Violentization (Part Two)

Gershon Ben Keren

Tue 26th Nov 2019

I can’t remember a time when I’ve had to use violence, that I didn’t come away with some form of depression – there might have been small moments of euphoria, directly after an incident, but this soon gave way to feelings of despair and dejection. I’m not alone in this, and many people I’ve worked with have shared the same sensations. Having to use violence to solve a problem, deal with a person is rarely a rewarding experience, and most people who have to do so in a professional capacity, end up recognizing both the necessity and futility of its...Click To Read More

Violentization (Part One)

Gershon Ben Keren

Mon 18th Nov 2019

Because crime is a social construction – society decides what constitutes legal/illegal behavior - it would be incorrect to suggest that genetics and biology are responsible for deviance and criminality; also, genetic influences affect character traits and dispositions, rather than behaviors directly e.g. a character trait, such as being quick to anger, doesn’t necessarily result in the behavior of violent acts, though it may pre-dispose certain people to act/react in this way, etc. It is generally agreed upon that criminality and deviance derives from a combination of biology, and social experiences – with such experiences also affecting biology. The debate...Click To Read More

Merton's Strain Theory & Typologies of Violence

Gershon Ben Keren

Mon 11th Nov 2019

No one criminological theory can comprehensively and universally explain all criminal acts. Crime and deviance results from various interactions of psychological and sociological components and factors, and so it would be impossible for one single theory to fully explain why people engage in certain criminal activities e.g. people engage in crime for a variety of different motives, and have certain reasons for choosing to engage in one criminal act rather than another, such as street robberies rather than burglaries; in some cases it may be because they lack the skill and means to break into properties, and in other cases...Click To Read More

Responding to Surveillance

Gershon Ben Keren

Mon 4th Nov 2019

One of the phases or stages that predatory individuals conduct when targeting an individual is that of surveillance. This may take place over days and weeks, in the case of a residential burglary, months or years if it’s a sexual assault of a “friend” or acquaintance, or seconds/minutes if it’s an opportunistic street robbery, etc. In its simplest form surveillance is about information gathering e.g. the burglar wants to know the times of day when the property is vacant, and the mugger needs to confirm that they have selected a suitable victim i.e. one who will be compliant and acquiesce...Click To Read More