Criminal minds? A crash course in explaining crime

Do offenders choose to commit crime? Or are they driven to it by factors beyond their control? Are some people more likely to be labelled as criminal than others, regardless of what they've actually done? This short course looks at theories of crime and how these different explanations influence government policy on policing and crime - and how that affects us in our daily lives.

Aims of the course

This course aims to:
1. Explore the range of different explanations for crime and criminality. 
2. Challenge traditional ideas of what crime is.
3. Look at how these different explanations can (and should) influence policy on crime and policing.

Content

To what extent is crime ever a rational act? The criminal justice system is set up around assumptions that committing crime is a rational decision made by offenders; and that they can therefore be deterred from committing more crime – but is this assumption true? This short course explores different explanations of crime and what they mean. We begin by looking at classical explanations – offenders as rational actors – as well as where those ideas come from, and what they mean for crime prevention and for aspects of the criminal justice system like prisons. Next we turn to biological and psychological explanations, to look at how robust these theories are, and whether they can really explain crime. After that we look at explanations for crime that have their roots in an analysis of broader society; for example, whether neighbourhood disorganisation can influence crime rates, or whether economic disparities can drive criminal behaviour. This leads on to an examination of more critical perspectives: who chooses who is labelled as a criminal? And what counts as a crime? Here we ask whether we are asking the right questions, or if crime and criminality depends on your perspective – and your power. Finally we turn to realist approaches to crime that focus on the relationship between crime, politics and public policy, and we look at how governments address crime and why they take those approaches, whether they’re effective, and to what extent criminal justice policy ever truly rests on an understanding of crime and offending.

Presentation of the course

The course will be in a highly interactive short lecture format in which students are encouraged to participate and ask questions, but which will primarily focus on introducing new perspectives and information.

Class sessions

1. Crime and punishment: crime is a rational act. This session looks at ‘classical’ explanations of crime, punishment and deterrence and their influence on the criminal justice system.

2. It’s all in the genes (or in the mind): biological and psychological explanations for crime. These can range from brain chemistry to personality – but are they too deterministic?  

3. Society made me do it. This session looks at ‘sociological positivism’ – or reasons for crime that can be found in wider society, from broad structural issues like unemployment, to particular subcultures.   

4. It’s all about power: critical criminology is an approach to crime that looks first at where the power lies – who decides what a crime is anyway?

5. Getting real: criminology and government policy, and how the two interact. Why do right wing and left wing approaches to crime differ so widely, and do either rest on any evidence?

Learning outcomes

The learning outcomes for this course are:
1. Understand and describe a variety of theoretical approaches to crime and deviance.
2. Begin to evaluate theoretical explanations for crime and deviance.
3. Recognise the influence of theory and debate on social and criminal justice policy.

Required reading

There is no required reading for this course.

Typical week: Monday to Friday

Courses run from Monday to Friday. For each week of study, you select a morning (Am) course and an afternoon (Pm) course. The maximum class size is 25 students. 

Courses are complemented by a series of daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to the learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events.

Evaluation and Academic Credit 

If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses. 

Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £75 per essay.

For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit.

Certificate of attendance

A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically after the programme.