Law and Society Are Intertwined, and How

¶ … law and society are intertwined, and how social conflict can actually aid in creating criminology. I also have a much deeper understanding of the many different theories on criminology and society, and how each of them has merit, at least in one form or another.

Just about all of this information was new to me because sociology is not my strongest interest, and yet the information here was informative and interesting. I did not know there were so many different perspective theories pertaining to the legal and criminology community, and I did not know the ideas of each one. I knew that Marxist philosophy and criminology had many commonalities, but I did not know the extent of them until I read this chapter. I also did not know about "radical" criminology.

It was surprising to me that so many criminologists have studied these social causes of crime, and made such very different conclusions from their studies. Certainly, there is not just one cause or situation that creates the criminal mind, but these different social causes really make the reader stop and think about the vast social influences on crime and criminology.

The information in this chapter affected how I look at crime and criminology, especially the many different social causes of crime. It makes sense that social classes have a great influence on crime and who commits crime, and it makes sense that more people are studying these social causes in an effort to regulate crime. It also makes sense that while Marx and his theories had an effect on crime, that those theories have been modernized in the work of modern radical criminologists. Marx' theories proved not to work in Russia, and so, it seems they would be modified to be more applicable today.

I think I will look at the study of crime quite differently now, because I understand there are many ways to look at crime, and many ways to look at what causes it. I understand that theories are just that, but that criminology is much more fascinating than I originally thought. It is much more than "cops and robbers," judges and lawyers, it is an intricate study of what makes people tick, and how to control society to control crime.

This chapter opened my eyes to the vast number of criminology theories that are out there and how so many of them have merit. You could combine them in myriad ways to come up with a complex theory on what causes crime in society, and how our capitalistic society tends to breed certain types of crime. It opened my eyes to just how much class has to do with most crimes, and how little most people really understand these complex theories and causes.

Chapter Eleven Reflection

This chapter reading seemed more of the "nuts and bolts" of what many law enforcement people are concerned with, and what about most citizens think about when they think about crime and criminology. This information was quite interesting, and again opened new doors into aspects of crime that many people might not even think about. Professional criminals are romanticized in film and fiction, but it was far more interesting to read about the few professional thieves who really do make their living at theft, and far more common persistent thieves, who might not be as good at it, but see no other type of life for themselves.

Some of this information was new to me, and some of it was not. The decision-making process by many burglars was new, and so was the fact that larceny is the most common property offence. The theft on college campuses was not surprising at all, I have too many friends who have experienced it, and know of departments on campus that have also experienced it. I also thought that motor vehicle theft was a big problem, and the reading confirmed that. It was also new to me that employee theft cost $25 billion in 1999, and I'm sure it's higher now. That's a big number, and it seems that most people have no guilt about stealing from their employer.

I did find it surprising that the text said faculty and staff were the two highest percentages of theft, I would have thought it was students because there are so many and they seem to be easy targets for a quick grab of a backpack or laptop. I was also surprised that shoplifting could be a "gateway" crime leading to more serious crimes, and that some burglaries were sexually related.

The information in this chapter affected how I look at crimes, especially crimes against property. I think these are the crimes that most people think of when they think of "law and order," (and of course, murder), and these were the crimes that first came into my mind when I thought about fighting crime. I look at these crimes differently because of the many details this chapter presented, and the many things I now know can have a hand in crime and committing crimes.