What is Criminology?
Bullying is the behavior of continuously intending to hurt someone physically or emotionally. This behavior is common among children and teenagers in schools. However, there have been cases of bullying among adults, these cases are common in work settings where colleagues/peers work in an office and interact on a daily basis. Types of bullying include; physical bullying, social, verbal, and cyberbullying. This paper intends to discuss why bullying is a crime using evidence from scholarly sources, reactions from recent media reports, and stipulations about the crime from the Criminal Code of Canada. Historical ideas and views of criminologists will be applied to the contemporary issue.
By studying crime, criminologists are able to research who does a particular crime, when they do it, and how they do it; criminologists understand the impact of crimes and how the crimes can be prevented. With increasing cases of bullying, Criminologists have been able to determine the root of the behavior and many policies have been developed to address and prevent the problem; this is in line with O’grady’s (2018) objective-legalistic standpoint which is criminology’s purpose is to research the root of crime so that policymakers can come up with initiatives to address the crime.
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Teenagers get anxious about getting back to school where they often interact with bullies. With the many types of bullying occurring in schools, other instances are not identified but this does not make them okay (“Bullying in Schools”, n.d.). Students in elementary, middle, and high school often use abusive names like fat or thin to bully fellow students. This may make the victims feel unattractive or cause self-esteem issues. Media houses have been keen on reporting cases of bullying in schools where victims of the behavior have been physically assaulted, extorted, and violently threatened; some of these cases qualify as criminal cases. According to the law, a crime is an act by someone that is against the law; however, causing problems to other people can also be labeled as criminal activities (Linden, 2019). Bullies cause problems to the victims with the aim of joking or causing embarrassment, sometimes these behaviors can be termed as a crime.
There are currently episodes of alarming media stories of bullying that have attracted the public’s concern. The episodes are perceived as threats to social order and the government has come up with public policies to address the concern. Others believe that governments are taking advantage of the situation by acting upon the perceived common threat with the political aim of mobilizing their support. Media houses have also been accused of exaggerating the situation with the aim of expanding their audiences. As much as this might be true, research reveals that the alarming media stories are a result of sustained media coverage and ease of recording and distribution of news content. The public concern on the issue is neither exaggerated nor misdirected, it is crucial for the government to implement reactive laws to address the situation. According to research, 27% of students revealed that they have experienced bullying in school. 14% of the youth population reported online bullying, 30% offline bullying, and 7% have been bullied both on and offline (Catalano & Morita, 2014). The research also revealed that the majority of bullies do it both offline and online.
Therefore, bullying should not be tolerated because the numbers reveal that bullying is an ongoing problem where dozens of victims are bullied to the point of committing suicide. In the recent past, there have been tragic cases of bullying where children harmed themselves because they were bullied for being unique. Bullying in schools means physical assault, harassment, and stalking which may seem normal but this should not be tolerated. Bullies are criminals that express their insecurities by overpowering their victims physically and /or emotionally; criminals often express intolerance and hatred this way (Linden, 2019). It is important for schools to create awareness of the problem and implement policies and punishments that may address the issue.
History of Criminology
Cesare Lombroso is a father of modern criminology who examined criminal behavior from the late 19th century to the early 20th century. Lombroso used scientific means to research on crime and concluded that criminality is inherited and can be easily identified by physical characteristics. Cesare Beccaria made great contributions to criminology with his writings during the Age of Enlightenment. The criminologist explored topics on criminal justice with writings criticizing the then legal system that stirred controversy. The following two paragraphs are letters to the editor of the article “Bullying in Schools,” from Cesare Lombroso and Cesare Beccaria respectively (“Bullying in Schools”, n.d.). The letters apply the criminologists’ historical ideas to the contemporary issue of bullying in schools.
Dear author, with increasing cases of bullying, it is wise to determine the root of the behavior and to develop ways to address and prevent the problem. Evidence from my numerous researches reveals that some criminals are born with a propensity to cause problems; these traits are savage imitations to the early man (Rock, 2013). The rational choice to commit a crime is made by weighing the punishment and consequences of committing the offense; severe punishment for crimes put off most offenders except the most determined ones. Bullies in today’s world make a rational choice to cause harm to their victims. In the school settings, most bullies manage to harass their victims without facing any consequences, and this encourages the behavior. Creating awareness in schools and implementing clear and strict consequences for the offenders will help control bullying in schools. Though not all criminals inherit criminal traits from those that come before them, schools should come up with policies that discourage offenders to make the rational choice to commit a crime; the implementations should reflect the schools’ zero-tolerance policies of harassment of fellow students in or outside school. By doing this, the schools will have a positive atmosphere for children to learn and grow to become healthy successful individuals. I believe that my research and contributions were helpful.
