Criminological Imagination: Social Harm Concept Advantages

This essay examines the advantages of the concept of 'social harm' over 'crime' from a criminological perspective. It begins by defining both concepts, highlighting that social harm extends beyond legal definitions to encompass broader societal damage, including economic, social, and environmental harm. The essay emphasizes that the social harm approach allows for a more holistic analysis of issues, incorporating acts by corporations and nation-states, and considers non-criminal acts, unlike crime, which focuses on violations of criminal law. The essay further argues that the social harm approach provides a better understanding of the causes of human suffering and enables effective analysis of environmental and social problems. It also discusses how social harm offers a more profound degree of effects and impact, and is significant in the protection of human rights. The essay concludes by discussing the importance of policies, regulations, and services to mitigate social harm within society. It also presents the reflective statement of the student.

Essay

Table of Contents
ESSAY.............................................................................................................................................3
What advantages does a concept of ‘social harm’ hold for the criminologist over that of
‘crime’?.......................................................................................................................................3
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

ESSAY
What advantages does a concept of ‘social harm’ hold for the criminologist over that of ‘crime’?
Social harm tends to originate from the series of debate associated with the criminology.
It focuses on the individual act of harm, theft and inter- personal violence. Criminology is
referred to as a study associated with the crime and also examine why such crime has been
committed, what are its impact and what measures are to be taken in order to prevent them.
Criminologist tends to study the nature and cause related with the crime (Tombs, 2018). It is
useful in better understanding associated with the criminal behaviour and is significant in the
prevention of future crimes. The concept associated with the social harm has led to the extension
of the criminological gaze which is beyond the national borders and tends to include harmful and
illegal acts. Social harm is referred to as a concept which tends to enable criminology in order to
move beyond the legal definitions related with the crime. The concept of crime is mainly
dependent on time, place and other set of influences. The concept associated with the social harm
is useful in effectively explaining the main cause associated with the human suffering. The social
harm approach can be useful in analysing the suffering of the human. The social harm approach
tends to broaden the sociological and public focus associated with the daily life within the
capitalist society. Social harm tends to incorporate harm which has been caused by corporations
and nation state.
Crime is referred to as the behaviour which has been either caused by the omission or act.
This is usually defined by the common law or statutory who deserve punishment. However, most
of the crimes tend to require element associated with intent. Crime is considered to be as the
intentional act and the omission in the violation within the criminal law. This has been
committed without justification or defence and has been sanctioned by the state as
misdemeanour or felony (Boukli and Kotzé, 2018). Crime is considered to be as a criminal
offence and is mainly punishable by fine, penalty or jail term or both. Criminal act is however
considered to be as an unlawful bodily movement which has been defined by the statute and
jurisdictions. The key elements associated with the crime are criminal intent, criminal act,
criminal cause, concurrence, attendant circumstances and harm. The main cause of the crime
mainly comprise of peer pressure, poverty, politics, drugs, family conditions, unemployment,

society conditions, etc. This eventually leads to main cause of harm and leads to increase in such
activity.
Social harm mainly encompass economic, social, environmental damage, injury to the
society whether intentionally or unintentionally. Excessive consumption of the alcohol tends to
impose greater social harm consequence for the economy and community. 96% of the
respondents from where survey has been conducted tends to have problem associated with the
social abuse within Scotland. Alcohol intoxication is considered to be as one of the major
contributory factor associated with the crime. The key information which has been linked with
the anti- social behaviour associated with the alcohol misuse (MAPPING AND MEASURING
THE SOCIAL HARMS OF CRIME AND ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOUR: TOWARD AN
OUTCOMESBASED APPROACH TO COMMUNITY SAFETY IN WALES, 2011). Social harm is
considered to be advantageous for the concept of social harm over that of crime. This is because
the social harm concept mainly comprise of criminal acts and non- criminal acts. The concept is
useful in effective analysis for the better examination of the environmental and social problems.
Social harm approach tends to take over more holistic approach for effectively studying the harm
of the social and legal phenomenon. It tends to have profound degree of effects and impact. The
criminology approach is mainly associated with the identifying the cause of crime and the
remedial solution associated with the crime (Hillyard and Tombs, 2017). On the other hand,
social harm concept takes into consideration punishment and criminalization which inflict social
harms. It is useful in funding the best possible solution and reduce crime activities.
Social harm has been used with the direct connection associated with the harm. This is
significant in the protection of the human rights. The theories and models and action taken by the
criminologists and the authorities mainly offers wide set of protection from the social harm.
Criminology tends to propagate 4 key theories associated with the punishment. This mainly
includes deterrent theory, reformative theory, retributive theory and preventive theory. However,
the reformative theory is considered to be of superior among other theories of punishment. This
is because it is considered to be highly compatible related with the modern set of humanitarian
ideas and seeks to eliminate the main cause of the crime (Potter, 2016). The main emphasis on
this theory is more on the person who has been committing crime. This way the offender
receives the appropriate treatment, proper counselling and help so that the person can live a
normal life and be accepted within the society. On the contrary, the social harm approach is

