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criminology > exam 1 (ch1-ch3) > Flashcards

exam 1 (ch1-ch3) Flashcards

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1
Q

criminology definition

A

the scientific study of the nature, cause, and control of criminal behavior

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2
Q

penology definition

A

subarea of criminology that focuses on the correction and control of criminal offenders

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3
Q

victimology definition

A

study of the victim’s role in criminal events

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4
Q

crime definition

A

a violation of criminal law

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5
Q

deviance definition

A

an act that departs from the norm

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6
Q

delinquency definition

A

participation in illegal or antisocial behavior on the part of a minor

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7
Q

status offense definition

A

acts defined as unacceptable for minors and used as the bases for court proceedings

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8
Q

criminal intent definition

A

willed or conscious desire to commit an act that violates criminal law

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9
Q

felony definition

A

a serious offense that carries a penalty of imprisonment for more than one year

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10
Q

misdemeanor definition

A

minor crime punished by short jail time or fine

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11
Q

utilitarianism / hedonism definition

A

human behavior is motivated by the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain

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12
Q

phrenology definition

A

studying the shape of skulls and bumps to conclude that physical attributes linked to criminal behavior

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13
Q

atavism definition

A

evolutionary throwbacks

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14
Q

moral entrepreneurs definition

A

interest groups that attempt to control social life by promoting their own personal set of moral values and establishing them as law

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15
Q

aggravated assault definition

A

unlawful attack an another person for the purpose of inflicting serious injury (typically involves a weapon)

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16
Q

arson definition

A

willful or malicious burning of a property

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17
Q

burglary definition

A

breaking or entering to commit a crime

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18
Q

dark figure definition

A

crimes that occur but are not reported to the police

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19
Q

distance phenomenon definition

A

frequency of offending or delinquent behavior diminishes as the individual matures

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20
Q

larceny theft definition

A

unlawfully taking the property of another excluding: motor vehicle theft, embezzlement, forgery, and fraud

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21
Q

rape definition

A

carnal knowledge of a female forcibly or against her will

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22
Q

robbery definition

A

taking or attempting to take something of value fro another person by force of the threatened use of force

