Mr.

CHIU Tin Yan Titus

GE2221 VIOLENCE & CRIME Lecturer
Department of Social and
LECTURE 1 (SEPTEMBER 1, 2021) Behavioural Sciences
City University of Hong Kong
AGENDA
1. Self-Introduction
2. House Rules
3. Expectation Management
4. Course Outline & Assignments
5. What Is Criminology, Crime & Violence
6. Reflections
HOUSE RULES
1. Punctually
2. Proactive learning attitude
3. Raise questions in chat box
4. Respect others
EXPECTATION MANAGEMENT
1. Multi-disciplinary
- Psychological, sociological & criminological perspectives
2. Understand various forms of violence (school, youth, terrorism,
etc.) & crime
3. Discovery journey
- Critical thinking on violent behaviours & impact on society
4. Discover deep-seated issues
- Racial/ religious conflict, political structures, social & economic inequalities
EXPECTATION MANAGEMENT (CONT)
Limitations
1. How to cover the key topics in few lectures, and
2. Have fun
COURSE OUTLINE & ASSIGNMENTS
INTRODUCTION OF VIOLENCE AND CRIME
oWhat is CRIMINOLOGY
oWhat is CRIME
oWhat is VIOLENCE
WHAT IS CRIMINOLOGY
Criminology
oSystematic study of the nature, extent,
cause and control of law-breaking
behaviours.
oAiming at establish knowledge about
crime and its control
oBasis for understanding, explanation,
prediction, prevention and criminal
justice policy
WHAT IS CRIMINOLOGY (CONT)
Core Components
1. Definition and nature of crime
2. Different types of criminal activity
- From individual spontaneous offending to collective organized criminal
enterprises
3. Profiles of typical offenders and victims
- Organizational and corporate law violators
4. Statistical analysis of the extent, incidence, patterning and cost of crimes
- e.g. “dark figure” of hidden or unreported crime, surveys of victims and self-
report studies of offenders
5. Analysis of crime causation
WHAT IS CRIME
oOld concept of sins?
oSomeone was harmed?
oDeviant behavior?
oLegal ordinance
WHAT IS CRIME (CONT)
oLegal Definition
oConsensus Approach
oConflict Approach
WHAT IS CRIME (CONT)
Legal Definition
1. The law breaking behavior in violation of criminal
law
2. Acts prohibited, prosecuted, and punished by criminal
law
-> Interpreted by legislators
Criticisms
1. Ignores the cultural and historical context of law
2. Interest (e.g. donations) (Simon & Eitzen, 1982)
WHAT IS CRIME (CONT)
Consensus Approaches
oA whole social agreement on what should be considered
as a crime (e.g. homicide and rape)
oSocial morality
- Common religious beliefs, traditions, and similar
worldviews
oSocial Context
Criticisms
1. Bias (e.g. Gender bias in rape)
2. Moral Entrepreneurship (Becke, 1973)
WHAT IS CRIME (CONT)
Conflict Approaches
oSociety is composed of different interest groups
- The powerful and powerless groups are in
competition with one another over scarce
resources
oCrime is determined by the group in power to
further its needs and consolidate its power
Criticisms
1. Rise of human and animal rights
WHAT IS CRIME (CONT)
oA concept with elusive, varied, and diverse meanings.
oContextual
- Criminal harm takes different forms depending on the historical period,
specific context, social setting, location, or situation in which it occurs
- "There are no purely objective definitions, all definitions are value laden and
biased to some degree” ( Barak, 1998)
- “An appropriate definition of crime ...remains one of the most critical
unresolved issues in criminal justice today” (Bohm &Haley, 1999. P. 24)
CRIME AND DEVIANCE
WHAT IS CRIME (CONT)
Types of Crime
oEnvironmental crimes against the natural or social environment such as pollution
oCultural crimes against knowledge or art such as plagiarism, hate propaganda,
ideological censorship, attack on cultural heritages
oBiological crimes against health or life such as assault, torture, sale of harmful
products, Murder
oEconomic crimes against property such as small scale theft, Vandalism,
Embezzlement
oPolitical crimes against political enemies e.g. suppression of dissent, terrorism
, electoral fraud, etc.
WHAT IS VIOLENCE
o Are people born violent?
o Do people learn to be violent?
o Are violent people mentally ill?
o Are violent people different from
other people, apart from their
aggressive behavior?
o What are the social causes of
Violence?
WHAT IS VIOLENCE (CONT)
o Violence is aggressive behavior with
the intent to cause harm (physical or
psychological)
o The intent and motivation are central
- Did he kill someone on purpose?
o Hostile aggression: aggression that is
performed for the purpose of harming
the victim
- e.g. Domestic violence
WHAT IS VIOLENCE
Impulsive or stimulus-seeking
violence:
o Impulsive stimulus-seekers
- Individuals who constantly crave
dangerous and risky situations because of
chronic nervous system under arousal
o Impulsive people
- Individuals with quick, hot tempers
- Become violent under the influence of
drugs and alcohol
REFLECTIONS
1. What constitutes a violent crime?
2. What should we, as a society, do with violent offenders?
3. Can punishment work?
4. How should victims best cope with the trauma?
5. How do we prevent children from growing up to become violent?
6. Are there any protective and risk factors of crime and violence?