1.6 History of Criminology
There are well over 50 prominent accepted theories in criminology. We are going to cover a lot of them in this book and go through the history of criminology as well. You will get a better idea of how criminologists have been trying to study and understand crime and criminal behavior from as far back as 1764 all the way up to now.
This timeline (figure 1.15) shows most of the theories we are going to cover. As you can see, criminology has grown as a field and a science significantly in the last 150 years. Interestingly, although all these theories and research exist, we have not yet stopped crime.
Figure 1.15 Criminology Theory Timeline. Image Description [table in PDF].
Consider some reasons this may be the case. If we know the problem, why might we not be working on the solutions? Give some thought to what forces may be standing in the way of addressing the causes of crime identified by criminologists, particularly in contemporary history (over the last 150 years). In this amount of time, one could argue we could have fixed this problem if we really wanted to. What do you think?
As you now know, in criminology we look at crime from different perspectives to try to understand it. Doing so leads to a lot of different possible explanations or theories. For example, we look at individuals and their circumstances in society and create micro-level theories of why an individual may commit a crime. Also, we look at groups (countries, societies, ages, genders, neighborhoods) and create macro-level theories of why a certain group may commit more crime than another. For example, why do some cities have different levels of violent crime than others? Why has Portland had an 83% increase in homicides from 2019 to 2020 when most other cities had only a 30% increase (Cline, 2021)? Furthermore, why was there an increase in murder rates during this time period in the United States as a whole?
Theories also look at who is most likely to commit crime (biological theories), or what happened to them that made them commit a crime (psychological theories), and sometimes they look at outside forces that led to someone committing crime (sociological theories). Through these theories, we can identify risks (criminogenic factors) that make it more likely a crime will happen. Through criminology, we can also get a better understanding of the goals of different laws, the courts, and law enforcement. As you can see, the field of criminology has a big responsibility and a lot of work to do.
1.6.1 Activity: Human Statistic by Sterling Cunio
Born to a woman shackled to a hospital bed,
I am the child of the female prisoner seemingly fated to captivity.
I am that baby raised by maternal grandma because every other adult was too dysfunctional for a child, the nephew of alcoholic criminally active uncles, the bastard of an unknown father.
I am the marvelous mulatto who, as a mixed kid, never fit in anywhere I went.
The gifted student who excelled at learning in stifled classrooms.
I am that 12-year-old boy in insufferable pain,
a sudden orphan after the angels called Mama to Heaven where she’s supposed to be as some hope dope pusher preacher man told me.
The traumatized child laying quietly on strange couches
listening to men beat women in chaotic homes.
I am that runaway dropout who found belonging among unloved kids roaming the streets looking for excitement in risky arousals.
The foster child with brown-blonde mixed afro and freckles
picked on by everybody until I started punching.
Then I got whipped by adults for being violent.
Sent to juvenile detention for delinquency,
gave probation instead of therapy.
The short-sighted peer pressured wannabe struggling for identity
quickly learning the maladaptivity of criminality and the productivity of spilling.
The boy feeling like a macho man because of a real gun in hand,
instant mechanicalized power.
No more squirt pump water gun cap and pop for Xbox.
The real deal steel boom pop firepower like every TV hero got.
I was that teenage car thief GTA pedal to the metal fast and furious car crash into ambulance rides and best friends’ funerals.
The teenage boy shooting strangers as self-validation.
Life waster with court appointed attorney.
Juvenile lifer destined to die as it began – in state custody.
One of close to 3,000 men meant to die in prison for their acts as kids
in the only country that allows adolescent death by incarceration.
The cell block scholar and expert survivor and overcomer, the poor man wise in self, complete truth speaker rarely believed, chain romantic saved by love, converted peace activist, rebel against restraint who saw Gamora, subversive to institutionalized othering.
I am one of the 56% who once freed would never return to prison if ever given the chance.
I am indeed a statistic – albeit human.
Sterling Cunio was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole at the age of 16. After more than 27 years inside Oregon State Penitentiary, Governor Kate Brown granted him clemency for his remarkable transformation. He was released on November 1, 2021. Sterling is now working to help others who have experienced trauma and caused harm to experience their own healing and transformation. You can hear Sterling perform this poem at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUMPfRTH9pc and read his full story at https://sterling-cunio.squarespace.com/blog/2016/7/24/journey-to-redemption
Discussion Questions:
- How might a criminologist look at Sterling’s story to understand why he committed the crimes he did?
- How is the criminological perspective different from a criminal justice perspective in Sterling’s case?
1.6.2 Licenses and Attributions for History of Criminology
“History of Criminology” by Taryn VanderPyl is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Figure 1.15 Criminology Theory Timeline by Taryn VanderPyl is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Transcript of “Human Statistic” by Sterling Cunio. Copyright 2014 by Sterling Cunio. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted with permission.