Criminology

Crime Script
Any crime that takes place firstly occurs in the mind of the involved criminal. What is crucial to a crime are the persons compulsions and motivations for the crime. Crimes are rarely entirely causeless, or committed just for the pleasure of it. There are typically various aspects related to crimes, such as attempts to profit financially, derive thrills, as in rape, or vengeance against an enemy. Hence, understanding the minds of criminals is the prerequisite to any discussion on crimes. I will, therefore, firstly describe the actor at length. I will focus on his personal traits, psychological propensities, and habits. The childhood, background and present straits of the person will shed considerable light on his needs, aspirations, limitations, compulsions, and hence, likely motivations. These will naturally determine the enormity or triviality of the crime that the actor decides to commit, including the degree of aggression and violence he is willing to manifest, along with the risk that he might be inclined to take. In discussing the particular crime that the actor has decided to commit, I shall research the considerable available material on it, to arrive at a practical and probable crime script, which can apparently succeed and escape detection.     

Crime Prevention
I will next consider and write at length on the various ways the authorities might possibly prevent the crime, or try to nip it in the bud once they get inkling to it. This brainstorming within me is necessary because it would hypothetically pit the determination and skills of the criminal against the resolve and resources of the law-enforcing agencies. Since crimes occur in society amidst various existing checks and balances, hurdles, risks and fears, I must adequately refer to them, if my depiction of a crime is to -- and appear to  be realistic. The study of crime cannot be performed in isolation. If crimes are to be prevented, the police have a crucial role to play in it. However, it is sociologists and social psychologists that can analyze what causes the impulse to crime to originate within a person. Such an insightful analysis can hopefully offer insights that may lead to a state of affairs where there is relatively less need, and correspondingly, lesser motivation for crimes. I shall review the ample material on how authorities seek to prevent crimes, with special reference to the crime I script for the actor, to present a cogent discussion of the topic. I would in particular be referring to several of Dr Ronald Clarkes seminal writings on crime prevention. I may add that Clarke is the founding editor of Crime Prevention Studies and is author or co- author of over 220 books, monographs and papers. His recent contributions include Superhighway Robbery Preventing E-commerce Crime (Willan Publishing, 2003), Become a Problem Solving Crime Analyst (U.S. Dept of Justice, 2005) and Outsmarting the Terrorists (Praeger, 2006).