Crime

Question 1

what is crime defined as

Answer 1

an act that violates criminal law and is punishable through the law

Question 2

you did what they said you did using evidence and witness is defined as

Answer 2

actus reus

Question 3

providing criminal intent in court is defined as

Answer 3

mens rea

Question 4

true or false - mens rea is needed for all crimes

Answer 4

false - only for minor crimes

Question 5

what are the 5 factors affecting the crime rate

Answer 5

report sensitive, definition sensitive, policing sensitive, media sensitive and real trends

Question 6

how are crimes being report sensitive affect the crime rate

Answer 6

as soon as you see police reported on the article, the information has been tainted -> domestic and sexual violence data is not reported

Question 7

how are crimes being definition sensitive affect the crime rate

Answer 7

if you are studying sexual assault and you want to look at the trends, there is a problem because sexual assault laws changed

Question 8

how do real trends affect crime rates

Answer 8

crime swap -> where we used to have theft, is now identity theft

Question 9

what are examples of how crime changes over time

Answer 9

1. if you murder during war it is fine but not allowed in other circumstances
2. committing suicide used to be a crime
3. abortion used to be a crime

Question 10

_______ theory is when there is a major consensus in society on what should be a criminal

Answer 10

consensus

Question 11

how does consensus theory align with structural functionalism

Answer 11

it is good that we all agree on crime because when we separate people from society based on crime -> social stability is high
-> society is organized in a very natural way

Question 12

what are 3 factors of the consensus theory

Answer 12

societal stability, social cohesion and the idea that society is organic

Question 13

the consensus theory came out of what older theory

Answer 13

darwins theory

Question 14

what are the 3 reasons why durkheim believed that crime was a functional part of society

Answer 14

1. criminal courts are a spectacle -> solidifies our social values so our society is working properly
2. system processing of crime allows for societal change
3. crime is a good society -> employs a lot of people middle class jobs

Question 15

what contradicts the consensus theory

Answer 15

the judges and courts decide what is a crime so they overpower others -> not a consensus

Question 16

what does the marxist theory focus on

Answer 16

the relationship between crime and social arrangements

Question 17

list the 3 factors that influence the relationship between crime and social arrangements

Answer 17

political
economic -> hippies a problem population
legal structures -> if you are rich, you have access to lawyers

Question 18

conflict is rooted in the structure of a ______ society -> why

Answer 18

capitalism -> not fair, never a get job no matter how hard you try -> a risk to the stability of society because of rioting

Question 19

briefly explain the 6 ideas of the Quinney’s critical marxist theory (do not give examples yet just brief)

Answer 19

1. advanced capitalist society
2. state serves the dominant economic class
3. laws in place to protect capitalism
4. it is always the victims that go to jail rather than the higher up people
5. bourgeoise and exploitation
6. collapse of capitalism and adapt a new society

Question 20

provide an example of this statement “it is always the victims that go to jail rather than the higher up people”

Answer 20

lots of the companies knew oxycontin was addictive, lied about it -> doctors did not know about this so they still prescribed -> it is not the companies that went to jail, it is friends and families that were arrested or died

Question 21

why are people with lower SES more likely to be captured in police reported crime

Answer 21

wealthy and middle class commit just as much crime but they are able to get away from it -> poor people do not have the money or resources to get out of the crime

Question 22

what does it mean “different classes have different opportunities”

Answer 22

poor person is not going to be caught embezzling from the bank, they are likely to be working at the bank -> it is a crime of middle or higher class

Question 23

what are the 3 fundamental findings Wright found regarding socio-economic status and criminal behavior?

Answer 23

• link between SES and crime is indirect
• low SES promotes delinquency (alienation, financial strain, aggression)
• high SES promotes delinquency (reducing adherence to conventional values while increasing social power and risk-taking behavior)

Question 24

who defined white collar crime?

Answer 24

edwin sutherland

Question 25

what is white collar crime?

Answer 25

crimes committed by person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation

Question 26

do WCC result in convictions? if they don't what do they deal with?

Answer 26

no instead they deal with: - civil agencies than courts - prefer receiving civil damages rather than criminal punishment for offender - escape prosecution bc of class protection and privilege - prosecutions limited to primary offender only

Question 27

what theory is the WCC associated with?

Answer 27

differential association theory

Question 28

what was the anti-competition crime?

Answer 28

big grocery stores like Walmart got together and decided to fix their prices for items and to try to cover their asses they told Canadians if they agreed to not sue them they would get a $25 giftcard

Question 29

what happened in Harper's office before the election to decide if he was PM?

Answer 29

an employer in the office called people at home and told them their election voting location changed in order to change their votes so Harper would win - robo call - mans went to jail

Question 30

what was the focus of Marxist research on corporate crime?

Answer 30

- harmful conduct of those inside the sphere of production in capitalist economies

Question 31

according to Marxist research does corporate or street crime impact society more negatively?

Answer 31

corporate crime

Question 32

why does capitalism create strong motivation to commit crime?

Answer 32

- profit maximization mandate of capitalism creates strong motivation

Question 33

what is one failure of the regulation by the state?

Answer 33

transnational corporations

Question 34

what kind of power does transnational corporations have?

Answer 34

- great influence state policies and laws - lots of economic power that they are hard to regulate - when gov't is too restrictive they can relocate

Question 35

what does the rule of law depend on?

Answer 35

- willingness of citizens to comply - requires that the state is perceived as legitimate by citizenry

Question 36

when is legitimacy of the state questioned?

Answer 36

- if it cannot provide peace, security, good gov't and protection

Question 37

when does a crisis of legitimacy arise?

Answer 37

any state that fails to live up to its end of the social contract

Question 38

what is a crisis of legitimacy?

Answer 38

when the state no longer maintains authority to govern which leads to civil unrest and threatens the state's power

Question 39

what are the harms in a crisis of legitimacy caused by?

Answer 39

- under-regulated business practices of major corporations - growing economic inequality - growing insecurity and unrest (less secure job positions - more temporary and contract work rather than full time, permanent positions) - externalities - enviro crises

Question 40

what is neoliberalism?

Answer 40

- current political philosophy - emphasizes privatization - deregulation - reduction of welfare state through reduction in programs - lowering taxes

Question 41

how does neoliberalism work with private facilities?

Answer 41

- privatization wants to gain a profit - they mandated that nurses stay in one facility rather than moving around to different facilities - less nurses being hired, lower wages - instability increases and inequality

Question 42

what is a branch of interactionist theories and crime extending labelling theory?

Answer 42

coerced mobility theory

Question 43

who made the coerced mobility theory?

Answer 43

Rose and Clear

Question 44

what is the counterintuitive finding?

Answer 44

locking up community criminals does not make the neighbourhood safer - if someone steals money to feed their family and they go to jail then the family will have to steal to meet ends meet and to ensure they are fed so it is a cycle

Question 45

what was the point of Chambliss's work?

Answer 45

- the Saints and Roughnecks - the saints were the middle/upper class high school students who were given a pass for their deviant behavior as their parents played a role in their decision making process - roughnecks were the poor who were powerless and had to just agree with the police as they had no say