Discussion Questions From Jan 29 '06

Think about the following:

1) Why is there a chapter about criminal theories in a criminal justice textbook?

2) Is there any difference between criminology and criminal justice?  If so, 
why?  If not, why? (b.)  Which do you think is most important.criminology or 
criminal justice in the minds of stake holders like politicians, social 
activists, etc?

3) How can or does ideology shape/influence which theories become practice or 
heavily emphasized in the CJS?  

4) In referring to the text (chapter 3) what type of ideological perspectives 
seem to be the focus of the chapter (liberal, conservative, radical, or a 
mixture of them all). Why does this matter.or does it?

5) Of the theories discussed in chapter 3, which do you feel have been heavily 
represented/incorporated in our CJS?  Can you provide and example of a theory 
in practice? (I.e. no child left behind could be related to the arguments of 
strain theory in balancing institutional means and cultural goals.)

6) How do numbers, statistical data, etc. (think about UCR, Uniform Crime 
Report, and NCVS National Crime and Victimization Survey) render itself 
useful/relevant in the development of criminal theory and the practices we 
witness in the CJS?  Or does it matter?

7) What are some examples of how criminal theory has grown and adapted to 
changing societal trends as they relate to crime, the study of it, and the CJS?

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