CRIMINOLOGY

A SCIENCE
OR AN ART?
 OVERVIEW
Review on
Criminal Sociology

By
Noemi Y. Domingo, MSCRIM
 CRIMINOLOGY DEFINED
1. In its Broadest Sense

Criminology is the entire body of knowledge regarding

crime and criminals and the efforts of society to repress
and prevent commission of crime. It includes within its
scope
a. The making of laws
b. of breaking of laws and
c. of reacting towards the breaking of laws.

2.Inits Narrowest Sense

Criminology is the scientific study of crimes and
criminals.
This scientific study is extended only on three basis lines and
they are:
1.Sociology of Law- investigating the nature of criminal law
and its administration
2.Etymology of crime- Analysis of the causation of crimes
and behaviour of criminals
3.Penology- study of the control of crimes and the
rehabilitation of offenders
 Criminological Domain
 Criminal Statistics,
 Criminal Demography,
 Criminal Psychology,
 Criminal Physical Anthropology,
 Criminal Psychiatry or Psychoanalysis,
 Criminal Law, and
 Police Science or Criminalistics.
 Triad of Crime (Universal Elements of
Crime)
 Desire (Motive)
 Capability (Instruments)
 Opportunity (chance or occasion)
 Nature of Crime
 Crime Mala in Se – acts which by nature
are wrongful or sinful, e.g. murder, rape,
theft, arson, estafa, etc.

 Crime Mala in Prohibita – are acts made

wrongful and punished only by special
laws, e.g. violations of PD 1866, PD 1612,
BP 22, PD 825, etc.
 Legal Classification of Crimes
 Felonies – are acts punished by the RPC
 Offenses – are acts punished by special
laws
 Infractions of Laws – are acts punished by
city/municipal ordinances
 Two Main Theories of Crime
Causation
 Classical Theory
- That man is essentially a moral creature who
is capable of thinking (rationality) that he fully
knows the consequences of his acts (full
responsibility)
- That people have freewill to choose between
normal or criminal conduct and behaviors
- That crimes are committed for grid or
personal need and satisfactions and crime
can be controlled by fear of criminal
punishment and sanctions
 Two Main Theories of Crime
Causation
 Positivists
- That crime is not the product of freewill
because criminals were driven to commit
crime because of conditions in their lives.
 Criminological Classification of
Crimes
1. As to the result of crimes:
a. Acquisitive crimes – when the offender acquire
something as consequence of his criminal act.
b. Extinctive crime – when the end of a criminal act is
destructive.
2. As to the time or period committed:
a. Seasonal crime – those committed only a certain
period of the year like violation of taw law
b. Situational crime – those committed only when the
given situation conducive to its commission.
 Criminological Classification of
Crimes
3. As to the length of the time committed:
a. Instant crime – those committed in the shortest
possible crime.
b. Espisodial crimes – those committed by the series of
acts in a lengthy space of time.
3. As to the place of the location of the commission:
a. Static crime – those committed in only one place.
b. Continuing crime – those that can be committed
several places
Example;
Forcible crime with rape, kidnapping with ransom
 Criminological Classification of
Crimes
5. As to the use of mental faculties;
a. Rational crime – those committed with intension and
offender is in full possession of sanity.
b. Irrational crime – those committed by the person
who do not know the nature and quality of his act on
account of the disease of mind.
5. As to the types of offenders:
a. White collar crimes – those committed by person of
respectability and of the upper socio-economic class
in the course of their occupational activities.
Ex. Adulteration of food by the manufacturer.
b. Blue Collars crime – those committed by ordinary
professional criminal to maintain their livelihood.
 Criminological Classification of
Crimes
7. As to the standard of living of the criminals:
a. Crimes of the upper world-falsification cases – upper
class criminal
b. Crimes of the under world – bag snatching –
criminals that are under privilege.
Ex. Hold-up and snatching.
 Classification of Criminal
 Acute Criminal – person who violates the
Criminal Law because of Impulse of the
moment, passion or anger or spell of extreme
jealousy.
 Chronic Criminal – person who acted in
accordance with their deliberated thinking, such
as:
 Neurotic Criminal – person with intra psychic conflict
between the social and anti social components of his/her
present personality Ex. A Kleptomaniac
 Normal Criminals – a criminal photo type resembling a
normal individual.
 Classification of Criminal
according to behavioral system
1. Ordinary Criminal – the lowest form of criminals engage
in petty crimes with lack of organization and mental
ability to plan.
2. Organized Criminal – this type of criminal is being flared
most. They exist in the street and in the highest position
in the government.
Example of highly organized crime is Narcopalitics
 Big Three in Criminology
 Cesare Lombroso – Founder of the Classical School with the
theory of the “Born Criminal”
 Enrico Ferri – Founder of the positivist school which focused more on
social and economic influences on the criminal and crime rates. He was
a student of Cesare Lombroso.
 Rafaelle Garafalo – (1851-1934) was an Italian jurist and a student
of Cesare Lombroso. He rejected the doctrine of free will and supported
the position that crime can be understood only if it is studied by scientific
methods. He attempted to formulate a sociological definition of crime
that would designate those acts which can be repressed by punishment.
These constituted "Natural Crime" and were considered offenses
violating the two basic altruistic sentiments common to all people,
namely, probity and pity. Crime is an immoral act that is injurious to
society. This was more of a psychological orientation than Lombroso's
physical-type anthropology.
 PRINCIPAL DIVISIONS OF
CRIMINOLOGY
1. The sociology of law – concerned itself
with the role of social forces in the
shaping of criminal law in society.

