ABSTRACT
R. Thom developed a mathematics that expressed the discontinuities that may arise in deterministic systems. Rene Thorn and C. Zeeman have identified seven forms of catastrophes that extend to 6-D space; however, with even more variables, higher-dimensional space is required. The mathematics for the catastrophes has been worked out by Thom. Perhaps what could be developed is a triangle of crime: the offender/tester of boundaries or the “invitational edge”; the corrector; and the reporter —the three complete the cycle in these forms of arousals of the sensual. The chapter explains the construction of the “cusp catastrophe generic model” along with some possible applications in doing postmodern criminology. It analyses the “butterfly catastrophe” in indicating its importance for conflict regulation, harm reduction, and peacemaking. D. Black, in The Behavior of Law, for example, has advocated a “conciliatory style of social control,” and a “peacemaking perspective” has been developed within radical criminology.
