Name: Teresa Mwangi

Criminology

4/09/2022

Week One Assignment

Review of Introduction
Chapter 1

● The following questions are found at the end of Chapter 1. The charge is to think and
write critically in regard to each question. I expect that each question will be answered
with a succinct paragraph. Record your response in either a word or google document and
upload it to the assignment link.

Critical Thinking Questions:

Question 1

Identify current policies in effect in the criminal justice system today that would be important to
conduct research on. What theories or assumptions seem to underlie these policies and why they
were put in place?

● Juvenile delinquency using Anomie theory, takes place even though juveniles lack the
ability to satisfy their desires. Their aspirations are inaccessible through legitimate
means, so individuals resort to illegal means to achieve them.

● Another theory is subculture theory by Albert Cohen where he mentions that Juveniles
who do not satisfy cultural pressures require input from a sub - culture. Numerous
different juvenile offenders who really don't meet moral standards comprise the
subculture group. These associations whereupon think and behave in morally undesirable
ways and rebel against sociologically tolerable levels.

● Balance of threat theory assumption is the public's attention was centered on the
possibility of nuclear war among both nuclear powerful countries. The correlation among
these regions of the world and the threat of nuclear war shaped their views on protection.
Terrorism and other manifestations of non-state conflict are now bearing a greater
influence in worldwide policy compared to ever before. Since these risks are distinctive,
our conceptualisations of security distinguish. This influences the development of the
threat theory's equilibrium. Many academics feel that the idea is best suited when
implemented to state-to-state interactions and state-sponsorship of violence-related
activities.

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 Question 3

If you were to construct a theory of crime, what elements or factors do you think would be
important to your theory and why?

● A changing theory. A theory that would help the system through scientific
classifications, tesitible and simple that could change how people think about crime. For
example, The juvenile system, This theory would help by finding a way to reduce the
number of children involving themselves with crimes everyday. How? engaging them
with activities that will make them happy, Involving each of these students with a person
to talk to everyday, because most of the kids that do crimes either don't have friends or
have physiological problems.

Practice Essay Questions:

Question 1

What is the relationship between theory, research, and policy and how has that relationship been
misused in the past?

Policy makers had the best quality of research long ago and sometimes they would not use it.
Even though they had intervention strategies which seem evident and effective, efficient, or
feasible.

Relationships
● Theory and policy are linked.
● Theory guides research and research informs theory.

Question 2

What are the qualities of a good theory?

Generalizable, testable, coherent, testable and know how to explain findings.

Question 4

What are the various ways that we can classify theories and why is it important to do so?

Classifications are crucial in research because they allow us to examine and generalize about
specific, meaningful units of things and, eventually, offer district and sub hypotheses. (Rich,
1922)

Enjoy!

This study source was downloaded by 100000854709597 from CourseHero.com on 11-28-2022 07:07:32 GMT -06:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/171865704/Chapter-1-criminology-pdf/
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