The key explanatory principle upon which Crime Science was launched is that opportunity is the most significant cause of crime. This is a bad scientific explanation for crime because:
(1) Good explanations in science are hard to vary
(2) Good explanations in science are refutable (either they are right or wrong and are capable of being refuted)
(3) Science keeps its explanations separate fro the data it seeks to explain.
The crime as opportunity explanation miserably fails each of these three fundamental scientific tests of a good explanation.
To read a brief peer-to-peer article that describes Laycock's Mistake please click here
3 comments:
Off topic (sort of). A little bird told me that the UK govt are to water down the "Protection of freedoms bill". Delete this comment but consider a quick blogge on it?
And another "mistake" that appears to have been made at UCL is the attempt to hide this earlier gaff by deleting Laycock’s seminal paper - despite it's having been cited by at least 7 scholars. Because they should know "delete NEVER means delete" on the Internet.
A free copy of the paper UCL and Crime Scientist’s don't want you to read can be got by asking for it by emailing crimescience@hotmail.com. They will email it to you.
Barry Rocks
Thanks Barry, I will ask for a copy. I now look at the fact that the "Protection of freedoms bill" is going to be watered down as not earth shattering. Wonder if this will be deleted?
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