Epidemiology of Crime and Deviance

Crime is multifaceted and difficult to define and identify, much less eradicate. Part of this elusiveness is due to the fact that what a society defines as criminal varies over time, place, and context. In the United States, the sale and consumption of alcohol was once completely outlawed; then, following the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, drinking was limited to those more than 18 years, then to those more than 21. Today, the legality of alcohol continues to vary by the day of week (prohibition against Sunday sales) and by location (dry counties). Despite this definitional difficulty, criminologists are tasked with the study of crime, which demands operationalization (definition). One underexplored area of study is linking crime to disease, more specifically linking criminal justice and criminology to public health. The pioneering sociologist Émile Durkheim first used a disease analogy to explain crime, but few attempts have been made to expand on his contributions. Most obviously, crime creates harm and even death. Furthermore, some acts, such as alcohol consumption, are presumably illegal due to their health consequences. Importantly, the predictors of crime are the same as the indicators of poor health (e.g., underemployment, lack of education, malnourishment). Finally, crime spreads and flourishes in certain environments, ironically often the same environments where disease spread is most likely.

Holistically, disease is conceptualized as the manifestation of imbalance within the organic system. Similarly, the biomedical model is reliant on the idea that disease is either the result of a foreign pathogen being introduced to the system (i.e., human immunodeficiency virus [HIV], tuberculosis [TB], influenza) or the result of a malfunctioning system (i.e., diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, chronic heart disease). In either case, the concept of disease is framed from an understanding that such a state is undesirable, and certain measures should, if possible, be taken to restore the system's equilibrium. Additionally, certain preventive techniques are used to avoid possible transmission to other members of society. The same can be said regarding the existence of crime, or criminal behavior, within society. Given that the act has been deemed as criminal or deviant, the implication of such a label is that the presence of that behavior is counter to the desires of society and that measures must be taken to discourage such actions from continuing to occur. Recognizing the philosophical similarities regarding society's approach to health and crime, there is reason to consider whether one can approach crime in the same manner in which researchers approach health. That is, can criminology and criminal justice benefit from adopting an epidemiological approach to the evaluation of deviant behavior?

Epidemiology is the area of public health that is charged with identifying the primary causes of health and illness: It is the investigative branch of the health care system. Through the development, and application, of theoretical foundations and the implementation of established research methods, epidemiologists are able to identify the primary cause of disease (pathogen) and the manner in which that illness manifests (pathogenesis/patho-physiology and enabling factors). Furthermore, epidemiologists use the same tools to identify the risk factors that predispose an individual to contracting and manifesting any particular disease.

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