Dear author, from your article, I believe it is important for schools to understand the criminal minds of bullies in order to control the behavior. As I present my discoveries, I hope that they will bring the much needed positive change in the school environment. The three beliefs serving the basis of the theory of criminal justice are rational manner, free will, and manipulability (Rock, 2013). Unless the perpetrator is medically insane, the offender makes the choice of whether or not to commit the offense. As everyone is free to choose their behavior, a bully makes the choice to harass his, her peers. The criminal justice system is founded on the structure of free will, and in this case, where bullies harass a 12-year old girl to the point of committing suicide, the offenders should be held accountable for their immorally responsible actions (“Bullying in Schools”, n.d.). The rational choice theory states that crime is a personal choice by the offender resulting from the perpetrator’s decision making rationale, assumptions, and interests. Reasons why bullies target specific individuals in their peer groups include but are not limited to anger management issues, lack of impulse, desire to fit in, seeking popularity, seeking revenge, peer pressure, pleasure, and personal problems. To successfully address the bullying situation among children, it is important to understand the rational choice that the offenders make while engaging in the behavior. Offenders have a rational manner of making choices that lead them to commit offenses that please them. Laws are there to preserve the social agreement and promote harmony in society. It is important for schools to include laws concerning bullying in their codes of conduct. By offenders acting out of self-interest those conflicts with existing laws, they become offenders. A Bully as well will become an offender of school laws if he/she harasses a fellow student; an act in conflict with the school’s laws.
Application to Bullying
Even though some might disregard bullying as a normal part of growing up and school life, to some victims, it is a matter of life and death. Children being bullied undergo mental or/and physical torture that sadly may result in the loss of the victim’s lives. According to statistics, nearly a quarter of victims consider suicide as the easiest way to get away from their bullies (Catalano & Morita, 2014). Victims of harassment that feel hopeless may lash out with violence and end up causing more harm; school shootings are often related to bullying. In the recent past, multiple cases of school shootings have been witnessed. Therefore, it is important to understand bullying criminal behavior and address it effectively.
“ Bullying in Schools” is a current news article that involves the criminal behavior of bullying. The news article describes two instances of bullying and how they affect the victims physically and emotionally. The first example is of a 12-year-old girl that commits suicide following continuous bullying by two of her peers. The second example describes a letter of an 8-year old boy to Santa Clause stating that all he would wish for is for kids from his school to stop harassing his sister; though hopeful, the letter reveals that the young boy is emotionally stressed by bullies offending his sister (“Bullying in Schools”, n.d.). These and many other news articles reveal that it is important to have bullying as a criminal offense. Following the suicides of two victims in 2013, the Federal Government addressed cyberbullying in Canada by the introduction of Bill C-13, Protecting Canadians from Online Crime Act (“Cyber Bullying laws in Canada”, n.d.). Depending on the nature of the activity reported by the victim, the Criminal code of Canada may apply offenses to bullying and cyberbullying. Examples of the offenses include; criminal harassment, intimidation, uttering threats, extortion, use of a personal computer without authorization, hatred incitement, counseling suicide, and identity fraud.
The existence of Bill C-13, Protecting Canadians from Online Crime Act upholds social values and beliefs that may help school environments become safe for all children. A healthy school environment for children helps the learners to grow in powerful ways; it encourages inquiry, innovation, and risk-taking characteristics among the leaners. With less bullying, children are allowed to be themselves and this promotes growth and diversity in society. Children learn from their environments, and if the school environment entertains bullying, the behavior will be reflected in society. By introducing and implementing the law against bullying and cyberbullying the Federal Government of Canada is promoting a healthy environment in schools and in society.
In the social reaction approach, the definition of crime is different across social and cultural contexts; an activity considered a crime in one context may be acceptable in another (O’grady, 2018). The federal law introduced in 2013 to protect victims of bullying and cyberbullying is enforced in all parts of Canada. In the creation and enforcement of the law, the moral element is determined by the offender’s ability to make the decision to commit the offense. The criminal justice system is founded on the structure of free will, the offenders should be held accountable for their immorally responsible actions. This law applies to all bullying offenses with an exception to perpetrators that have been proven to be clinically insane.
Criminologists like Cesare Beccaria from the Classical School would term bullying as a criminal act based on evidence from his writings; the three beliefs serving the basis of the theory of criminal justice are rational manner, free will, and manipulability. The classical school of criminologist was created by Cesare Beccaria and was founded on the three principles described above; bullies like all other criminals were made into criminals. On the other hand, Cesare Lombroso founder of the positivist theory of criminology believed that criminals were born criminals; according to this thought, the nature of bullies result into their criminal propensities.
References
Bullying In Schools . https://injury.research.chop.edu/violence-prevention-initiative/types-violence-involving-youth/bullying-schools#.X22gb3VRXIU.
Catalano, R., & Morita, Y. (2014). The Nature of School Bullying . Taylor and Francis.
Cyberbullying Laws in Canada . A|B. Retrieved 25 September 2020, from https://criminallawoshawa.com/cyberbullying-laws-in-canada/.
Linden, R. (2019). Criminology: A canadian Perspective (9th ed.).
O'grady, W. (2018). Crime in Canadian context: Debates and Controversies (4th ed.).
Rock, P. (2013). History of criminology (4th ed.). Dartmouth.
