The Nature Of Criminology And Its Main Aspects

Criminology is the scientific study of crime in a society and the study of the criminals who commit these crimes. It also looks at the causes, effects and social impact of the crimes. As stated by T. Newburn (2007) criminology is a specific topic of discourse and inquiry about crime- a subject which has evolved throughout time and can be separated from other ways of discussing and thinking about criminal conduct. But what does criminology involve? There are many aspects to criminology; it provides us with an estimate as to the amount of crime that happens within a given area, the types of crime committed, and the types of people who commit these crimes; all of which allow criminologists to intervene and seek ways in which the level of crime could be reduced in certain areas.

One area criminologists focus on is the amount and type of crime that happens in a given area to produce policies that would help to reduce the type of crime. A way in which criminologists can research the type and amount of crime in an area is by referring to the official statistics of England and Wales. Official crime statistics are collected by what is recorded by the police, followed by what is processed by the Criminal Justice System. As J. Tredwell (2013) explained, there are a number of issues when relying on official statistics as an accurate measure of crime. As official statistics only record reported crime, the victim must make the decision to report the crime to the police. However, the victim may not always choose to report their crime to the police for a number of reasons; they may believe that the police cannot do anything to help, they view the issue as too trivial, they fear the consequences of reporting, they have a lack of respect for the police, or they feel embarrassed. It is estimated that there is a massive under-reporting of crime. Around 50 percent of crimes are not shown within the official crime statistics. Criminologists call the 50 percent the ‘dark figure of crime’. However there is a way to measure the dark figure of crime. Victim surveys are used to measure the extent of the dark figure. Sparks et al. (1977) suggests the dark figure of crime is eleven times the official figure, however this is an overall average which hides an enormous variation between two differing offences. Although there is some controversy about relying on statistics to gain information about the type and amount of crimes that occur- it allows for criminologists to gain an insight and gather an understanding about these crimes, which can also permit further insight. This shows that criminology’s statistical nature is useful in regards to understanding crime that occurs within society.

Once criminologists gain an understanding of the crimes which are prevalent in society, they can use this information to devise deterrence schemes and focus on ways to control the crimes. As S. G. Tibbetts (2015) states, studies by Purdue University show that the vast majority of drivers speed on highways. 36 percent of motorists saw no risk in driving 20 miles an hour over the speed limit. However, when police cameras are seen, most individuals will slow down and be more cautious, which is deterrence. For example, most people’s heart rate will increase when they see a police car, even if they have done nothing wrong. This shows how deterrence can happen simply from police presence. This links back to using official statistics, as criminologists can gather the information as to where the crime is occurring, and then can inform police who increase their presence in a certain area, in hopes to reduce the crime rate. This concept branches off one of the earliest theories of criminology- Classicism. The rational choice view also comes under this umbrella. ‘According to the rational choice view, motivated, rational people will break the law if left free and unrestricted to do so’ – L. J. Siegel (2013). The general deterrence theory suggests that crime rates are determined by the chance or implementation of criminal punishment. if people fear being punished, then they will not break the law. This relates to the classicism view of criminology as it suggests that the cause of crime is due to the calculation of pleasure versus pain. This shows how criminologists can use research to place deterrences in certain areas, and how the nature of the classicism way of thinking in criminology is still applicable in today’s society at deterring crime.

In conclusion, the nature of criminology being reliant on statistics and research has shown to help decrease crime. Whether this is, as S. Walklate (2011) suggests – ‘the idea of closed-circuit television CCTV offering a technical solution by increasing surveillance to target crime and deviant behaviour’, or by increasing the presence of police in areas like Purdue University’s study suggested may work; it has proven that the research and data collected by criminologists has succeeded to help reduce crime rates. Furthermore, the nature of the psychology behind the classicism view of offending and rational choices – making a decision in regards to pleasure versus pain, enables criminologists to understand why criminals offend, and can furthermore intercept in this thought process to try and reduce the amount of crime surrounding this issue too. This concludes that the nature of criminology is helpful in reducing crime rates due to the ability to understand why criminals choose to commit crimes as well as where the crimes happen and how the police could proceed with certain steps in order to reduce this.