Brown: Criminology, 8th Edition


Case Studies

1. Crime and Criminology

Emily has decided that she wants to be a crime scene investigator like “Callie” on “CSI: Miami.” She has already applied to and been accepted at the state university. She has now concluded that she must declare a major in criminal justice and criminology in order to prepare herself for her future career. Emily is very excited about her decision and looks forward to being able to solve crimes and get the bad guys off the street. She believes that she will find satisfaction in being responsible for providing justice to victims of crime.

Questions

  1. Is Emily’s perception of the criminal justice and criminology field accurate? Why or why not?

    Correct Answer

    No. It seems as if Emily has a misconception about what criminologists and criminal justice practitioners actually do. She has a glamorized image of the field and believes that she will be solely responsible for solving criminal cases.

  2. Who may be responsible for influencing Emily’s decision to become a crime scene investigator?

    Correct Answer

    The media has influenced Emily and her perception of criminal justice. She seems to have embraced the CSI media myth as seem on popular crimes shows like “Law & Order” and “CSI: Miami.”

Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.