Criminology and Penal Policy: The Vital Role of Empirical Research (From Ideology, Crime and Criminal Justice, P 153-172, 2002, Anthony Bottoms, Michael Tonry, eds., -- See NCJ-197140)

• NCJ Number: 197146
• Author(s): Roger Hood
• Date Published: 2002
• Length: 20 pages
• Sale Source: Willan Publishing
• Publication Format: Book (Hardbound)
• Publication Type: Legislation/Policy Analysis
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article discusses the role of scientific study in crime and penal policy.

Abstract

Leon Radzinowicz, a noted author in criminology, believed that crime must be studied scientifically. He believed that criminologists should recognize their limitations in explaining such a complex socio-legal and behavioral category as crime. There was a gap between the theories and evidence on how best to prevent or limit crime and the directions that public policy had taken to control crime. The problem for criminology is in gaining the acceptance in the public and political sphere of the validity and usefulness of the scientific study of crime. There has been a reluctance to engage empirically with some of the difficult subjects linked to punitive policies. The same is true of risk assessment and accuracy of predicting the likelihood of serious harm, where more progress has been made in the field of mental health than in criminal offenders. Too often a methodology is regarded as sacrosanct rather than one of several possible approaches. A number of criminologists regard crime as an entity that cannot be counted in any of its definitions or forms. To establish their credibility, criminologists have to establish their scholarly and scientific credentials. Funding agencies have an obligation to ensure that adequate data can be collected and not to constrain the area of study, the resources, and timing. This lack of independence is another example of criminology’s relatively low prestige. Professional integrity is undermined when so many researchers are employed on short-term contracts and move swiftly from job to job. In most sciences there would be a commitment to a long-term program of work on a study. The state, which provides major funding of research, should create a new institutional structure. Government funding should be handled through an independent Criminological Research Council. A mini research council is essential if criminological research is to make a constructive contribution to the understanding of crime and crime control. 1 note, 51 references