Criminal Justice & Criminology - Summer 2026 UA Study Notes

Program Overview

• UA Faculty-Led Study Abroad Program (Summer 1, 2026) led by Dr. Matthew Valasik
• Duration: ~June 1–14, 2026
• Courses: CJ 406 History of Crime and Justice (Crime & Delinquency in Ancient Rome); CJ 435 Global Perspectives on Crime and Justice (Atavistic Criminology)
• Focus (two-fold):
  • Explore crime and delinquency in Ancient Rome
  • Examine the Italian school of criminology
• Travel locations: Rome, Pompeii (day trip), Turin, Milan (day trip)
• UA in Italy: Crime and Delinquency from Ancient Rome to Atavistic Criminology
• Program link: https://international.ua.edu/educationabroad/faculty-led-summary/

Virtual Reality Study Recruitment (Page 2)

• Title: Perceptions of Criminal Opportunities
• Compensation: $30 gift card upon successful completion
• Study design: Virtual reality (VR) simulation and questionnaires
• Scenario: Participants explore a neighborhood as if they were a burglar; assess how good/bad a house would be to break into
• Additional questions: Assess thoughts and opinions on various matters; responses are private and there are no right or wrong answers
• Setting: UA classroom or office with a standard VR headset
• Eligibility requirements:
  • Not prone to motion sickness
  • 18+ years old
  • English-speaking
  • Self-identify as a man
  • Regular or corrected hearing and vision
  • Not prone to epilepsy
• Sign-up options: QR code form or https://forms.gle/jnaLm6yS5ugX2UUi8
• IRB: Approved by University of Alabama IRB (ID: 25-02-8424-A)

Drunkards Progress (Visual/Poem) (Page 3)

• Graphic: The Drunkards Progress (from glass to grave) by N. Currier; Lithography information
• Steps of the progression (in order):
  • STEP 1: A glass with a friend
  • STEP 2: A glass to keep the cold out
  • STEP 3: A glass much 100 [likely a misprint; represents progression]
  • STEP 4: Drunk and riotous
  • STEP 5: The summit attained; jolly companions; confirmed drunkard
  • STEP 6: Poverty and Disease
  • STEP 7: Forsaken by friends
  • STEP 8: Desperation and crime
  • STEP 9: Death by suicide
• Publisher/engraver details: Lith. & Pub, by N. Currier, 33 Spruce St., N.Y.

What is Criminal Justice? (Page 4)

• Definition: A system designed for the implementation of punishment

Criminal Justice Theories and Ideologies (Page 5)

• Prompt/training question: Names of the two schools of Criminology discussed by Cullen & Gilbert: Classical and Positivist
• Answer choices (from slide): Classical; Positivist

Classical Criminology (Page 6)

• Origins: Developed during the Age of Enlightenment
• Time/place: 18th Century Western Europe
• Key figures: Cesare Beccaria (1738–1794); Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832)
• Prompt: What was the Age of Enlightenment?

Classical Criminology’s Assumptions (Page 7)

• Core ideas (summary from slide):
  • Only the legislative branch has authority to make laws; only laws set punishment; judges determine guilt/innocence, not punishment
  • Humans have free will and are rational; individuals are responsible for their actions
  • Utilitarianism guides behavior; Hedonistic Calculus: seeking pleasure and avoiding pain
  • Punishment should be based on social harm of the act, not the offender’s intention; similar offenses deserve similar punishment; punishment should fit the crime, not the criminal

Classical Criminology’s Assumptions (Continued) & Deterrence (Page 8)

• Punishment’s primary goal: prevention of future crime; retribution is secondary
• Deterrence Theory includes three dimensions to punishment: ext{Severity}, ext{Celerity}, ext{Certainty}
  • Severity: punishment must outweigh the pleasure/happiness obtained from crime
  • Celerity: swiftness of the criminal sanction
  • Certainty: probability of apprehension and punishment
• Guiding principle: Certainty & Celerity > Severity
• Rights protections: presumption of innocence until guilt proven; fair and clear court proceedings

Lombroso & Biological Positivism (Page 9)

• Relationship to Classical School: Preceded it; focus on individuals rather than actions
• Method: empirical research to identify crime as the product of multiple factors; early positivists emphasized individual features and downplayed social factors
• Cesare Lombroso (1835–1909): “The Born Criminal”
  • Concepts: Atavism; Criminaloid (evolutionary throwback)
  • Social Darwinism: notion of a superior species of man
• William Sheldon (1898–1977): Somatotypology
  • Body types: Ectomorph, Endomorph, Mesomorph; Mesomorph often linked to criminal tendency
• Genetics & Heredity: inquiries into whether deviance runs in families
• Notable works: Fox Butterfield (1995) “All Gods Children”

Concerns of Biological Positivism? (Page 10)

• Slide title hints at historical concerns; includes reference to “Hitler’s American Model” and U.S. eugenics movements
• Key content: Eugenics/Sterilization legislation in the United States (overview from Oct. 1913 memo)
• 1913 memo highlights categories of sterilization laws in states, showing evolution from purely eugenic motives to mixed motives (therapeutic, punitive, etc.)
• Contextual note: The slide shows a map-like or charted overview of state-level adoption and veto outcomes; emphasizes the legal/policy consequences of early positivist thinking

Positivism Today (Page 11)

• Lombroso’s legacy in modern positivism: empirical data gathering, objectivity, scientific method
• Core idea: multiple-factor causation and determinism; crime is driven by factors largely outside individual control
• Facets of determinants:
  • Biological: genetics
  • Psychological: personality disorders
  • Sociological: local environments
• Contemporary approach: many social scientists study social environment and community structure as primary causal factors for criminal behavior
• Question posed: What are some examples?

