Journal of Criminology, it is also fairly easy to locate the Journal at libraries. Many back issues are supported in the libraries because of the notoriety that it receives in the literary world as well as in the world of the criminologist. Regardless of whether or not an individual is able or willing to secure a subscription to the British Journal of Criminology, the many different articles that are featured can have a profound effect on the individuals that read them. There are a number of different topics that are explored with each issue, and this allows the reader to learn about various aspects of the human mind when it is exposed to crime, and crime’s effect on the community. Some of the perspectives that the articles deal with include criminology’s relationship with sociology, anthropology, law, social fields and social work, and economics. By exploring the different ways in which these varying and equally important aspects play out in crime and within the criminal mind, individuals are able to broaden the ways in which they relate to and experience crime and the individual criminal, at least on an intellectual level.

Many instances exist in which an individual would want to reference the different thoughts and feelings expressed within the British Journal of Criminology. Sometimes a student will need to cite different sources in order to back up a particular thesis or type of thought which can be improved by some of the articles that have been published in the Journal. In other instances, the thoughts and ideas of others can be built upon in order to further define an individual’s belief of crime and the criminal element. By establishing a theory with supporting elements, it is possible for an individual that was published in the journal to be contacted and asked to help in a criminal case. In many instances, this is done on the part of the author by elaborating on the conclusions that they have come to in their article or journal pieces.

Critical Criminology

What are the Basics of Critical Criminology?

While criminology is the scientific study of the interactions that inherently occur between criminals and the public or the criminal elements and society, critical criminology is slightly different. This concept of criminology has a solid foundation in the belief that a singular crime is considered to be criminal due to the historical and social beliefs at the time. For example, one famous illustration of this is that homosexuality was considered to be illegal for individuals in the United Kingdom. This type of interaction between individuals was declared legal for men over 21, but this was not until 1967. Since there is nothing within the act that changed over the years, the only thing that changed was the judicial government at the time and what they believed was morally right or wrong. Overall, there is nothing deemed inherently wrong about the act itself. One of the main questions that individuals interested in critical criminology need to ask themselves whether or not an act is a crime because it is wrong or whether it is merely a crime because someone with the elected power decided to make it so.

Within critical criminology, there are a number of theories that have been formed. Conflict theories were never very popular within the United States, in part due to the fact that during the late 1970’s, when critical criminology was more popular, there were many criminology departments that were closed due to political reasons. Other critical criminologists were concerned that conflict theories did not properly address the different issues that faced society. Critics of conflict theories that exist in criminology maintain that these individuals ignored some important differences in the level of criminal activities between socialist and capitalist societies. Japan and Switzerland are two countries that are socialist in nature, but they have extremely low rates of crime in their countries, as compared to capitalist societies like the United States of America.

In feminist theories, individuals attempt to give another dimension to criminology, in the form of gender. The supporters of these theories are for the most part trying to bring a new form of awareness to the way crime is viewed. Instead of focusing on criminals who are male performing crimes against other males, it is argued that criminologists need to investigate more how the female affects this preconceived approach to crime. Many parties concerned with this type of critical approach to criminology also try to educate other female criminologists. This is important to this group of individuals because too many times, female criminologists will adopt the male perspective and perpetuate the same cycle of applying male concepts on females in the world of crime.

While there are other theories that are applicable in the field of criminology, such as postmodern and peacemaking theories, the conflict and feminist theories are the most prevalent ones within the world of criminology at large. By looking at the way that different theories can be applied to criminology and the different areas that fall under the term, individuals are able to learn more about the society in which they live. Another point that can be explored would be how the criminal relates to the society in which the crime is committed.