A Brief Note On Crime, Justice, And Criminal Behavior

Brandyn Randle May 11th, 2015 I ­Search Paper Literature Pd. 3 What’s Your Criminality? In Criminology, there is no conclusion of what accurately constitutes a crime nor whom exactly it applies to. Criminology is the study of crime, justice, and criminal behavior. The debate has produced much controversy among those in the criminal law field. There are psychologists who study criminals and observe their way of thinking to understand why people commit crime, and on the other hand there are criminologists who seek to understand the nature and extent of a criminal. In examining the evolution and meaning of crime, it comes down to acts that clash with society’s norms and acts that contravene the norms without jeopardizing society. What adds up†¦show more content†¦In relation to criminal behavior, someone’s natural qualities and personal encounters can cause them to do things that do not necessarily fit into society’s norm or interpretation of crime. After that act is performed, one is then considered a criminal, then when considered a criminal the individual is labeled based upon the nature of their crime. In contrast to moralistic definitions of crime, labeling or critical definitions suggest that â€Å"no behavior is intrinsically criminal† (Criminal Justice). What is meant by this is, crimes are behaviors defined by those in position of power. Labeling theorists point out that â€Å"wealthy and powerful people are more likely to escape criminal prosecution rather than the poor and powerless† (Criminal Justice). In addition, when the wealthy are subjected to criminal prosecution they tend to â€Å"escape being labeled as â€Å"criminal† based upon their social status† (Criminal Justice). This obviously results in the reserving of being labeled as a criminal to the poor and minorities. Crimes committed by individuals may vary depending on their social classes. There are certain significant differences between the â€Å"petty crimes committed by blue ­collar workers from lower social classes and the corruption crimes committed by white ­collar workers from higher social classes† (Cerrah). The criminals from lower social classes tend to resort to violence while the offenses committed by higher social classes do not