highly significant in eliminating the main cause of the harm which is considered to be useful in
the long run. Global crime can usually benefit from the social harm by effectively understanding
the structural harm within the social policy context within the criminal justice system. It is useful
in providing progressive set of dimensions and directions which is useful in eliminating the
situations associated with the crime. This way it is useful in living a prosperous life and improve
the quality of life (Pemberton, 2016). Social harm mainly focuses on the key individual acts
associated with the harm. The criminologists tend to effectively assists with the law enforcement
to significantly understand the behaviour of crime and measures to prevent such social harm
activities.
The social justice fails to effectively protect the people from the criminal justice. Such
social harms impose inflicting serious harm to the individual person. The current criminal justice
system across the country like UK continue to champion the use of prison as one of the effective
and prominent way to significantly deal with the social problems. In the year 2002, the
population of the UK prison is 80144. The statistics is compared to be high when compared with
the rest of the numbers. The social harm approach is considered to be significant in attempting to
the broaden sociological and public focus to change the daily life within the capitalist society.
Complying of the other regulatory system by complying with the criminal justice system, policy
responses and other regulatory (Raymen, 2019). UK must regulate with the minimum wage in
order to effectively respond to the social harms. It has been noted that, growth within the
inequality tends to results in series of harmful and deleterious effects. Inequality is considered to
be as a social harm which is perceived as inherent and is considered to be as largely one of the
unpreventable feature of society. There must be policies which effectively response to the
inequality. Moreover, regulating with the environmental harm is also one of the prominent
measure which is useful in responding to the social harms. Environmental harm linked with the
air pollution leads to poor health consequences. Also, regulating health and safety is effective
prominent measure which is useful in responding to the social harms. However, the concept of
the social harm has been becoming increasingly influential who helps in delivering community
safety and the criminal justice within UK.
Reflective statement
It was very interesting to carry out the study because it helped me gain viewpoints of the
various authors associated with the advantages of the concept of social harm over that of crime.

Taking social harm seriously is considered to be highly relevant in providing the victims and
offenders the best possible action to improve the results and attain greater set of efficiency. I
have ought to analyse the fact that, social harm mainly encompass economic, injury, social,
environmental damage to the society whether intentionally or unintentionally. On the other hand,
I have analysed that, crime is considered to be as a criminal offence and is mainly punishable by
fine, penalty or jail term or both. It is important to take necessary measures and control the
occurrence of social harm within the society to improve the quality of life. I believe that, the
government focus on developing the laws, rules and other regulations associated with the
criminology and social harm. The society must effectively comply with the health and safety,
environmental harm regulations, policy related with inequality and regulating minimum wage to
reduce the social harm. Providing the offenders with the appropriate consultation help and
effective set of services is considered to be prominent in order to live a better quality life and is
accepted within the society.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Boukli, A. and Kotzé, J. eds., 2018. Zemiology: Reconnecting crime and social harm. Springer.
Hillyard, P. and Tombs, S., 2017. Social harm and zemiology. The Oxford handbook of
criminology, pp.284-305.
Pemberton, S.A., 2016. Harmful societies: Understanding social harm. Policy Press.
Potter, G., 2016. The criminogenic effects of environmental harm: bringing a ‘green’perspective
to mainstream criminology. In Environmental Crime and its Victims (pp. 25-40).
Routledge.
Raymen, T.W., 2019. 'The Enigma of Social Harm and the Barrier of Liberalism: Why
Zemiology Needs a Theory of the Good'.
Tombs, S., 2018. For pragmatism and politics: Crime, social harm and zemiology.
In Zemiology (pp. 11-31). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Online
MAPPING AND MEASURING THE SOCIAL HARMS OF CRIME AND ANTISOCIAL
BEHAVIOUR: TOWARD AN OUTCOMESBASED APPROACH TO COMMUNITY
SAFETY IN WALES. 2011. [ONLINE]. Available
through<https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/statistics-and-research/2019-08/130121-
mapping-measuring-social-harms-crime-anti-social-behaviour-en.pdf>