Please read and view (where applicable) the following Learning Resources before you complete this week's assignments.
Readings
Review Course Preview and read Course Introduction (located in the left navigation bar)
Review Course Preview and read Course Introduction (located in the left navigation bar)
Schmalleger, F. (2015). Criminology today: An integrative introduction (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Chapter 1, "What Is Criminology?"
Chapter 10, "Crimes Against Persons"
Dimensions of Crime
Social dimensions are attributes or characteristics by which people are categorized, such as gender, age, ethnicity, and social class. Statisticians who work in crime-related fields including criminology look for relationships between such social dimensions and crime in hopes of being able to attribute causes of, predict, and prevent crime. Often they find correlations between a particular social dimension and a particular crime. However, even a strong correlation does not equal causation. For example, poor education is related to criminal behavior but it does not cause it. If it did, all people who did not complete high school would be criminals, and of course they are not. At the same time, studying the social dimensions of crime can sometimes provide useful information.
To prepare for this Discussion:
Review the Course Introduction, located in the left navigation bar. Keep this overview in mind as you work through each week of the course.
Review Chapter 10 in your course text, Criminology Today. Pay particular attention to the social dimensions of crime.
Consider the potential impact that social dimensions may have on crime and criminal behavior(s).
Think about how knowledge about social dimensions of crime might be used in the understanding, prevention, prediction, and control of crime.
Select two social dimensions to focus on for this Discussion-two that you believe provide useful information about crime and/or criminal behavior.
With these thoughts in mind:
Write a brief description of two social dimensions of crime that you think provide useful information about crime and criminal behavior and explain why. Be specific and use examples to illustrate your points.