Positivism & Criminal Justice (Page 12)

• Questions posed to students: How might positivist assumptions guide crime prevention strategies?
• Observations from slide:
  • Greater emphasis on the offender rather than the offense
  • Penalties tailored to individual circumstances rather than solely the crime’s social harm or deterrence
  • Rehabilitation as the goal of the criminal justice system

A Triumph of Positivism & CJS: Juvenile Justice System (Page 13)

• Example of positivism in action: Juvenile Justice System
• Location: Mount Meigs Campus, Alabama Department of Youth Services (illustrated on slide)

Classical vs. Positivist: Crime Control Policies (Page 14)

• Table 1.1 (p. 9) compares Classical and Positivist schools; core assumptions and goals often conflict
• Prompt: Students invited to reflect on opinions about these two schools of thought

The Wire (Page 15) & The Win (Page 16)

• Media reference used for discussions of crime, justice, and policy examples:
  • The Wire
  • The Win (Episodes 1–2: The Target; The Detail)

Political Ideologies (Page 17)

• Question: Three political ideologies discussed by Cullen & Gilbert: Conservatism, Liberalism, Radicalism
• Note: Radicalism is listed but not elaborated in the slides provided

Conservatism (Page 18)

• Key tenets:
  • Maintenance of social order
  • Belief that social arrangements are sound
  • Individuals are responsible for their own actions
  • Self-reliance is encouraged

Liberalism (Page 19)

• Key tenets:
  • Goals: individual rights and equal opportunity for all
  • Structural conditions of society may cause crime

Marx, Capital, and Radical Imagery (Pages 20–21)

• Marx’s Capital for Beginners excerpt/illustration used to illustrate radical/class conflict themes
• Visuals/texts include excerpts such as: "CAPITAL WE RULE YOU WE EAT FOR YOU WE FOOL YOU WE SHOOT AT YOU WE WORK FOR ALL"
• Pyramidal depiction of the capitalist system (illustrated by Nedeljković Brashich and Kuharich; translated/presented in the slide)
• Historical context: 1911 publication; discussions of capitalism and workers’ movements

For Wednesday! (Page 21)

• Instruction: Chapters 2 of Kubrin & Stucky

Prison Labor (Page 22)

• Topic heading listed: Prison Labor
• Content not detailed in the provided transcript; note indicates a transition or focus on labor in prison contexts

Connections, Implications, and Reflections (Synthesis from the slides)

• Two primary intellectual streams in criminology studied here:
  • Classical Criminology: free will, deterrence, proportional punishment, social harm emphasis, legality, and rational choice
  • Positivist Criminology: focus on empirical data, multi-factor causation, determinism, and rehabilitation
• Policy implications drawn or implied by slides:
  • Deterrence policies prioritize certainty and swiftness over severity
  • Rehabilitation-focused CJS aligns with positivist thinking and individualized sanctions
  • Historical contexts (eugenics, sterilization, and race law) illustrate the ethical risks and implications of biological positivism
• Real-world relevance:
  • Juvenile justice as an exemplar of positivist approach in practice
  • The Wire as a cultural lens for understanding crime, policy, and social factors
  • Economic and class critiques from Marxist visuals linking capitalism to social conflict and crime
• Ethical and philosophical considerations:
  • Tension between safeguarding individual rights (presumption of innocence, fair trials) and collective safety via deterrence
  • Ethical risks of using biological/genetic reasoning to justify punishment or sterilization
  • The impact of structural conditions on crime, beyond individual blame
• Key numerical references and potential equations:
  • Deterrence dimensions:
  • Severity, Celerity, Certainty (three dimensions) ext{Severity}, ext{Celerity}, ext{Certainty}
  • Emphasis on three-dimensional deterrence over mere severity
  • Timeframe references: 18th century (Age of Enlightenment); Lombroso’s lifespan (1835–1909); Sheldon’s lifespan (1898–1977); 1913 eugenics memo/movement
• Notable terms to remember:
  • Hedonistic Calculus, Utilitarianism, Atavism, Criminaloid, Somatotypology, Ectomorph, Endomorph, Mesomorph
  • Phrases from Marxist imagery: capitalistic slogans and the pyramid metaphor

Summary of Core Concepts for Exam Readiness

• Classical Criminology: free will, rational choice, proportional punishment, deterrence, social harm focus, limited role of offender’s biographical factors
• Positivism: empirical data, multi-factor causation (biological, psychological, sociological), rehabilitation emphasis, offender-centric policies
• Deterrence Theory: three essential dimensions—Severity, Celerity, Certainty; the balance favors Certainty and Celerity over Severity
• Historical cautions: eugenics and state-sponsored sterilization as a dark application of positivist logic; importance of safeguarding civil rights
• Application in juvenile justice as a positivist success story in modern CJS
• Political ideologies influence/critiques of crime policy: Conservatism (order, individual responsibility), Liberalism (rights, opportunities, structural causes), Radicalism (systemic critique)
• Cultural/academic integration: The Wire as a narrative study of crime, policy, and societal factors; Marxist critique of capitalism as a structural driver of social inequality and crime

Quick Reference (Key Names and Dates)

• Cesare Beccaria (1738–1794)
• Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832)
• Cesare Lombroso (1835–1909) – The Born Criminal; Atavism; Criminaloid
• William Sheldon (1898–1977) – Somatotypology: Ectomorph, Endomorph, Mesomorph
• Fox Butterfield (1995) – All Gods Children
• Eugenics Sterilization Legislation in the United States (discussed in 1913 memo)
• Juvenile Justice System example at Mount Meigs Campus (Alabama)
• Kubrin & Stucky – Chapters for Wednesday (reference to upcoming readings)