CLE Ethics & Criminal Sociology: Theory + Practice

The cle ethics criminal sociology paper is the most theory-heavy of the six. It blends classical and modern criminological theories with police ethics, Filipino values, and human relations. Reviewers who tried to memorise theorist names without understanding their frameworks usually fail this paper at predictable rates.

This guide pulls apart what's actually on it, the theoretical schools the PRC Board recycles, and the ethics framework you need to internalise — not just memorise.

What's Actually on This Paper

The PRC table of specifications splits this subject like this:

• Classical and neo-classical criminology — Beccaria, Bentham. Around 10 items.
• Positivist school — Lombroso, Ferri, Garofalo. Around 15 items.
• Sociological theories — anomie, social disorganisation, differential association, labelling, control. Around 25 items.
• Psychological and biological theories — Around 15 items.
• Filipino criminological context — values, family, regional crime patterns. Around 10 items.
• Police and criminologist ethics — code of conduct, RA 6713, professional responsibility. Around 15 items.
• Human relations and victimology — Around 10 items.

The Theoretical Schools to Master

You need a one-line summary for each major theorist. Memorise the framework, not just the name.

Classical School

• Cesare Beccaria — On Crimes and Punishments (1764). Free will, rationality, proportional punishment.
• Jeremy Bentham — Utilitarianism, hedonistic calculus, the panopticon.

Positivist School

• Cesare Lombroso — born criminal, atavism, physical stigmata. Father of modern criminology.
• Enrico Ferri — social and economic factors. Five categories of criminals.
• Raffaele Garofalo — natural crime, dangerousness as the criterion for punishment.

Sociological Theories

• Émile Durkheim — anomie, normlessness as crime cause.
• Robert Merton — strain theory, five modes of adaptation (conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, rebellion).
• Edwin Sutherland — differential association. Crime is learned through interaction.
• Travis Hirschi — social bond theory. Four elements: attachment, commitment, involvement, belief.
• Howard Becker — labelling theory, the outsiders.
• Shaw and McKay — social disorganisation, concentric zones.

Memory Hook

Match each theorist to a single keyword. Sutherland = learning. Merton = strain. Hirschi = bonds. Becker = labels. Durkheim = anomie. The board's items reward fast association, not deep recall.

Filipino Context

This is the most overlooked block. Filipino values like utang na loob, hiya, pakikisama, and bahala na show up in scenario items asking how cultural context shapes deviance and law enforcement. Memorise the term, the literal translation, and the criminological implication.

Add a layer on regional crime patterns — urban vs rural, migration, the OFW family dynamic — and you've covered the cultural block.

Police and Criminologist Ethics

This block tests three frameworks:

• RA 6713 — Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials. Norms of conduct, duties, prohibitions on gifts.
• RA 11131 — the Criminology Profession Act. Professional code, grounds for revocation of licence.
• The Code of Ethics for Filipino Criminologists — promulgated by the PRC Board.

Add the PNP Code of Ethics for items framed around law enforcement scenarios. The board often blends RA 6713 with PNP code items, expecting you to pick the more specific governing rule.

The Study Plan

1. Week 1 — Classical and positivist schools. Build a one-line flashcard for each theorist. Drill 40 items.
2. Week 2 — Sociological theories. The biggest block. Drill 60 items.
3. Week 3 — Psychological/biological theories plus Filipino context. Drill 50 items.
4. Week 4 — Ethics, RA 6713, RA 11131. Drill 50 items, including scenario items on prohibited acts.

Take a 100-item full mock at the end of week 4. Aim for 75%+.

Where Reviewers Lose Points

• Confusing strain with anomie — Durkheim's anomie is the foundation; Merton built strain on top. Different emphasis.
• Misattributing differential association — Sutherland, not Akers. Akers built on it (social learning theory) but the original is Sutherland's.
• Ignoring victimology — Mendelsohn's typology and Hentig's classification show up. 3–5 items per cycle.
• RA 6713 vs RA 11131 — different scopes. RA 6713 governs all public officials; RA 11131 governs the criminology profession specifically.

Psychological and Biological Theories

The 15 items in this block pull from a stable cast.

Psychological Theories

• Sigmund Freud — psychoanalytic theory. Id, ego, superego. Crime as unresolved unconscious conflict.
• B.F. Skinner — operant conditioning. Reinforcement and punishment shape behaviour.
• Albert Bandura — social learning theory. Observational learning, the Bobo doll experiment.
• Hans Eysenck — personality theory. Extraversion, neuroticism, psychoticism.

Biological Theories

• Cesare Lombroso — atavism, born criminal. Already covered in positivist school.
• William Sheldon — somatotypes. Endomorph, mesomorph, ectomorph. Mesomorphs more crime-prone (per Sheldon).
• Twin and adoption studies — Mednick's work suggesting genetic predisposition.
• XYY chromosome theory — discredited but still tested as historical context.

Modern Biosocial Theories

• Neurocriminology — Adrian Raine's work on prefrontal cortex dysfunction.
• Hormonal influences — testosterone and aggression studies.
• Diet and behaviour — sugar/processed food links to delinquency, contested but tested.