2. Criminal etiology – scientific analysis of

the causes of crime. It focuses on the
causes of criminal behavior.
PRINCIPAL DIVISIONS OF
CRIMINOLOGY
3. Penology – concern with the control of
crime, study of punishment. Concerns
also with the isolation custody,
reformation and re integration in the
society of persons labeled as criminals
by the authorities.

4. Crime Statistics – measures and studies

regarding amount and trend of crime.
Analysis of volume of crime in a given
time and use as data to support the
study of crime and criminals
 FACTORS THAT ENHANCE THE
DEVELOPMENT OF CRIMINAL
BEHAVIOR
1. Criminal Demography – study of the relationship
between criminality and population.

2. Criminal Epidiomology – study of the relationship

between environment and criminality.

3. Criminal Ecology – study of criminality in relation to

spatial distribution in a community.
4. Criminal physical anthropology – study of
criminality in relation to physical constitution of men.

5. Criminal psychology – study of human behavior

in relation to criminality.

6. Criminal psychiatry – study of human mind in

relation to criminality.

7. Victimology – study of the role of the victim in the

commission of crime.
FACTORS AFFECTING DEVELOPMENT AND EXISTENCE OF
CRIMES AND CRIMINALITY
1. Geography Factors

a. North and south pole – according to Quetelet “thermic law

of delinquency:
b. Approach to the Equator According to Montesquieu Spirit
of Laws
c. Season of the year crimes against person in in crisis
during summer than in rainy days while crime against
property are on the rise during wet season.
d. Soil formation – crimes against property dominates, the
highland crimes against persons dominate the law land
area.
e. Month of the year
f. Temperature
g. Humidity atmospheric pressure
h. Wind Velocity
2. The Biological Factors

a. Physiognomy – relationship between the

facial features.

b. Phrenology or Craniology – study of external

formation of the skull that indicates the
conformation of the brain and the development of
its various parts in relation to the behavior of the
criminal.

c. Somatotype Theory – has something to do with the

body type or physique of man. Their temperament is
also associated with their body built.
QUICK FACT:
Physiognomy
• greek word physis “nature” and gnomon “
judge/interpreter”
• Also known called as Anthroposcopy; the
art of determining character or personal
characteristics from the form or features
QUICK FACT:
Craniology was the science of character
divination, faculty psychology, theory of brain and
what the 19th century phrenologists called “ The
only True Science of Mind”

Phrenology came from the theories of the

idiosyncratic Viennese physician Franz Joseph
Gall
QUICK FACT:
somatotype
QUICK FACT:
somatotype
QUICK FACT:
somatotype
2. The Biological Factors
d. Heredity – as the causes of crime.
a. Study of Kalikak Family Tree (By Henry Goddard)
- about Martin Kalikak who was a soldier during
the revolutionary war in America had an illicit affair
with a feeble-minded girl. About 489 descendants
traced from their family tree
143 were feeble-minded.
46 were normal
- after the war Kalikak married an ideal person from
a good family and out of their marriage had produced
4967 descendants only 1 became normal 2 became
alcoholic 1 became criminal and 1 convicted of
religious offense.
b. Study of Juke Family Tree (By Richard Dugdale)
-The Juke Family was consisted of 6 girls some of
whom were illegitimate. One of them, Ada Juke was
also known as “Margaret” became the “mother of
all criminals”. Dugdale traced her 1, 200
descendants for 75 years from its origin and found
280 as paupers, 140 criminals, 7 murderers, 50
prostitutes, 440 afflicted with sexual diseases and
30 were persecuted for bastardy.

c. Study of Sir Jonathan Edward Family Tree

- Jonathan Edward was a famous preacher during
the colonial period. When his family was traced,
one of the descendants was found to be criminal
and many became successful and famous, some
became president and magistrate, writers,
preachers and teachers.
d. Study of Kretschmer by classifying types of physique
and the type of crimes they are prone to commit:

1. Pyknic type:
Those who are stout and with round bodies. They tend to
commit deception, fraud and violence.
2. Athletic type
Those who are muscular and slender. Their crimes are pretty
thievery and fraud.
3. Asthenic type:
Those who are skinny and slender.
Their crimes are pretty thievery and fraud.
4. Dysplastic or mixed type:
Those who are less clear evident having any
predominant type. Their offenses are against decency and
morality.
 e. Study of William Sheldon
(Varieties of Delinquency Youth)

1. Endomorph – a person who is round, fat and fleshy with

short tempering limbs and small bones. Sometimes called
Viscerotonic Temperaments.
Viscerotonic Temperaments - who is a person
characterized by the tendency to relax comfortable loves
luxury an essentially extrovert.