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23
Q

motor vehicle theft definition

A

theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle

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24
Q

murder definition

A

the willful killing of another human being

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25
subculture of violence definition
a normative code that mandates the use of lethal force to settle interpersonal disputes
26
liberation hypothesis
adler and simon suggested that social and economic roles of women control their crime rates
27
chronic offender definition
people with five or more arrests
28
blaming the victim
a progressive concept whereby the victim is seen as responsible
29
victim deification definition
idealizing the victim and seeing them as faultless
30
victim vilification definition
casting populations as worthless by their very nature
31
active precipitation definition
when the victim aggressively provokes the attacker
32
passive precipitation definition
characteristics of victims that make them attractive targets
33
criminologists seek to do what?
develop reliable measures of criminal behavior, study law and the legal system, develop theories of crime causation, identify offenders, and prevent crime
34
penology deals with what ideas?
deterrence, rehabilitation, drug courts, and capital punishment
35
rehabilitation deals with what issues?
drugs, alcohol, mental illness, and sex offenders (debateable)
36
what are the two exceptions to criminal intent?
insanity and age
37
what's not excused for criminal intent?
intoxication and ignorance of the law
38
what U.S state does not use common law?
louisiana
39
a felony can entail loss of what rights?
political rights
40
what are the goals of criminal law?
maintain social orders, control antisocial behavior, discourage revenge, express public opinion on morality, deter crime and punish wrongdoing, ensure equality, remove benefits of crime
41
what is the consensus view of crime?
crimes are behaviors viewed as repugnant, criminal law reflects the values morals views and beliefs of the vast majority of society. most widely accepted theory
42
what is the conflict view of crime?
society is composed of diverse groups of conflicting interests, criminal law is defined by those in power, law protects the interests of the powerful, focuses on white collar crime and political crime, concern with bias in the system
43
what is the interactionist view of crime?
criminal law reflects preferences and opinions of people who hold power in a jurisdiction, criminals are those labeled as such by society, criminal law is shaped by moral entrepreneurs
44
what word summarizes classical criminology?
choice
45
main ideas of classical criminology?
people have free will and choose criminal behavior, people choose to commit a crime for reasons for greed or personal need, crime can be controlled by fear of criminal sanctions, punishment that is swift and severe will deter crime
46
ideas of positivist criminology?
uses the scientific method to conduct research, speaks to predict and explain social order in a logical manner, relies on empirical verification, seeks to be value free
47
who is lombrosso?
an italian physician who argues that criminals were atavisms
48
lombrosso is known as ?
the father of criminology
49
what criminologists is associated with classical criminology?
beccaria, who was a philosopher and an economist
50
what is common law?
a fixed body of rules that emerge from decisions if a new rule is applied to a number of cases, it became a new precedent, precedents would be applied in all similar cases
51
what is the uniform crime report (UCR)?
official crime stats from the FBI with detailed info on part 1 offenses
52
what is the criteria for part 1 offenses?
serious, frequent, and come to attention of police often
53
what are the part 1 offenses?
violent: rape, murder, robbery, aggravated assault property: burglary, mvt, arson, larceny theft
54
what are some problems with official stats?
only most serious offense is recorded, police handle cases differently, victims don't always report, attempt is made but not completed
55
what is a victimization survey?
survey of individual's experiences with criminal victimization
56
what is the NCVS?
national crime victimization survey
57
what does NCVS reveal about crime?
the dark figure of crime
58
problems with the NCVS?
can underestimate can overestimate unwilling or misinterpretations
59
what is a self-report survey?
respondents report their own violations in interviews or questionaires?
60
problems with self reported surveys?
may under report fabricate crimes focus on trivial crimes
61
what do self reported surveys reveal about crime?
the dark figure of crime | almost everybody has committed a criminal violation at some point in their life
62
what are some trends from UCR and victimization
UCR: peaked in 1991 and declining since 2014 NCVS: 1973 had a peak 43 million victimization and 2008 had nearly half that
63
violent crime is highest in what region?
southern states
64
social class and crime
high crime rates among the lower class. self reported data indicates few differences in minor offending
65
age and crime
age is inversely related to crime. peak age for violent crime is 18. adults over 45 less than 10 percent of arrests. maturation coincides with increased responsibility
66
gender and crime
male crime rates are much higher. 1999-2008, female arrests have gone up. 2 reasons: socialization differences between men and woman and the liberation hypothesis
67
race and offending
minorities over presented among arrests, self reports indicates little difference between whites and minorities in minor offending. some say results of bias and discrimination and economic disparity
68
methods of the philadelphia cohort study?
followed 10,000 boys and their delinquent careers | data came from police and school records
69
findings of the philadelphia cohort study?
6% were chronic offenders and those committed 52% of all offenses. 80% robberies, 70% murders, 65% aggravated assaults were chronic offenders
70
who is marvin wolfgang?
an american sociologists who did studies on criminology
71
how were victims viewed traditionally?
as a passive target of predatory offenders greed or anger
72
blame and cause. difference?
blame: moral or ethical concept cause: a scientific concept
73
social ecology of victimization
more serious crimes take place after dark, most rapes happen between 6pm and 6 am. inner city have higher risk of theft, larger african american western suburban homes are the most vulnerable
74
victim characteristics
men are more likely to be victimized (except rape and SA) women are more likely to be victimized by someone they know younger people are victimized more and minorities
75
victim precipitation
many victims initiate the confrontations that lead to their victimization
76
routine actives theory
crime is a function of everyday life. components include motivated offenders, attractive targets, and lack of capable guardian. cohen and felson

criminology (3 decks)

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