Criminologists‘ Values and Horizons of Criminology

Aleksandras DobryninasVilnius University

27TH BALTIC CRIMINOLOGICAL CONFERENCE „CRIMINOLOGY AS VOCATION AND

PROFESSION“

Foundation of Criminology: Philosophical and Logical Aspects (1990)

Foundation of Criminology: the Book‘s Content

Chapter 1. Past and present of criminological theory1.1. Two paradigms of criminological theory1.2. Current stance of criminological theory1.3. Paradoxes of criminological theory.

Chapter 2. Logical and linguistic analysis of criminological concepts2.1 Scientific criteria in criminology2.2. Sense and meaning of the terms of the criminological research2.3. Logical and linguistic analysis of criminological paradoxes

Chapter 3. Criminological personalization3.1. Explanation and understanding in criminology3.2. Criminological framing3.2. Criminological text

Chapter 4. Criminological institualization4.1. Horizon of criminological investigations4.2. Legislation and the implementation of law4.3. Criminological values

Towards Hermeneutical Criminology

• „For criminology it is important to understand criminological paradigms, to scrutinize their theoretical, institutional, and cultural sources. Such understanding is needed, if criminologist wants not only to grasp plain criminological theoretical constructions, but also - to penetrate into their background: live human world, were criminologist finds himself as a moral subject and as a producer of the criminological world“ (JB&AD, p. 207)

Prospect for revision: three Add-Ons

• 1st add-on: cultural vision of criminal justice:

Source: Hulsman L. (1991). “The Abolitionist Case: Alternative Crime Policies”, Israel Law Review, vol. 25, p. 684.

• 2nd add-on: constructionist methodological perspective:

The Social Reality of Crime (Quinney, 1970)

Formulation of definitions of crime

Application of definitions of crime

Development of behavior patterns in relation to definition

of crime

Construction of the idelology of crime

Class strugle and class conflict

• 3rd add-on: socio-epistemic discourses:– Discourse as empowered usage of language in epistemically

segmented society (A Schutz, M Foucault, P Bourdieu)– Three types of criminal justice discourses:

• Experts – criminologists, law professionals, officers of law enforcement institutions – discourse on “true” justice.

• Well-informed citizen – politicians, decision-makers, journalists, etc. – discourse on criminal justice in the context of societal interests (inter-esse).

• People from the street – ordinary people with common sense approach to crime and punishment

Example of Research Application

• Research on Reception of Criminal Justice in Society (the research is funded by the European Social Fund under the Global Grant measure (VP1-3.1-ŠMM-07-K-01-049); 2011-2014.

• Goals: - Analysis of the reception of criminal justice in society.

• Methodology:– Constructionist approach with elements of discourse analysis

• Team: – Interdisciplinary team consists of psychologist, sociologist,

criminologist, economist, and lawyer.

• Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly. (Deuteronomy 32:35)

• Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord (Romans 12:19)

Back to Punishment: Biblical sources

PP

• “Criminology is a boring subject, but its questions…” (N. Christie)