2. Ectomorph – a person is thin, small, and bony mass,

relatively great surface area. Cerebrotonic temperaments

3. Mesomorph – a person whose big bone and muscular and

tends to have a large trunk, heavy chest and large wrist and
hands Somatonic Temperaments.
 f. Study of Heredity as the causes of
Crimes

3. Sociological causes of Crimes

a. Lack of parental guidance

b. Broken homes and Family
c. Injuring Status of Neighborhood
d. Bad association with criminal groups
e. Lack of recreational facilities for proper use
of leisure time
f. Lack of employment poverty
3.1. Sociological Theory - the most widely
accepted theory of criminal behavior is
sociological approach.

• Differential Association Theory by Edwin H.

Sutherland that criminal behavior is learned.
• Law of Imitations by Gabriel Tarde explained that
crime is a result of imitation, simulations and
idolatry
• Theory of Anomie by Emile Durkheim explain that
crime is a normal part of society (as in birth and
death). He stressed that crime is produced when
there is breakdown in social values and order.
 Characteristics of a normal
home
1. Physically complete where both natural parent are present
2. There is social and religious similarity in the group
3. It must be economically stable to maintain normal health
4. Both parents must have the same cultural backgrounds
5. There must be physical and psychological normality
6. There must be functional adequacy
Basic needs of Children
1. Security
2. Recognition
3. Status
4. Companionship
 Kinds of disorganized or broken
homes
a. Home with criminal pattern
b. Home in which there are unsatisfactory relations
because of domination, favoritism, non – soliciture,
neglect, jealousy, step parent and interfering relatives.
c. Home socially or normally maladjusted because of
difference of race, religion or an immoral situation.
d. Home in which one parent has physical or mental
disability.
e. Home under economic pressures unemployment.
 Theories on Sociological
causes of Crimes
1. Differential Identification Theory by Daniel Glasser
2. Imitation – Suggestion Theory by Gabriel Tarde
3. Differential Social Organization Theory
4. Conflict of Culture Theory by Thorsten Sellin
5. Containment Theory by Reckless
 Criminogenic factors causes of
crimes
a. Failure of the School in character development of the
children and the youth

1. Primary functions of the school

2. Relationship between school and delinquency or
crimes

b. The teaching of religion may sometimes be misdirected

from its purpose and objective
c. The mass communication media develop an artificial
environment of crimes and delinquency and influence the
public to violate the law
d. Political causes may likewise bring out on artificial set of
crime
 SIGMUD FREUD (The Ego and The ld., 1927)

 “Id” - Instinct of social drives.

 “Ego” – this forms part of man’s physical organization
between his sensory stimuli on one hand and his motor
activity on the other. the ego operates on the basis of
expediency.
 “Super-ego” conscience of man. The super-ego tries to
control the ego and maybe represented by the voice of
God.
 General Index of Criminality
This criminosynthesis explains the reason why a person
may commit a crime or inhibit himself from doing so
under the following conditions:
 Need Frustration – the person before committing the

crime is likely to feel unhappy, unsatisfied, resentful or

angry about something in particular or about life in
general.
 Internal Inhibition – it refers to all types of internal forces

which may prevent a person from committing a crime.

 External Inhibition – refers to all types of external forces

which may prevent an individual from committing crime.

 General Index of Criminality
This criminosynthesis explains the reason why a person
may commit a crime or inhibit himself from doing so
under the following conditions:
 Contact with Reality – This refers to the extent to which

person can learn from his past experiences, especially

his past mistakes, as well as to the extent to which he
can evaluate accurately the present situation and
foresee the consequence of his parent action in relation
to his future
 Situational Crime potential – this refers to the cultural

opportunity to commit the crime, that is to the easiest or

possibilities to commit a crime offered by a given place,
situation person or environment.
 General Index of Criminality
This criminosynthesis explains the reason why a person
may commit a crime or inhibit himself from doing so
under the following conditions:
 Potential Satisfaction – This refers to the balance of gain

and loss that a person may experience if he commits a

given crime.
 Mental Disturbance as Causes of Crimes
The following are cases of mental disturbances which
are sometimes the causes of criminality and the
development of criminal behavior
 Mental Deficiency – a condition of arrested or
incomplete development of the mind existing before the
age of 18, disease or injury
 Schizophrenia – this is sometimes called dementia
praecox which is a form of psychosis characterized by
thinking disturbance and regression to a more relatively
unimpaired and intellectual functions are well preserved.
 Compulsive Neurosis – this is uncontrollable or
irresistible impulse to do something.
 Mental Disturbance as Causes of Crimes
The following are cases of mental disturbances which
are sometimes the causes of criminality and the
development of criminal behavior
 Epilepsy – this is a condition characterized by
convulsive seizures and a tendency to mental
deterioration.
 Alcoholism – this is a form vice causing mental
disturbance. It is a condition wherein a person is under
the influence of intoxicating liquor or alcohol.
 Drug Addiction – this is another form of vice which
causes strong mental disturbance. It is the state of
periodic or chronic intoxication produced by the repeated
consumption of natural or synthetic drugs
Thank You!!!!
End of Lecture
God Bless!!!