Outline the strengths and weaknesses of the use of crime typologies. Do you feel that such typologies are useful? Support your answer.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

One limitation of many discussions of crime and of theories of crime causation is the global manner in which the concept of crime is employed. To expect criminologists to address the question, “What causes crime?” is comparable to asking medical pathologists to answer the query “What causes sickness?” Asking “What type of sickness?” or “What type of crime?” is the next logical step in approaching these questions. While the only thing most sicknesses have in common is that they have produced an unhealthy biological state, the only thing most crimes have in common is that they are, in a given place, at a given time, a violation of criminal law. Thus cancer, polio, and the common cold probably have about as much in common as shoplifting, embezzlement, and murder. Specific offenses vary according to time and place.
Some offenders exhibit great diversity, participating in more than one behavior system, or may in fact change their offense profiles.
No typology can contain purely homogeneous types.
The number of career criminals specializing in one type of offense is smaller than has been suggested by the typologies developed thus far (p. 354).
Some typologies attempt to make types of crimes and criminals more distinct from each other than they really are, thus oversimplifying reality (Conklin, 1972, p. 16).
No single typology is useful to group all offenders (Thomas & Hepburn, 1983, p. 262).
Typologies overemphasize unique aspects and minimize similarities among types (Thomas & Hepburn, 1983, p. 262).
Until an acceptable general theory is developed, it is desirable to delimit the specific areas to which a theory is applicable, to coordinate these theories, and to try to build a general theory. We need both general and specific theories and must avoid confusing the two. Typologies can have two purposes: (1) to be used as a scientific classificatory system, or (2) to be utilized as an educational tool.