Felson's 10 Fallacies Of Crime
* What is criminology?
A social science studying crime and related phenomenon such as law making, criminal behavior, victimization and punishment
Discipline of criminology is a recent development
Most ideas and concepts we now have about crime and criminals emerged over last 2 or 3 centuries
Modern criminology is multi-disciplinary (inter-disciplinary)
Influenced by sociology, psychology, and biology
The fascination with crime
Crime is popular topic for newspapers, TV shows , books and movies
There is little relationship between crime news and actual amount of crimes
Media focus primarily on violent crimes, even though such crimes forms only smart part of all criminal activity
Appears as though police solve more crimes and arrest …show more content…
the dramatic Fallacy to keep ratings high, media seek strange/violent incidents to report/create dramas around murder makes up less than 1% of all crime, yet from watching TV or reading the papers, it seems like a commonplace events seems that most murders are well-planned, grisly affairs, or they happen solely by random chance in fact, most murders start as arguments that escalate into violence most crimes are relatively minor property crimes
2. the cops and courts fallacy police work made to look more dangerous and challenging than it actually is increased policing found to be of limited value most crimes are not reported, most of crimes that are reported are not solved by police very few elaborate court trials (charges dropped, plea bargaining, guilty plea)
3. the “not-me” fallacy most people think they could never (or would never) commit a crime however, many people have shoplifted, smoked marijuana, driven when they’re impaired, or gone joy-riding in a car most people violate at least some laws sometimes, even though they may not get caught or end up with a criminal record
4. the innocent youth fallacy tendency to view younger people as being “pure” or …show more content…
the organized crime fallacy tendency to view crime as more organized and conspiratorial than it really is most criminals act quickly, avoid contact with co-offenders, and don’t do a lot of work or planning dealing with “organized” criminals makes what law enforcement officials are doing seem more important and sophisticated than its really is
7. the juvenile gang fallacy juvenile gangs nowhere near as sinister as the media and law officials make them out to be loosely structured lots of so-called “members” just hanging out on the periphery crime that such “gangs” engage in is “petty” and disorganized
8. the welfare state fallacy wrong to blame crime on unemployment and poverty no evidence to show that government hand-outs or government programs do anything to decease crime when the economy improves, or when government hand-outs increase, statistics show that crime goes up too
9. the agenda fallacy many individuals and groups blame crime on declining morality; say that a healthy does of moral and religious values is what criminals and society really
A social science studying crime and related phenomenon such as law making, criminal behavior, victimization and punishment
Discipline of criminology is a recent development
Most ideas and concepts we now have about crime and criminals emerged over last 2 or 3 centuries
Modern criminology is multi-disciplinary (inter-disciplinary)
Influenced by sociology, psychology, and biology
The fascination with crime
Crime is popular topic for newspapers, TV shows , books and movies
There is little relationship between crime news and actual amount of crimes
Media focus primarily on violent crimes, even though such crimes forms only smart part of all criminal activity
Appears as though police solve more crimes and arrest …show more content…
the dramatic Fallacy to keep ratings high, media seek strange/violent incidents to report/create dramas around murder makes up less than 1% of all crime, yet from watching TV or reading the papers, it seems like a commonplace events seems that most murders are well-planned, grisly affairs, or they happen solely by random chance in fact, most murders start as arguments that escalate into violence most crimes are relatively minor property crimes
2. the cops and courts fallacy police work made to look more dangerous and challenging than it actually is increased policing found to be of limited value most crimes are not reported, most of crimes that are reported are not solved by police very few elaborate court trials (charges dropped, plea bargaining, guilty plea)
3. the “not-me” fallacy most people think they could never (or would never) commit a crime however, many people have shoplifted, smoked marijuana, driven when they’re impaired, or gone joy-riding in a car most people violate at least some laws sometimes, even though they may not get caught or end up with a criminal record
4. the innocent youth fallacy tendency to view younger people as being “pure” or …show more content…
the organized crime fallacy tendency to view crime as more organized and conspiratorial than it really is most criminals act quickly, avoid contact with co-offenders, and don’t do a lot of work or planning dealing with “organized” criminals makes what law enforcement officials are doing seem more important and sophisticated than its really is
7. the juvenile gang fallacy juvenile gangs nowhere near as sinister as the media and law officials make them out to be loosely structured lots of so-called “members” just hanging out on the periphery crime that such “gangs” engage in is “petty” and disorganized
8. the welfare state fallacy wrong to blame crime on unemployment and poverty no evidence to show that government hand-outs or government programs do anything to decease crime when the economy improves, or when government hand-outs increase, statistics show that crime goes up too
9. the agenda fallacy many individuals and groups blame crime on declining morality; say that a healthy does of moral and religious values is what criminals and society really