Theories of Criminology and Victimology
Week 2 Discussion: Applications of Criminology
University Library Resources
Discussion Topic
A local community in your area is reporting a recent increase in criminal behavior. They are asking police to explain the change and to implement a program to reduce the crime.
Choose 1 of the following scenarios to use to answer the provided discussion questions:
• Scenario 1: Residential burglaries between 10:00 p.m.–12:00 a.m. and 2:00–4:00 p.m. have increased in the area since school started. Several juvenile students in the area have already been apprehended.
• Scenario 2: Several individuals have been apprehended for possessing illegal weapons. There are reports of multiple individuals in the area working together to traffic and sell illegal weapons.
Reply to the following for your selected scenario as if you were a police officer serving the neighborhood:
• Briefly explain Sutherland’s differential association theory, social learning theory, or another theory of criminology from the course’s learning activities so far. How might a criminologist use this theory to interpret the criminal behavior? What kind of community program would you recommend to help the neighborhood in this case?
• Name another criminology theory from the course’s learning activities that could be used to challenge this interpretation. What is 1 way this theory could be used to justify a different approach? What other kind of community program would you recommend to help the neighborhood in this scenario?
• Materials
• Textbook
Walsh, A., & Jorgensen, C. (2020). Criminology: The essentials (4th ed.). SAGE Publishing
Paper Format: APA
