Criminology
Contemporary critical criminology and its power on crime and terrorism
Contemporary critical criminology main goal is to assess how criminal law is used as an instrument of social control. O’Conner (2014) states that it views crime as a product of social conflict and economic inequality. Contemporary critical criminology defines power as the economic and social structures that control all human beings. In the past decade or so, critical criminology has been more evident than ever before as many crimes and political notions have risen in the society. Among these crimes is the every growing and very dangerous crime of terrorism. O’Conner (2014) argues that terrorists are individuals who view themselves as geopolitical actors in today’s society. They have embraced violence and terror to correct the problems that they have identified in the society. However, these terrorists simply are killers thrilled by violence who have been affected by social conflict as it continues to influence the view of crime worldwide.
Rational choice theory
Wright (2014) states that dissenters since the 18th century have argued that the actions of criminal offenders could be explained by neurobiological mechanisms and neuropsychological actions. Rational choice theory focusses on the role of behavioral psychology in self-interest activities by individuals. Under this theory, sociologists argue that the decision making of individuals may be influenced by the benefits and cost of a particular action. However, an individual’s actions may be more irrational that they may assume due to various factors such as sexual arousal, relativity, and wrong information in the decision making process (Wright 2014). As a result, this theory has been integrated in criminology over the years. Its perspective has been applied to a wide range of crime including robbery, vandalism, arson, and white-collar crimes among others.
Administrative criminology
Unlike in rational choice theory where researchers are concerned in why offenders committed a particular crime, Kautt and Pease (2013) state that the administrative criminology focuses on what can be done to reduce crime in the society. Right realism has a huge impact on administrative criminology as its greatest emphasis is on using punishment to prevent people from committing crimes (Kautt and Pease 2013). Administrative criminologist aim at increasing the cost and risks of committing crimes, which will, therefore, outweigh the benefits. Kautt and Pease (2013) argue that this will reduce the rates of criminal actions: therefore, acting as effective preventative and control tool for the government.
Effectiveness of harsh punishment in deterring terrorism
Classical criminology and its relation to domestic terrorism
Classical criminology is a legal system that was established in the 18th century that aimed to deter criminal activities using the social contract approach. O’Conner (2014) argues that according to the social contract theory, human beings are very self-interested and therefore very rational. As a result, if they understood that certain actions attracted a punishment, these would contradict with their self-interest. This created a social contract in societies, which dictated human behavior (O’Conner 2014). However, terrorist behave differently from other criminals. Classical criminologists have found that terrorists view political and religious interests with more importance as compared to self-interest. They have learned that techniques that work against common criminals may not work against domestic terrorist because they are able to justify their own actions to their own satisfaction using rules that do not apply in the traditional classical criminology.
References
O’Conner, T. (2014). Theories of terrorism: MegaLinks in Criminal Justice. Retrieved from: http://www.drtomoconnor.com/3400/3400lect01a.htm
Wright, J. P. (2014). Rational choice theories: Oxford Bibliographies. Retrieved from: http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo- 9780195396607/obo- 9780195396607-0007.xml
Dugan, L. (2013, May 2). To deter terrorism, think beyond punishment: The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved from: http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2013-05- 02/news/bs-ed-deterring-terrorists-20130502_1_terrorists-punishment- martha-crenshaw
Kautt, P., & Pease, K. (2013). The Division of Labour in Crime Prevention: Crime Science, Criminology and Criminal Justice. Howard Journal Of Criminal Justice, 52(1), 39-54.
