NCJ Number
64340
Date Published
Unknown
Length
71 pages
Annotation
THE SIGNIFICANCE AND THE PLANNED TASKS OF THE INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR COMPARATIVE CRIMINOLOGY ARE DISCUSSED WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF A STATE-OF-THE-ART REVIEW OF CONTEMPORARY CRIMINOLOGY.
Abstract
THE PHILOSOPHICAL AND SOCIOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF THE GLOBAL OR MACROAPPROACH TO CRIMINOLOGY, GIVEN A WORKING DEFINITION AS COMPARATIVE CRIMINOLOGY, ARE DETAILED FOR A SCHOLARLY AUDIENCE. THE CURRENT TRENDS IN EUROPEAN AND AMERICAN CRIMINOLOGICAL THOUGHT ARE EXPLORED, WITH PARTICULAR EMPHASIS ON THE THEORIES OF THE RADICAL 'SOCIAL REACTION' CRIMINOLOGY THEORETICIANS, WHO DENY THE EXISTENCE OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR AS DEVIANCE FROM THE NORM, BECAUSE THEY DO NOT RECOGNIZE THE VALIDITY OF THE NORM. THE TASK OF THE INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR COMPARATIVE CRIMINOLOGY IS DEFINED AS DISCOVERING MUTUALLY SHARED VIEWPOINTS AMONG ALL NATIONS AND FINDING AN AGREEMENT ON UNIVERSALLY VALID DEFINITIONS OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR AND SOCIAL DEFENSE MECHANISM, WHILE ENDEAVORING TO REFORM TRADITIONAL CRIMINOLOGY AND THE EXISTING CRIMINAL CODES AND SYSTEMS OF JUSTICE. THE CENTER'S PROGRAM DESCRIBED HERE CALLS FOR THE CENTER TO MAINTAIN A CONTINUING DIALOGUE AMONG ITS MEMBERS ON CRIMINOLOGICAL ISSUES, IN WHICH NOT ONLY CRIMINOLOGISTS, BUT SCIENTISTS REPRESENTING ALL ALLIED DISCIPLINES (SOCIOLOGY, ANTHROPOLOGY, AND POLITICAL SCIENCE) SHOULD PARTICIPATE. THE PROGRAM ALSO EMPHASIZES THAT THE MEMBERS SHOULD FREQUENTLY EXCHANGE REPORTS ON THEIR ONGOING PROJECTS AND EXPERIENCES, ESPECIALLY ON THE SUBJECT OF INTERVENTION VIS-A-VIS INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS IN THE FIELDS OF CRIME PREVENTION AND OFFENDER TREATMENT. THE CONCEPTS OF 'MACROCRIMINOLOGY' AND 'MICROCRIMINOLOGY' ARE DEFINED. FINALLY, A PLEA FOR THE INCLUSION OF COMPARATIVE CRIMINOLOGY IN ACADEMIC RESEARCH AND LAW SCHOOL CURRICULA IS EXPRESSED. --IN SPANISH. (LGR)