Criminology Final Reflection Project

Crime is in the eye of the beholder to some extent. So some people based on their perspective in life have different views on crime. They are like different norms, in different cities, towns, schools, friend groups etc. And if someone goes away from that norm, they call that deviant.

To what extent is crime in the eye of the beholder?

By going through with studies about crime, and looking into criminals' minds, to see why they might do it, and going back in history to learn how the understanding of crime changes in cultures.

How can we learn about the root causes of crime?

It is different because people, leaders, and ethics can change, but studying how leaders in the past dealt with crime shows us how crime was seen and how people weighed their pros and cons of committing the crime.

How has criminal behavior been explained in the past compared with how we understand it today?

We know that crime might somehow be related to neurological, chemical, genetics and evolution. Brain damage can affect rational thinking like chemicals can also do to your mind. Genetics may have something to do with crime and evolution, which had influences on a person.

What do we know about the relationship between crime and the human brain and body?

Many times people meet or strive to meet the expectations of other individuals, and sometimes those expectations can get very serious.

To what extent do we live down to the expectations of others?

Absolutely, it is part of wanting to fit in with others and have something to empathize with, by having common experiences, so if you hang out with people who commit crime you are probably more likely to also commit a crime.

Does being around people who commit crime make you more likely to commit a crime?

The more stressors that an individuals have in their lives the more there is potential for them to lose it and commit a crime, because it is like peer pressure, and things like family, school, sports are all huge common stressors in people's lives and because of that they fall into committing crimes to maybe somehow make them feel better.

What is the relationship between stressors and crime?

Because people grow up in different environments and conflict is part of the human experience, but some resort to violence against others for a variety of psychological and biological reasons.

Why do people commit violent acts?

No it cannot. However, people can be influenced or encouraged to handle conflict in different or better ways. Also, difficult home environments and growing up can influence children towards violence.

Can violence be prevented?

Political - Typically use their power in ways that are not allowed to gain benefit to themselves, such as politicians who get rich in office, and gain favors for caving to special interests.

Economic - This would be like a business that lies or falsified information to cheat or deceive customers or other businesses to make money illegally.

Organized crime - They use all sorts of methods, hence the name organized crime. Some of them have good organizational structures similar to legitimate businesses, but typically they are serving products, or doing things that are highly illegal like selling drugs, or scamming people, or computer hacking.

What methods are used by political, economic, and organized criminals?

Criminals can be entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurs can be criminals, but there is not a natural relationship between the two. Entrepreneurs take on a lot of risk to bring innovative ideas to market to make money and serve customers. For a short-term gain, an entrepreneur can use crime to make money, but in the long-run, obeying the law and serving customers is the long game, and the best way to help others by providing value and innovation to customers.

What is the relationship between entrepreneurship and crime?

Cyber crimes are crimes that make use with the internet, they go through with the internet. Examples would be: Scamming, vandalizing, spying, cyber warfare, etc.

What are cybercrimes?

Cyber crimes are threats especially to elderly people or up to the government. It is becoming more and more of a threat because criminals are learning and figuring out how to hide "in the internet" and finding new ways to commit these crimes without getting caught.

How much of a threat are cybercrimes in our society today?

Like most criminals they do it for their own profit, or they are working for governments and are using their skills to attack other countries.

What do we know about why people commit cybercrimes?

Yes and no. It depends on who is classifying the criminal act. If someone committed a cyber crime and gained money from it they might think it is rational, or doing it to help or protect their country from other countries.

Can cybercrimes be classified as rational or irrational?

Many things. They can be mentally, physically, and emotionally hurt. They have PTSD from their trauma, they have long lasting consequences from something they didn't do. They have tangible and intangible costs of someone else's act.

What happens to victims of crimes?

Yes. Old people, children, and people who are mentally challenged, this is because they are more susceptible to all crimes because they maybe don´t understand things as well, they are more weak.

Are some people more likely to be victims of crime?

They have many rights including: Victims of Crime Act, Stand your ground, Victim impact statement, Crisis intervention, Victim compensation, Victim restitution and many more.

What rights to victims have?

Teaching and educating people about crime, training people with self defense, working on more community policing, rehabilitation, and new ways to punish criminals.

What strategies help prevent and deter crime?

People are finding new better ways to rehabilitate people so it is better for the person, community and society. With things like, restorative justice.

How is rehabilitation evolving?

What is Criminology?

Unit 1

What goes on in the mind of a criminal?

Unit 2