Introduction to Perspectives in Criminology, Week 1, PIC, 2025(1) (4)

Introduction to Perspectives in Criminology

• Presentation on the different perspectives in criminology.

Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners

• Western Sydney University acknowledges the Darug, Tharawal, Gandangarra, and Wiradjuri peoples.

• Recognition of their traditional lands and appreciation for their support.

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Contemporary Criminology

• Crime is understood through theoretical perspectives, methods, and institutional responses.

• Sources of criminological knowledge include universities, research councils, media, governmental departments, etc.

• Studying criminology involves exploring power relations and struggles among these institutions (Loader & Sparks, 2012).

Key Areas in Contemporary Criminology

1. Politicization of Crime

   • Crime becomes a topic of political contention.

   • Policy influenced by media, public opinion, and victim representation.

   • Creates a hyperactive and unstable policy environment.

2. Re-centering the Penal State

   • Rising demands for order highlight the importance of the criminal justice system.

   • Prisons become central to social regulation.

   • Increased visibility and powers for policing with a focus on public protection.

3. A ‘Silent Revolution’ in Crime Control

   • Emergence of adaptive strategies for managing crime.

   • Focus on situational crime prevention and multi-agency partnerships.

   • Shift towards evidence-based crime control practices.

4. Pluralization of Policing and Security

   • Multiple actors beyond the state involved in crime control.

   • Responsibility spreads downward (to civilians), outward (to private sectors), and upward (to international bodies).

5. Global Flows of Crime and Crime Policies

   • Globalization accelerates cross-border organized crime.

   • Key players include transnational policy elites and global thinkers.

   • Investigation into varying crime policies in different contexts (Loader & Sparks, 2012).

Situating Contemporary Criminology

• Loader & Sparks (2012) identify two trends influencing contemporary criminology:

  1. Criminological pluralism

  2. Relationship between theoretical and practical knowledge.

Criminological Pluralism

1. Discovery Moment

   • Focus on producing reliable knowledge about crime.

2. Institutional-Critical Moment

   • Examines the relationship between politicized crime and evidence-based knowledge.

3. Normative Moment

   • Involves reflection on criminalization and justice meanings

The Relationship Between Theoretical and Practical Knowledge

1. Application of criminological knowledge to public crime and justice issues.

2. Criminologists engage with public life while maintaining academic integrity.

3. Promotion of debate and open dialogue in criminology.

4. Understanding the role of institutional knowledge in criminology.

The Modern Crime Control Apparatus

• Change in size and emphasis within criminal justice systems.

1. Changes in Size and Emphasis Across the Sector

• Expansion in caseloads and expenditures in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

• Increase in global prison populations.

2. Policing

• Shift from reactive to proactive policing with focus on community and disorder-related issues.

• Implementation of new technologies and management techniques in policing.

3. The Foregrounding of the Victim

• Recognition of victim rights and inclusion in the criminal justice process.

• Introduction of victim opinions in sentencing.

4. The Correctionalist Apparatus

• Some stability in the correctional system with significant changes in sentencing laws and practices.

• Continued incorporation of expert evaluations in correctional decisions (Garland, 2001).

The ‘New Culture of Crime Control’

• Emergent themes in the criminal justice system.

1. Re-coded Penal Welfarism

• Shift from welfare to penal focus, emphasizing punitive measures over rehabilitative ones.

• Seen in changing sentencing practices and institutional approaches for youth (Garland, 2001).

2. A Criminology of Control

• Diversified thought in criminological practices focusing on everyday life and the perspective of the 'other'.

• Two distinct views:

  • Amoral and technological view of social systems.

  • Moral panic regarding dangerous criminals and responses rooted in political ideologies.

3. An Economic Style of Reasoning

• Transition from social causes to economic reasoning in crime policy.

• Use of economic lexicon such as 'cost-benefit' and 'risk factors' in criminal justice discussions (Garland, 2001).

References

• Loader, I., & Sparks, R. (2012). Situating criminology: On the production and consumption of knowledge. In R. Morgan, M. Maguire, & R. Reiner (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Criminology (pp. 3-38). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

• Garland, D. (2001). The culture of control: Crime and social order in contemporary society. Oxford: Oxford University Press.