Definition of criminology:
Criminology is a social-scientific study of crime as an
individual and social phenomenon .
Criminological research areas includes the incidence and form of the crime as
well as its causes and consequences . It
also include social and governmental regulations and reactions to crime.
According to the Kenny ,”criminology is a branch of criminal
science which deals with crime causation , analysis and prevention of crime .”
According to Mannheim,” criminology involves the study of
crime , i.e, the form of crimes , their extent and the causative factors
responsible for them.”
Above the discussion we can say that criminology is that which deals with
criminal matter.
Branch of the criminology :
The description of the criminology provided by Sutherland and
cressey accurately summarizes the three main branches of the criminology:
Sociology of law: Criminologists examine and evaluate
the origins ,nature ,application and
modification of criminal laws. Criminologists recognize the fact that law do
not simply exit; rather they are consciously created and maintained by member
of the society.
Criminal Etiology : Criminologists attempt to identify
the causes of the criminal behavior. Most modern theories of crime are derived
from the sociological perspectives, structural functionalism, social conflict .
Penology: Criminologists explore the agencies and processes concerned
with the apprehension and treatment of offenders. These include police , the
court, and the correctional system.
Finally we can say that these branch are the main and essential branch
of criminology. Which are the most
important to common person.
Subject matter of criminology:
According to Clive colman and clive morris followings are the
subject matter of criminology:
1)
The
attempt of describe and analyze the extent , nature and distribution of the
various form of crime and offenders.
2)
The
analysis of the causes of crime, including the attempt to develop theories which
will help us explain and understand it .
3)
The
study of the formulation of criminal laws.
4)
The
study of the various processes of law enforcement and criminal justice
such as policing, sentencing.
5)
The study of the various forms of policy and practice in punishment.
6)
The
study of attempt to control, reduce or prevent crime.
Areas of study in criminology include-
Ø Causes and correlates of crime
Ø Criminal statistics
Ø Criminal behavior
Ø Penology
Ø Sociology of law etc.
Important of study of criminology
The importance of study criminology is one of the most
significant concepts of criminology. As criminology
discuss about causes behind crime , its classification , identification and
punishment so subject
matter of criminology
and acquaintance of criminology
make the citizen and state cognizant .The
study of criminology brings development in the administration of
a state .The knowledge about the
content of criminology will support the legislature , law agency, lawyer,
social activist and the personnel in judiciary.
In fact it congregates the curiosity of sociologist and psychologist. Studying criminology and revealed knowledge of criminology has been created an environment of
rehabilitation for the offender by detecting punishment and system of
reformation. The subject matter of criminology enriches the
study of jurisprudence and other
disciplines of social science such as sociology, social welfare and socio
psychology etc.
Finally we can say that the important of study criminology is an
indispensible part in criminology.
Definition of Crime:
Crime is social phenomenon and is as old as human society. It
has been with us time immemorial . Crime is a legal concept and has a sanction.
Generally crime means any activity for
which law prescribes punishment .
Black’s law Dictionary ”Crime as a positive or negative act
in violation of the penal law, an offence against the state,”
According to Blackstone, “Crimes are public wrong and involve
a violation of the duties due to the whole community.”
According to Adler ,Muller, and Laufer , “A crime is any
human conduct that violates a criminal law and is subject to punishment.”
Above the discussion we can say that Crime is a violation of statutory
law. Those are harmful to our society .
Elements of Crime :
After explaining definitions of crime ,we can find out
some basic elements of crime . In the
absence of any elements it shall not be
termed as crime . These are:
1)Act or Omission: Act is those thing which government say to
omit from this thing but man can do . And omission is that which government say
to do but man can not do.
2) Criminal intention: Criminal intention is that when man
can do any offence with planning.
3) Violation of criminal law: Every country has a criminal
law , when man can do crime those are violation of criminal law .
4) Punishment:
punishment is that when people can do any crime this person will get
same reaction of there act .
5) Absence of defence
or justification: Absence of defence is that when a people can
do any offence without planning.
So
we can say that those thing are the main elements of the crime .without absence
of any elements those are not crime.
Different types of crime:
The general term of crime covers all types of crime without
any distinction. For the batter understanding crimes are classified in different categories;
Roman classified their crimes into two types:
1.
Crimes
against gods and
2.
Crime
against human beings.
French made a typology of crime with three types;
1) Serious crime,
2) Medium serious crime and
3) Crime of a petty character.
Robert
M.Bohm and keith N.Haley are classified crime following types:
1) Violation crime
2) Property crime
3) Morals crime
4) Hate crime
5) White collar crime
6) Corporate crime etc.
In
Bangladesh , we can
classify offences described in the penal code in seven board categories: namely
1) Offence against person
2) Offence against property
3) Offence against state
4) Offence against public tranquility
5) Offence relating documents
6) Offence relating to public servants
and
7) Offence affecting mental order.
In the end of the
classification , we can say that those
kind of classification are the main classification of crime.
Classical school: The system of law, its mechanisms of enforcement and the forms of punishment used in the 17th
and 18th century Europe
were primitive and inconsistent.
Features:
Some of the defining features of the
classical school of criminology are:
1)
All people are guided by free will.
2)
All behavior is guided by hedonism.
3)
All crime are the result of the free will and hedonism.
4)
All punishment should fit the offence .
5)
Bad people are nothing more that the result of the bad laws.
So finally
we can say that those are the main
features of the classical school; most important feature of classical school.
Neo-classical
school :
Neo-classical school
of thought emerged between 1880 and 1920 and is still with us today;
that are one of the most important
school .
Features:
1) Character,
neither free will nor determinism, is the source of criminality.
2) Crime and
punishment should be equivalent ,not necessarily proportional or ‘fitting’.
3) Imprisonment
should be the normal method of punishment .
4) Treatment
should be individualized, according to the incorrigibility of character.
5) Every punishment should include a measure of
deterrence, exemplary but not revengeful, except for the insane who should be
treated by other experts.
6) Abolishment
of the death penalty.
About the
discussion we can say that those features are the main feature of nea-classical
school.
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