Caveat Academy course · Grades 10 to 12

Criminology

Why crime happens and what actually reduces it. You learn to read crime data honestly, test the major theories against the evidence, from deterrence and routine activities to strain, social bonds and labeling, and judge policing, punishment and prevention by what the studies show, at your own pace, with a certificate at the end.

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$19one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $19

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the High school electives library, $119 for 66 items.

6 modules · 18 lessonsabout 13 hours$19

Six modules, eighteen lessons

Each module ends with a practice set that tracks mastery, an explain-it-back prompt, a short written response and a module exam. The final opens when every module is proficient; passing it earns a certificate with a verification code.

  1. Module 1: Defining and measuring crime

    Distinguish crime from deviance, identify the elements of a crime, compute and compare crime rates, and explain what each crime data source misses.

    • What counts as a crime
    • How crime is measured
    • Patterns: who, where and when
    about 2.1 h

  2. Module 2: Choice, opportunity and the individual

    Explain deterrence, rational choice and routine activity theory, and evaluate biological and psychological claims about crime against the evidence.

    • The classical school and deterrence
    • Rational choice and routine activities
    • Biological and psychological explanations
    about 2.1 h

  3. Module 3: Society and crime: structure theories

    Apply social disorganization, collective efficacy and strain theories to neighborhood and individual scenarios, and analyze a claim of unequal enforcement.

    • Social disorganization and collective efficacy
    • Strain theories
    • Subcultures and inequality
    about 2.1 h

  4. Module 4: Learning, bonds and labels: process theories

    Analyze behavior with differential association, neutralization, social bond, self-control and labeling theories.

    • Learning crime: differential association and neutralization
    • Social bonds and self-control
    • Labeling and the effects of the system
    about 2.1 h

  5. Module 5: Types of crime and their victims

    Classify violent, property, white-collar and cyber offenses, and use victimization patterns, including repeat victimization, to target prevention.

    • Violent and property crime
    • White-collar, organized and cyber crime
    • Victims and victimology
    about 2.1 h

  6. Module 6: Responding to crime: what works

    Evaluate policing strategies, sentencing goals, rehabilitation programs and prevention efforts using the evidence, including what makes a program evaluation convincing.

    • Policing strategies and the evidence
    • Punishment, corrections and reentry
    • Preventing crime and judging what works
    about 2.1 h

Try it before you start

This is how every lesson works: step through a worked example at your own pace, then answer a check and get the reason right away. Nothing here is saved; the course keeps your progress.

Module 5 · Violent and property crime

Worked example: classifying three incidents

  1. Incident 1: someone breaks a window of a closed store at night and takes cash from the register. Unlawful entry, no person present: burglary.

A lesson check from each module

The checks need JavaScript turned on. The course itself works the same way.

What you get

Academics · High School$19 · included with the Academy pass and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A finished course in criminology: you can tell crime from deviance, compute and compare crime rates, explain what police records and victim surveys each miss, apply deterrence, routine activity, strain, social bond, learning and labeling theories to real scenarios, classify offenses, use repeat victimization to target prevention, and judge a policing strategy or a program evaluation by its evidence. Passing the final earns a Caveat certificate of completion.
Who it is for
Students in grades 10 to 12 who are curious about crime, law, psychology or sociology, who are considering criminal justice, social work or law, or who want a criminology elective their school does not offer. Crime and victimization are discussed in general, nongraphic terms.
Format
An online self-paced course: 6 modules and 18 lessons with worked examples you reveal step by step, 145 practice and exam items (multiple choice, numeric, fill-in and ordering), an explain-it-back prompt and a rubric-checked short response in every module, module exams with one retake, a 24-question final and a certificate with a verification code. About 13 hours in all; works on a phone or a computer.
Access
$19 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the course opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the High school electives library ($119) and the Academics Suite pass ($149), and 1 more bundle. Progress is saved in this browser on this device, and the certificate page lets you download your record.
Where it lives
The High School space in Caveat Academics.
Support
Access, a receipt, a refund or a correction to the course: team@caveatacademic.com.

How it works

  1. Open the course and start Module 1. Each lesson takes about 25 to 35 minutes; two or three a week finishes the course in about a semester.
  2. Answer the checks as you read. Every answer shows the reason, and a miss links you back to the lesson that covers it.
  3. Finish each module with its practice set and exam. Proficient on every module opens the final; 70 percent passes it.
  4. Print or download your certificate and record from the certificate page.

Start the course

Sources and accuracy

The lessons are original writing by Caveat Academic Services. Facts were checked against these free, open references, which are also good places to read further.

  1. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer and the National Incident-Based Reporting System: cde.ucr.cjis.gov
  2. Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Crime Victimization Survey and recidivism studies: bjs.ojp.gov
  3. National Institute of Justice, CrimeSolutions ratings of programs and practices: crimesolutions.ojp.gov
  4. National Research Council, The Growth of Incarceration in the United States (2014): nap.nationalacademies.org
  5. Campbell Collaboration, systematic reviews of hot spots policing, juvenile system processing and Scared Straight programs: campbellcollaboration.org

Criminology is a self-paced course from Caveat Academic Services. It teaches criminology as a social science in general terms, not legal advice; laws differ by state and country, and numbers marked as example numbers are for practice only. It does not replace a school course and awards no credit. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.