CRCJ 4315 Criminal Careers and Behavior Systems
Lesson 1
Table of contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS........................................................................................1
LESSON 1 ............................................................................................................2
Key Terms .......................................................................................................2
Learning Objectives.........................................................................................2
Notes ...............................................................................................................2
Criminology .................................................................................................................... 2
Criminology and Criminal Justice................................................................................... 3
Criminologists................................................................................................................. 4
Crime.............................................................................................................................. 4
Criminal Careers ............................................................................................................ 5
Folkways ........................................................................................................................ 6
Mores ............................................................................................................................. 7
Laws ............................................................................................................................... 7
Reading Assignment .......................................................................................8
Links ................................................................................................................8
Think About .....................................................................................................8
Discussion Questions ......................................................................................8
Jump to another Lesson . . .
Lesson 1
Lesson 2
Lesson 3
Lesson 4
Lesson 5
Lesson 6
Lesson 7
Lesson 8
Lesson 9
Lesson 10
Lesson 11
Lesson 12
Lesson 13
Lesson 14
Page 1
©2002 Dr. Alejandro del Carmen and the Center for Distance Education
at the University of Texas at Arlington
CRCJ 4315 Criminal Careers and Behavior Systems
Lesson 1
Lesson 1
Introduction to Crime, Criminal Careers,
Criminology, and Criminal Justice
Key Terms
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Crime
Criminal Careers
Criminology
Criminal Justice
Criminologists
Mores
Folkways
Laws
Learning Objectives
1.
2.
3.
4.
Discuss the role of criminologists.
Describe the types of criminal careers.
Explain the difference between criminology and criminal justice.
Describe the contributions by Edwin Sutherland and Donald
Cressey.
5. Define and discuss mores, folkways, and laws.
Notes
Criminology
Every time I get on a plane or visit a relative, the question always
emerges: “So, what exactly do you do as a criminologist?” Before I have an
opportunity to respond, those who ask this question seem eager to guess by
offering different responses. Some say that I am a lawyer while others identify my
job as one that promotes the enforcement of the law. So, in their mind, I am
either a lawyer or a cop. At the risk of establishing a long-winded conversation, I
respond by saying that I am neither. I proceed to explain to them that
criminology can be defined as the “scientific study of crime and criminal
behavior.” Although this answer satisfies their curiosity, it is incomplete. That is,
many scholars have offered different opinions regarding the meaning of
“criminology.” Perhaps, the most frequently cited and widely accepted definition
of “criminology” was offered by Edwin Sutherland and Donald Cressey. They
argued that criminology is the “body of knowledge regarding crime as a social
phenomenon. It includes within its scope the processes of making laws,
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©2002 Dr. Alejandro del Carmen and the Center for Distance Education
at the University of Texas at Arlington
CRCJ 4315 Criminal Careers and Behavior Systems
Lesson 1
breaking laws, and of reacting towards the breaking of 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 punishment.”
Therefore, after reading this long definition of criminology, you are likely to
conclude that it is more than just the study of crime; it involves the study of the
criminal justice agencies and the manner in which society reacts to the breaking
of laws.
Criminology and Criminal Justice
Although most people regard criminology and criminal justice as the same
discipline, they are not one in the same. Ever since the establishment of the first
Ph.D. program in criminology in the United States (at Florida State University),
many criminologists have taken offense at being referred to as criminal justice
scholars. The same is true of criminal justice faculty who are insulted by being
called criminologists. The difference between the two areas — criminology and
criminal justice — is that criminology is more theoretically based while criminal
justice is more practical. Fortunately, the debate is losing popularity as the new
generation of scholars embraces both disciplines with equal enthusiasm while
keeping in mind that they both offer unique insights into the scientific study of
crime and criminal behavior.
Now that you know the difference between criminology and criminal
justice, it is appropriate to discuss some of the specifics of criminology. Why,
you may ask? The answer to this question is based on the fact that this course is
primarily based on the theoretical explanation of criminal behavior, a component
of criminology. Despite this, you will be asked to read and learn about some
criminal justice components including the sources of crime data and victimization
patterns.
