- How did the Age of Enlightenment influence our theories of a) crime etiology, and b) criminal justice practice? To what extent do these classical theories present a compelling explanation for crime causation and our responses to it?
- Early bio-positivists applied emerging scientific techniques to the study of crime; they attempted to explain crime by examining biological drivers. Critically discuss the findings and theories of at least one early bio positivist.
- Life-course theories maintain that changes throughout a person’s life are key to understanding the root causes of criminality. With reference to the empirical evidence, to what extent do you agree?
- How convincing is strain theory as an explanation of criminality?
- Critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of social learning/subcultural theories of crime.
- There is a disconnect between fear of crime and actual crime rates. To what extent and how exactly do media representations of crime, ‘criminals’, and punishment create this disconnect?
- What are the key premises of labeling theory? Does this theory accurately capture the casual processes of criminality?
- Assess the contributions of feminist criminology to the field, identifying the key concepts, areas of focus, findings, and multiple perspectives within this broad sub-discipline.
- Critical criminologists have challenged traditional understandings of crime and punishment on a number of counts, including:
• definitions of crime
• law enforcement practices
• its primary focus on people belonging to low socioeconomic and minority groups
• its neglect of harms committed by institutions, corporations, and individual actors with comparative power.
With reference to one or more of these dimensions, assess the value of critical criminology to the discipline.
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