NYT OPINION: Was the Idaho Murder Suspect Studying Criminology to Learn How to Commit a Crime?
By Bryanna Fox
Section: Opinion
Source: New York Times
Published Date: January 11, 2023 at 02:00AM
Criminology, the scientific study of the causes, impact and prevention of crime, is, by contrast, a little-known field. While it is a relatively young discipline, it has become a fast-growing academic field, with American colleges awarding over 11,000 degrees in criminology during the 2020-21 school year alone.
With the recent murders of four young students at the University of Idaho and the arrest of a suspect, Bryan Kohberger, a Ph.D. student in criminology at Washington State University, questions have been raised about his choice of educational discipline — and whether his decision to research the psychology of criminal decision-making may have been some kind of omen.
Was Mr. Kohberger studying criminology to learn how to commit a crime? There are thousands of criminologists in the United States, and I’m not aware of a single one who has ever been accused of committing a heinous crime like this.
As a professor of criminology and a former F.B.I. special agent, I am frequently surprised by the misperceptions of what criminologists study and what we train our students to do. Many people assume that criminologists are experts in profiling serial killers, forensic analysis, solving cold cases and other “true crime” topics. While we are often asked to opine on high-profile crimes because of our expertise in criminal behavior and the workings of the criminal justice system, most criminologists’ work focuses on developing and testing theories of criminal behavior and applying rigorous scientific methods to develop evidence-based policies and programs for the police, prosecutors, social workers and other criminal justice practitioners to use to better prevent and reduce crime.
In other words, our field is dedicated to developing better policies and practices to prevent crime. It is not focused on serial killers or forensics, like most people may think.
If Mr. Kohberger was trying to improve his ability to commit or get away with the killings he is accused of, there were easier and better ways to do so than to spend tens of thousands of dollars, go through years of advanced studies and conduct sophisticated research required for a doctoral degree in criminology. Also, if he did commit these crimes, ostensibly helped by his criminological research, why were such basic mistakes made, such as, according to a police affidavit, leaving behind clues including a knife sheath with his DNA at the crime scene and cellphone tower records?
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By Bryanna Fox
Section: Opinion
Source: New York Times
Published Date: January 11, 2023 at 02:00AM
As a professor of criminology and a former F.B.I. special agent, I am frequently surprised by the misperceptions of what criminologists study.
Crime is a constant in American life. We see it portrayed on television and in films, see it debated in the media and by politicians, and unfortunately some of us experience it in our lives.Criminology, the scientific study of the causes, impact and prevention of crime, is, by contrast, a little-known field. While it is a relatively young discipline, it has become a fast-growing academic field, with American colleges awarding over 11,000 degrees in criminology during the 2020-21 school year alone.
With the recent murders of four young students at the University of Idaho and the arrest of a suspect, Bryan Kohberger, a Ph.D. student in criminology at Washington State University, questions have been raised about his choice of educational discipline — and whether his decision to research the psychology of criminal decision-making may have been some kind of omen.
Was Mr. Kohberger studying criminology to learn how to commit a crime? There are thousands of criminologists in the United States, and I’m not aware of a single one who has ever been accused of committing a heinous crime like this.
As a professor of criminology and a former F.B.I. special agent, I am frequently surprised by the misperceptions of what criminologists study and what we train our students to do. Many people assume that criminologists are experts in profiling serial killers, forensic analysis, solving cold cases and other “true crime” topics. While we are often asked to opine on high-profile crimes because of our expertise in criminal behavior and the workings of the criminal justice system, most criminologists’ work focuses on developing and testing theories of criminal behavior and applying rigorous scientific methods to develop evidence-based policies and programs for the police, prosecutors, social workers and other criminal justice practitioners to use to better prevent and reduce crime.
In other words, our field is dedicated to developing better policies and practices to prevent crime. It is not focused on serial killers or forensics, like most people may think.
If Mr. Kohberger was trying to improve his ability to commit or get away with the killings he is accused of, there were easier and better ways to do so than to spend tens of thousands of dollars, go through years of advanced studies and conduct sophisticated research required for a doctoral degree in criminology. Also, if he did commit these crimes, ostensibly helped by his criminological research, why were such basic mistakes made, such as, according to a police affidavit, leaving behind clues including a knife sheath with his DNA at the crime scene and cellphone tower records?
Read more at: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/11/opinion/bryan-kohberger-motive-criminology.html
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