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©2002 Dr. Alejandro del Carmen and the Center for Distance Education
at the University of Texas at Arlington
CRCJ 4315 Criminal Careers and Behavior Systems
Lesson 1
Criminologists
Since I know you have been exposed to the fact that criminology
encompasses a wide range of topics, it should not be difficult to believe that
those who specialize in criminology (i.e., criminologists) are often quoted in
media outlets as they offer opinions on acts of violence, crime rates,
victimization, law enforcement, courts, and corrections. The contributions and
remarks made by criminologists are not difficult to find in circumstances when
acts of violence that defy our moral boundaries take place. One of these
instances was the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. As a criminologist, I
found myself serving in discussion panels and answering newspaper editors’
questions as they searched for explanations of behavior we often regard as
“unexplainable.”
Crime
Did you know that certain behaviors in the United States, which are
considered criminal, are legal in other countries of the world? For instance,
smoking marijuana is illegal in the United States (This does not take into account
jurisdictions that allow the legal use of marijuana for medical purposes.).
However, in countries such as Holland, it is not rare to go to a restaurant and find
a menu with different types of marijuana that the customer can purchase. Thus,
it is no wonder why we say that crime is socially defined; that is, it is prohibited by
a certain group of people at a particular time in history who find a specific
behavior is not accepted by the morality of the citizenry. Although technically, we,
as members of a society, collectively identify and define the behaviors we want to
restrict or prohibit, the reality is that most of us have never participated in a
legislative session, voting on the wording of a particular bill that will later become
law. Thus, crime is not truly defined by people, per se; it is introduced and
regulated by legislators who could or could not side with their respective
constituents.
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©2002 Dr. Alejandro del Carmen and the Center for Distance Education
at the University of Texas at Arlington
CRCJ 4315 Criminal Careers and Behavior Systems
Lesson 1
Criminal Careers
The term “criminal careers” has been used to describe life-long careers of
individuals whose main duties involve committing and perfecting a particular
crime. As you already know, there are several types of criminal behaviors today.
When most of us think of a particular crime, we often imagine a “visible” act.
That is, an illegal act that can be easily detected because it takes place in a
street, parking lot, or related public facility. However, there are other crimes,
which are not necessarily visible, but still merit further study. These include
corporate, cyber, organized, and transnational crimes. Crimes of this nature are
committed by individuals who, throughout their lives, aim at improving the
planning, execution, and benefits associated with their criminal intent.
Although they wear a fancy suit, corporate criminals are individuals who
engage in career-long forms of violating the law. They engage in criminality that
is not visible per se; rather, they violate the law by knowingly making decisions
that result in deaths of innocent consumers/clients. Furthermore, corporate
criminals often provide false information in their tax returns and IRS audits in
order to continue their trend of maximizing profits while minimizing costs/losses.
The word “cyber” should suggest that this type of criminal conducts most
of his/her illegal acts through the Internet. In fact, cyber criminals are often very
intelligent individuals who make it a personal life-long commitment to produce
codes that will break software licenses. Additionally, they steal credit card
numbers online that can be used to make illegal purchases. The challenge that
this type of offender presents to the law enforcement community is that he/she is
hard to track since they may be operating from a small basement in a residential
neighborhood in a foreign country. Once apprehended, prosecutors face the
challenge of demonstrating to a jury that the actions committed by cyber
criminals will ultimately hurt the citizenry.
I know most of us have seen, at one time or another, Mario Puzzo’s The
Godfather. Who can ever forget the quote “I will make you an offer you can’t
refuse”? When we mention the concept of “organized crime,” we refer to groups
of individuals that decide to form a hierarchical entity whose primary mission is to
produce wealth via illegal means. At one point, in the United States, these
groups were formed along ethnic and racial lines. For example, the Irish or
Italians who had recently arrived in the United States would form a group whose
primary task was to protect, using any means necessary, that particular group of
people it represented. In Boston, New York, and Chicago, cities with large
concentrations of immigrants, Italian gangs became prevalent (as depicted in the
movie The Godfather). These gangs committed crimes on a frequent basis while
projecting the false image that they were working people whose primary objective
was to feed the poor and provide good leadership to their respective families.
