Chapter 3 Flashcards
(25 cards)
Aggravating Circumstances
Magnify the offensive nature of a crime and tend to result in longer sentences
Conflict Theory
Concepts of inequality and power are the central issues underlying crime and its control
Determinate Discretionary Sentence
Type of sentence with a range of time to be served, with the specific sentence to be served within that range decided by the judge at the point of initial sentencing
Determinate Presumptive Sentence
This type of sentence specifies the exact length of the sentence to be served by the inmate
Discrimination
Focuses on attributes of offenders when providing a given sentence. This usually results in a differential response toward a group without providing any legally legitimate reference to response for that differential response
Disparity
Refers to inconsistencies in sentencing and/or sanctions that result from the decision-making process
Fine
A monetary penalty imposed by a judge or magistrate as a punishment for having committed an offense
General Deterrence
Punishing an offender in public so other observers will refrain from criminal behavior. Intended to cause vicarious learning whereby observers see that offenders are punished for a given crime thus are discouraged from committing a like-mannered crime due to fear of punishment
Incapacitation
Deprives offenders of their liberty and removes them from society with the intent of ensuring that society cannot be further victimized by these offenders during their term of incarceration
Individual Personality Traits
Traits associated with criminal behavior, including defiance, self-assertiveness, extroversion, impulsivity, a tendency toward hostility, a lack of concern for others, resentment, and a distrust of authority
Labeling Theory
Contends that individuals become stabilized in criminal roles when they are labeled as criminals, are stigmatized, develop criminal identities, are sent to prison, and are excluded from conventional roles
Mandatory Minimum
A certain minimum amount of time of a minimum percentage of a sentence must be served with no good time or early-release modifications
Mitigating Factors
Circumstances that make the commission of a crime more understandable and help to reduce the level of culpability that an offender might have had
Negative Punishment
The removal of a valued stimulus when the offender commits an undesired behavior
Positive Punishment
Punishment where a stimulus is applied to the offender when the commits an undesired behavior
Positive Reinforcers
Rewards for a desired behavior
Retribution
Often referred to as the “eye for and eye” mentality, and simply implies that offenders committing a crime should be punished in a like fashion of in a manner that is commensurate with the severity of the crime that they have committed
Rehabilitation
Offenders will be deterred from reoffending due to their having worthwhile stakes in legitimate society
Reintegration
Focused on the reentry of the offender into society. The ultimate goal of reintegration programs is to connect offenders to legitimate areas of society in a manner that is gainful and productive
Restorative Justice
Interventions that focus on restoring the health of the community, repairing the harm done, meeting victim’s needs, and emphasizing that the offender can and must contribute to those repairs
Selective Incapacitation
Identifying inmates who are of particular concern to the public safety and providing them with much longer sentences than would be given to other inmates
Social Learning Theory
Contends that offenders learn to engage in crime through exposure to and the adoption of definitions that are favorable to the commission of crime
Specific Deterrence
The infliction of a punishment upon a specific offender in the hope that that particular offender will be discouraged from committing future crimes
Strain Theory/ Institutional Anomie
This theory denotes that when individuals cannot obtain success goals (money, status, etc.), they will tend to experience a sense of pressure often called strain
