NCJ Number
56101
Journal
Journal of Social History Volume: 11 Issue: 4 Dated: (1978) Pages: 491-507
Date Published
1978
Length
17 pages
Annotation
A BRIEF CRITIQUE OF TRADITIONAL CRIMINOLOGICAL RESEARCH STRATEGIES IS FOLLOWED BY AN ARGUMENT FAVORING A LINGUISTIC AND STRUCTURAL TREATMENT OF CRIME; MICHEL FOUCAULT'S STUDIES OF FRENCH CRIME ARE CITED AS EXAMPLES.
Abstract
CONTEMPORARY CRIMINOLOGY FOCUSES ON THE SOCIOLOGY OF CRIME, TRENDS REPORTED IN OFFICIAL STATISTICS, AND THE THEORIES OF PENOLOGY. THIS HEAVY EMPHASIS ON CORRECTIONAL THEORY AND POLICE REPORTS MISSES THE COMPLEX NATURE OF CRIME. IT FOCUSES ONLY ON REPORTED CRIMES, AND USUALLY IGNORES BOTH NONREPORTED CRIMES AND ACTIVITIES WHICH ARE PERCEIVED BY THE POPULACE AS CRIME BUT ARE NOT YET PART OF THE CRIMINAL LAW. HISTORICAL RESEARCHERS DO NOT HAVE READY ACCESS TO CONVENIENT STATISTICS. THEREFORE, THEY HAVE DEVELOPED MORE CREATIVE WAYS OF IDENTIFYING CRIME. TWO OF THESE--AN EXAMINATION OF THE LINGUISTICS OF THE STUDY POPULATION AND AN EXAMINATION OF THE SOCIAL STRUCTURE-HAVE GREAT PROMISE FOR THE FIELD OF CRIMINOLOGY AS A WHOLE. THE 'LABELING' THEORY ORIGINALLY BEGAN AS A LINGUISTIC STUDY, BUT BECAME SIDETRACKED BECAUSE ITS EXPONENTS TIED IT NARROWLY TO THE FORMAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. INSTEAD, RESEARCHERS SHOULD USE A BROADER APPROACH TO DETERMINE THE CORE CRITERIA SOCIETY USES TO CLASSIFY ACTS AS DEVIANT. THE RADICAL CRIMINOLOGISTS AND OTHERS ARE BEGINNING TO USE THIS BROAD SOCIAL THEORY APPROACH. FOUCAULT'S STUDIES OF CRIME IN FRANCE DURING THE PERIOD 1780-1850 ARE CONTINUALLY CITED AS EXAMPLES OF THIS APPROACH. FOOTNOES AND REFERENCES ARE APPENDED. (GLR)