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©2002 Dr. Alejandro del Carmen and the Center for Distance Education
at the University of Texas at Arlington
CRCJ 4315 Criminal Careers and Behavior Systems
Lesson 1
The term “transnational criminal career” refers to the illegal activities some
individuals conduct throughout the world on an on-going basis. Their detection
and capture are challenging. Going from place to place and changing identities
every so often leads law enforcement agencies through areas that are hard to
detect or prosecute. Transnational criminals are also called terrorists. Today,
more than ever, this type of criminal, whose primary career-long objective is to
inflict terror on all of us, has become more relevant and important to study when
compared to any other in the field of criminology and criminal justice.
Folkways
In any society there are certain behaviors that, although “improper,” may
not be considered “illegal”. How is this possible? The best way I know how to
explain this is to refer to one of my own experiences. When I was part of the
dating scene, I remember an episode involving a young lady whom I decided to
bring home for dinner one day. My parents, who emphasized proper manners,
were pleased to meet my companion until it was time to have dinner. It was then
that my father and mother became shocked at the table manners of my
companion. My mother later told me that “this young lady seemed to fight with
the fork” instead of using it a tool to select her food. I knew of their
disappointment and shock while we had dinner that night. All I had to do was
look at my father’s eyes as they expressed all the sentiments that were later
transformed into words. The table manners of my companion were not well
received in my household and were, therefore, deemed “improper” or
inappropriate. Although my friend did not go to prison for her table manners, she
clearly engaged in behavior that many would argue violated a folkway. A folkway
is a traditional social custom including a way of thinking, feeling or acting
common to a social group of people. These are seldom punished or rewarded;
rather, they are simply mildly approved or disapproved.
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©2002 Dr. Alejandro del Carmen and the Center for Distance Education
at the University of Texas at Arlington
CRCJ 4315 Criminal Careers and Behavior Systems
Lesson 1
Mores
If my friend had used proper manners but had stolen some of my mother’s
silverware, she would have engaged in the violation of a “more.” [Pronunciation:
'mor-"Az, also 'mOr-“Ez] A more is a binding moral attitude, habit, and manner of
a particular group of people. If she had stolen property that belonged to my
family, it would have met stronger disapproval than a mere look of
disappointment by my father; in fact, it would have been likely that she would
have been arrested for such an act and perhaps even prosecuted and convicted.
In similar cases that involve the violation of a moral principle, a higher level of
approval or disapproval is often met.
For cases where approval is given for a particular action that reinforces
our values or principles, it is in the form of an award or recognition. The opposite
is true in cases that involve action that violates moral principles; in these cases,
strong punishments or sanctions are issued.
Laws
The rules of conduct formally recognized as binding, which are defined
and enforced by a controlling authority, are called “laws.” In other words, laws
are the rules that protect our “mores”. Laws serve as sanctions for those
behaviors that are violated by individuals willing to defy social norms. They also
serve to protect the interest of those that adhere to the parameters of behavior
outlined by society.
Overall then, folkways, mores, and laws are important to consider when
we study criminal behavior. These concepts vary from one generation to the
other; in fact, history provides evidence suggesting that from time to time, society
redefines behavior it deems inappropriate or illegal.
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©2002 Dr. Alejandro del Carmen and the Center for Distance Education
at the University of Texas at Arlington
CRCJ 4315 Criminal Careers and Behavior Systems
Lesson 1
Reading Assignment
Siegel Chapter 1: pp. 1-4; 9-16
Links
The following links are to external Web sites. To return to this page, use
your browser’s back button.
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What do Criminologists do?
Top 100 Corporate Criminals
Cyber Crime Information Provided by the Department of Justice
Transnational Crime and Corruption Center
Crime Magazine: An Encyclopedia of Crime
Think About
1.
2.
3.
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5.
6.
Describe the difference between criminology and criminal justice.
What is criminology?
Identify and describe different types of criminal careers.
Define folkways, mores, and laws.
What are white-collar crimes?
What areas of study are of particular interest to victimologists?
Discussion Questions
1. Compare and contrast a corporate criminal with an organized crime
family member.
2. Provide an example of a folkway and a more.
3. Why do we say that crime is socially defined?
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©2002 Dr. Alejandro del Carmen and the Center for Distance Education
at the University of Texas at Arlington