CRIMINOLOGY

Criminology

Criminology

Criminology is the scientific study of crime, criminals, criminal behavior, and the criminal justice system. In the United States, it is taught chiefly in departments of criminology and criminal justice of colleges and universities. Criminologists study factors related to crime. Research in criminology involves fields such as sociology, psychology, and psychiatry. Law enforcement greatly depends on criminology. Often, the best method of treating offenders and ways to prevent crime are determined by criminologists.(Burke,2001)

There are different things to study in criminology. Most criminological research examines environmental conditions. Others concentrate on the connection between crime and biological factors such as brain structure and chemical imbalances. And others emphasize people's emotions and motives. Some study the ways which individuals learn criminal behavior through association with people.(Taylor,1973)

White Collar Crime The late Professor Edwin Sutherland coined the term white-collar crime about 1941. Sutherland defined white-collar crime as "a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation" White-collar crime includes, by way of example, such acts as promulgating false or misleading advertising, illegal exploitation of employees, mislabeling of goods, violation of weights and measures statutes, conspiring to fix prices, evading corporate taxes, computer crimes, and so on. White-collar crime is most distinctively defined in terms of attitudes toward those who commit it. These crimes are punishable by law; however it is generally regarded by the courts and by sections of the general public as much less reprehensible than crimes usually punished by the courts. The other types of crime are blue-collar offenses, which are predominately crimes of the under-privileged.(Abadinsky,2007) White-collar crimes are punished far less harshly than blue-collar crimes, which shows societies attitudes towards the two sections of society. White-collar crime is attractive to criminals because it brings material rewards with little or no loss of status. For some, white-collar crime is not viewed as a "crime" at all, because of its non-violent nature. Violent crime has an immediate and observable impact on its victim which raises the ire of the public, whereas white-collar crime frequently goes undetected or is viewed as a bending of the rules. Yet white-collar crime can create the greater havoc. The victim of an assault will recover; however, the impact of a fraud can last a lifetime. This is especially true when the elderly are victimized, as they have little or no hope of re-establishing themselves in financial terms.

Another type of crime in which we can put a monetary value on is violent crime. What is often the case is that the victims of violent crime must receive some type of medical care. These tangible losses due to violent crime add up to a great deal of money for the victim and society. The victims will most likely need hospitalization and, or physician care due to the crime and may include expenses incurred for medical transport, rehabilitation, prescriptions, allied health services, and medical devices. If the violent crime causes death coroner costs and premature funeral expenses may also be ...