Understanding Crime: Set Reading notes by Nayyar Hussain

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nayyarhussain1994 — 2023-12-27 13:08:11 UTC

What is the week 1 set reading about and what are the key concepts in the reading?

Can you apply any of the discussions in the reading to current society/ criminal justice system/ your own experiences?

2024-01-22 12:53:08 UTC

She talks about the death penalty as punishment and warning to others not to repeat the same crimes but i think it’s more of an efficiency thing in the modern day. People who are executed have just committed crimes so bad that not many people are upset by their execution and so it’s a good excuse for not having to spend money on imprisoning them. If it was about punishment and deterrence you’d give them life in prison as this for me is a worse punishment.

2024-01-24 13:19:21 UTC

This reading is about punishment by death and how it can be seen as contradictory and too harsh on offenders.

The key concepts would be:

punishment by death is not a deterrent for people who are too determined to commit crime ('The punishment of death has never prevented determined men from injuring society')
To punish homicide somebody is committed the same crime by punishing them by death - it is contradictory.

There was a discussion about 'the rich and the great' creating the laws and this can be seen within our society today, with the rich creating laws to benefit them and not the poor.

2024-01-28 13:09:38 UTC

Beccaria discusses the morality of the punishment of death and the harms that this punishment bring to society. He also expresses his conflicting views on how efficient capital punishment is as a deterrent to criminals. Even though he mainly disagreed with the use of this punishment he excepts it under certain circumstances, like how serious a person could be a threat to society due to the power and connections they have. Beccaria views that the purpose of the punishment of death should aim to deter a criminal from committing crime, since it is the most extreme punishment that can be given. However, he also viewed capital punishment as a 'performance' due to the traction a criminal gains from the public and it could be argued that it isn't a deterrent as others could desire to be under the same spotlight. Additionally, he thought that the severity of a punishment, such as a death sentence, should only be permitted if it is proportionate to the harm that the offender caused to society, rather than their intent. Beccaria emphasises that the punishment of death can be detrimental to society, since it is ironic that laws, which are set out to punish and prevent murder, results in the murder of a criminal.

2024-01-28 14:53:41 UTC

In the article, they argue that the punishment of death (the death penalty) is unjust. What gives men the right to kill another as a form of punishment? They argue that the only way this punishment can be justified is if the individual poses a threat to society and the security of the state. They also question why the punishment for murder is a public act of murder. They argue that slavery is a worse punishment than death. The punishment of death does not deter others from committing crimes, the punishment of slavery is worse as death is the easy way out.

This can be applied to modern day society and the criminal justice system. Some US states still use the death penalty.

2024-01-28 22:44:07 UTC

Within the first page this article states that capital punish is not necessary for society since it has been found that continuous punishment is best.

Within the second page states that capital punishment is not an effective method of deterrence for the rest of society. Within the rest of the page shows that capital punishment doesn’t work the way the government intended and actually just causes people to develop new crimes.

The third page states many things such as that punishments that makes sense to one many not to another based upon their life experience. For example: one who dislikes their situation enough that the capital punishment does not seem worse than there situation .

the main point that is article capital punishment had no real positive impact on society as I did not discourage people from committing crimes and people just discovered new work around from the rules.

The female born criminal

2025-02-09 15:52:34 UTC

Lombroso describes female offenders as primitive and pathological individuals who had failed to develop into moral, feminine women.

He talks about how criminals are exceptions among well evolved, civilised people and the reading goes deeper into female born criminals and their characteristics. It is also about the correspondence between the anthropology and psychology of the female criminal. Most of the reading states how female criminals are led to crime by someone else and how they usually commit crimes with an accomplice, whether it’s their own child or partner; but they barely commit crimes alone. Some even never commit their crimes themselves and have their accomplice do it for them. The reading compares the characteristics of female born criminals to male born. The key concepts of the reading are mainly about the scientific methods that apply to human behaviour, delving into the subject of female born criminals. Lombroso also speaks about studies that have proven criminal tendencies in females and gives examples on theories of crime. For example, the ‘control’ theory of crime, which states that people who are bonded to society through relationships, religion, commitment to work and so on, are less likely to commit crimes than poorly bonded people.