Victimology: The Sleeper Sub-Topic

5–8 items per cycle. Two foundational frameworks.

Hentig's Classification of Victims

• Young — vulnerable due to dependence.
• Female — gender-based vulnerability.
• Old — vulnerable due to weakness.
• Mentally defective.
• Immigrants and minorities.
• Dull normals — easily deceived.
• Depressed — passive victims.
• Acquisitive — greedy, easily defrauded.
• Wanton — promiscuous.
• Lonesome and heartbroken.
• Tormentor — eventually becomes victim.
• Blocked, exempted, or fighting victims.

Mendelsohn's Typology

• Completely innocent victim.
• Victim with minor guilt.
• Victim as guilty as offender / voluntary victim.
• Victim more guilty than offender.
• Most guilty victim.
• Imaginary victim.

Wolfgang's Concept of Victim Precipitation

Some victims contribute to their own victimisation — directly through provocation or indirectly through risk-taking. Tested via scenario items.

The Filipino Criminological Context in Detail

10 items, often overlooked. Memorise these terms with one-line definitions.

Core Filipino Values

• Utang na loob — debt of gratitude. Influences criminal complicity, witness reluctance.
• Hiya — sense of shame. Drives both compliance with norms and avoidance of reporting victimisation.
• Pakikisama — smooth interpersonal relations. Affects group conformity, peer pressure into delinquency.
• Bahala na — fatalism. Risk-taking attitude.
• Amor propio — self-respect, easily injured. Triggers retaliatory violence.

Filipino Family Dynamics

• Extended family — broader kinship influence on behaviour.
• Compadre system — godparent relationships, ritual kinship.
• OFW family — separation effects on adolescent supervision.

Regional Patterns

• Urban vs rural crime patterns.
• Migration effects (rural-to-urban migration creates social disorganisation).
• Ethnic and religious dimensions in conflict areas.

Police and Criminologist Ethics: The Three Codes

RA 6713 — Code of Conduct for Public Officials

Eight norms of conduct: commitment to public interest, professionalism, justness and sincerity, political neutrality, responsiveness to the public, nationalism and patriotism, commitment to democracy, simple living.

Plus duties (act promptly, render service, etc.) and prohibitions (financial interests, gifts, soliciting). Items frame scenarios — accepting a Christmas hamper from a regulated business.

RA 11131 — Criminology Profession Act

The professional licence framework. Grounds for revocation: fraud, gross negligence, conviction for crime involving moral turpitude, unethical conduct.

Continuing professional development (CPD) requirements — units required for renewal.

The Code of Ethics for Filipino Criminologists

Promulgated by the Board. Covers responsibility to the public, to the profession, to clients, to colleagues. Items pull general principles, not specific clauses.

Strain Theory in Detail

Merton's framework deserves its own block because items pull deeply.

The Five Modes of Adaptation

• Conformity — accepts goals + means. The non-criminal.
• Innovation — accepts goals, rejects legitimate means. The classic property criminal.
• Ritualism — rejects goals, accepts means. The bureaucrat going through motions.
• Retreatism — rejects both. Drug addicts, vagrants in Merton's framework.
• Rebellion — rejects both, substitutes new ones. The political agitator.

Items always frame this as a scenario asking which mode fits.

Agnew's General Strain Theory

Modern extension. Three sources of strain: failure to achieve positive goals, removal of positive stimuli, presentation of negative stimuli. Tested as a contrast with Merton.

How Super Tutor's CLE Track Drills This

Our CLE Criminology track tags every theory item with its school and theorist, so you can see whether sociological, classical, or biological theories are dragging your score. Ethics items are tagged by governing law for clean revision. Focused Yearly is ₱1,999/year.

For overall review pacing, see the Complete CLE Guide 2026 and the six-subject rotation. RA 11131 details are at the PRC Board for Criminology.

FAQ

Is RA 11131 tested specifically?

Yes — about 5–8 items. The Criminology Profession Act updated registration requirements, exam structure, and disciplinary grounds. Know it cold.

How are theory items framed?

Three formats: name-the-theorist, match-the-framework, and scenario-application. Drill all three formats — different cycles favour different framings.

Is victimology a separate subject?

It's nested inside Criminal Sociology. About 5 items per cycle. Mendelsohn and Hentig are the recurring names.

What's the easiest way to memorise sociological theorists?

One keyword per theorist, repeated daily for two weeks. Sutherland=learning, Merton=strain, Hirschi=bonds. Spaced repetition beats flashcards on first read.

How are Filipino value items framed?

Usually as a scenario where a behaviour is described and the test asks which value best explains it. Match utang na loob with reciprocal complicity, hiya with non-reporting, pakikisama with peer-induced compliance.

Is RA 6713 only relevant for police?

No. It governs all public officials. But CLE items frame it for criminologists, police, and corrections personnel — keep that scope in mind when answering.

Next Steps

• Complete CLE Guide 2026
• CLE Six-Subject Rotation
• CLE Correctional Administration
• Super Tutor's CLE Track