Criminology and its Modernism - Coursework Example

CRIMINOLOGY AND ITS MODERNISM Over the past 30 years USA has become a society of mass imprisonment with two million prisoners in jail on daily bases. Not only in USA or Europe but almost all of the developed countries are facing the dilemma of increase in offense rate but decrease affective interventions against crime. Today’s criminology dwells in the world of changing social and technological patterns. The rate of these changes echo’s in the swiftly changing characters of the criminological subject matters; as crime rate, crime policies, policy practices and penalties. The sociological aspects of our lives such as household, organizations of our families, circulation of goods and persons with in a society, have enormous impact on each individual’s act, which are either good or offensive and which can later lead to crime. Criminological subject matters are basically related to the major sociological aspects of our times such as challenges posed by social, economic and cultural transformation. However, most of the contemporary criminologist continues to practice conventional criminology which relies upon one’s common sense about what the key problems in criminology are and what good “scientific method” looks like (Watts,Bessant,Hill,2008). The major issues that face contemporary social thought and public policy requires modernism in intercession of crime, as criminology is an up to date subject. criminologists need to think beyond the confines of criminology and although it is a subject destined to decline it needs to rebuild itself in order to deal with social and legal departments of the world in which it aspects to intervene.(Garland&sparks,2000) Modern Criminology refers to “the frame work of problems, concepts and styles of reasoning that emerged at the end of nineteenth century, produced by the influence of medical psychology, criminal anthropology, statistical inquiry, social reforms and prison discipline- a framework that provided the penal welfare institutions that developed during the next 70 years”.( Garland,1985) It is not up to date but it served for the first two thirds of this century. As modern criminology is based on instrumental reasons, technical visions and communal evolution and societal engineering, this modernism is related to science. In modern criminology, criminal acts or even recurring, illogical acts are scrutinized as the sign of criminality or delinquency. These core temperaments and the reasons which lead to the crime form the basis of criminal knowledge. These are usually found in the maladjusted people and require interventions at the core level, to nip the evil in the bud. Thus, the correctional intervention is the solution provided by the modern criminology. As a result, minors and occasional offenders were neglected by the correctionalist practice and so this theory is favorably inclined towards decriminalizing minor and offending behaviors, which were at its peak in 1960’s. These correctional reforms were based on the development of personality traits and behaviors, deep rooted experience, childhood occurrences and psychological conflicts which are to be treated to reduce the crime rate. However, much of the crime rate is developed due to occasional and opportunistic crime, this type of crime is of no importance for the correctional rehabilitation, as the superficial or tempting opportunities don’t have any underlying pathology and hence don’t require any expert treatment. Initially the theorists were mainly drawn towards medicine and abnormal psychology but with the passage of time they became more concerned with sociology and social psychology. According to the modernism theory, Individuals are drawn towards crime and delinquency because of imbalances between various sociological factors as family orientation, job and education opportunities and these deprivations lead to social and psychological problems. The solution was welfare reforms, individualized treatment, support and supervision of families. In this scheme of welfare minimum interest is present on the crime event, victim behavior, or opportunities created for the criminal. Together with the absence of punishment and with proper motivations rather than to control the crime, modern criminology had its base on the scientific expertise with welfare and rehabilitation interventions. There are mainly two points in favor of correctionalist theory. First the violence against the author of crimes does not negate the original crime but only contributes to the total amount of violence in the society(Micheal,2001) and secondly the prevention effect of fines and penalties against crime has to be proven, as these can control the crime to some extent but cannot prevent from it completely. An alternative conceptualization of the criminal justice modification, which is an adaptation into a restorative community justice, presents a more suitable intervention than the punishment and penalties. This changes the response of community and government against crime.(Carney,1999). According to Garland, the period following World War II was the “Golden Age” of penal welfarism. It included social restructuring together with material comfort provided to the opportunistic offender and which decreases the crime frequency and the state becomes responsible for the offender and as well as their punishment and control. Offenders are not considered as evil rather they are considered unfortunate in welfarism, but the main aim is to protect the future victim rather than rescuing the criminal.(Owen,2007). Garland stated that crime rate also increases due to recognition by the offenders that the criminal justice has limited control over them and this spreads lack of security. When social welfare is rejected by the society and policy makers, they started to dwell in a place of controlled environment where everyone has to live under an electronic gaze of surveillance camera to feel protected and which leads to erosion of privacy. The old “Assist, advice and befriend” welfare policy can change the response of an offender towards future illegal opportunities. However, role of penalties and punishments cannot be discredited against crime control; but they only deter the crime until the criminal finds out the best route of escape from the site of the crime. It means if technology can increase the security, it can also help criminal get away with crime with best possible means. However, this compassionate treatment of the criminal also faced criticism by various magistrates, policy makers and other politicians who considered crime as the straightforward wickedness which ought to be punished and no leniency should be done with the criminal. Policy against the crime needs consideration from the policy makers upon the aspects such as causes of crime and effective treatments and not be concerned about political or public considerations. Decisions regarding the crime are expected to be handled by criminological experts rather than judges. Thus the crime policy presented by modern criminology is inclined more towards social justice rather than criminal justice.(Young,2000) REFRENCES: TR.Young,2000, Postmodern Criminology Researching Non-Linear Dynamics in Crimehttp://uwacadweb.uwyo.edu/red_feather/lectures/051techcrm7.htm GARLAND, D. (1985). Punishment and welfare: a history of penal strategies. Aldershot, Hants, England, Gower. WATTS, R., BESSANT, J., & HIL, R. (2008). International criminology: a critical introduction. London, Routledg  GARLAND, D., & SPARKS, R. (2000). Criminology and social theory. Oxford, Oxford University Press Micheal C,2001,Should Criminals Be Punished?http://bastiat.net/en/cercle/meetings/criminals.htm Top of Form CARNEY, D. E. (1999). To promote the general welfare: a communitarian legal reader. Lanham, Md, Lexington Books. Owen T,2007, Internet journal of criminology; Culture Of Crime Control:Through A Post-Foucauldian Lens http://www.internetjournalofcriminology.com/Owen%20%20Culture%20of%20Crime%20Control.pdf Read More