EXam Flashcards
(25 cards)
Involvement decisions
- decisions about whether or not to get involved in an offense, or to withdraw from an offense, these decisions are central to weighing the costs and the benefits of possible outcomes
Event Decisions
the tactics of carrying out an offense are determined. If the tactics are easy, the involvement decisions gains potential benefits. If the involvement decisions are difficult, the decision loses potential benefits. (i.e. if there are too many obstacles to the crime, via target hardening approaches, the rational offender will choose to avoid involvement).
Evolutionary Psychology
- the attempt to explain psychological traits and tendencies toward criminality in terms of adaptations that contribute to survival, that were transmitted to later generations as a part of their biological heritage.
Evolutionary/Ecological Theories
focus more on nature than on nurture, focuses on the selfish gene, the need to successfully propagate one’s gene pool through reproduction, very hard to find proof and also very difficult to disprove
Conditional Adaptation theory-
argues that anti-social behavior is part of an adaptive response to an unstable or hostile environment.
Alternative adaptation theory
assumes that some people inherit a greater tendency to engage in antisocial behavior, and will be driven more by mating urges than by parenting urges.
Evolutionary Expropriative Theory
assumes that all humans have equal genetic potential for criminal behavior, argues that humans are genetically driven to seek mates,
Social Concern Theory-
this theory explains why people don’t commit crime with the explanation still supporting Darwin’s survival of the fittest.
Brain Hemispheric Theory
Psychopaths rely less on emotional right brain side and have better left hemispheric function which makes them excel on denotative linguistic processes. The corpus callosom, the bridge between the two hemispheres does not function as well in psychopaths, allowing less communication from one side to the other. Thus, goal direct behavior (left brain) is strong,
Suboptimal arousal theory
also called hypo-arousal theory- is traced to differences in the function of the autonomic nervous system, which make it less sensitive to environmental stimuli, thus resulting a difficulty getting emotional arousal.
Seizure theory-
epilepsy is three times as high in the prison population than the general population. Lombroso thought epilepsy was brain degeneration.
Teratogens
influence the biological state of the baby, which can alter life time behavior. I.
Reformers called Progressive
argued that the system should not punish offenders, but should seek to “save” them, thus the child-saving movement was born – this group of people looked to help delinquent youth rather than to isolate them
Eugenics movement
the desire to remove criminals from the community to prevent them from perpetrating additional “biological harm” – reproducing and passing their criminal genes on- cannot rehabilitate or reform offenders-incapacitation is the way to go, isolate them from society
Social Darwinism
… Rather if it is defective characteristics driving bad behavior, we must let that genetic line die out of society, if we provide social welfare or help- we are interfering with the natural order trying to correct itself.
Wright Mills
The Sociological Imagination- argues that you cannot understand an individual unless you first understand the social, historical, and institutional conditions in which an individual lives, without understanding this context- understanding behavior is impossible. Using the sociological imagination allows us to understand the impact of social forces in both engaging in and responding to deviance.
Pathologizing
assuming the person who engages in deviance is mentally ill or that there is something wrong with him/her. This explanation puts all accountability on the individual without factoring in any consideration to social forces
Liberation Theory of Female Criminality
- Freda Adler 1975- argued that with the women’s liberation movement of the 1960’s and 1970’s, women took on roles that were traditionally more “male” in behavior. They began to enter the work place, carry financial responsibility, etc. Their roles have become more assertive in society, thus they are taking on more traditionally “masculine” behaviors. Thus, women will gravitate towards committing what has been considered “male crimes” including physical assaults and white collar crimes. Because of the increase of females in culturally defined masculine roles, the numbers of women engaging in crime will also increase. However, there is very little empirical support in the research to reinforce the idea that increased independence of women socially and culturally has any relationship to the increase in the female presence of crime.
-Rita James
argued that Adler’s theory wasn’t empty despite the lack of empirical evidence. She continued on in this discussion arguing that the social shift of women out of the house, into the labor force opened up more opportunity for women to engage in crime. When women were limited to the house and care taking of the family, there was less opportunity for crime, which could in part explain the increase in female criminality post Women’s Liberation Movement.
Power Control Theory
- Hagan 1989- argues that the power relationships in the workplace in society are mirrored in the family setting-the relationships and methods of dominance learned in the workplace are carried into the home. Gender roles are maintained from the work place into the home, and then are passed on to our children through socialization. For example- the nature of discipline, power, and rules exercised over female offspring is very different and much more strict than the power, rules, and discipline of boys. It is less acceptable for girls to engage in delinquency, whereas a “boys will be boys” attitude is often adopted when young men misbehave. Males are less controlled than are females in upbringing. This level of control exercised over the offspring will dictate their level of risk taking (females less so because they have been controlled more, and males more so because they receive less management). Thus, according to Hagan this patriarchal structure of the way we socialize results in the gender gap in criminality.
Liberal Feminism
females are often treated more leniently in the criminal justice system. This is often referred to as “the chivalry defense”. Liberal feminism argues that there should be no chivalry defense and that women should be treated equally in the justice system in conjunction with their male counterparts. Discriminatory practices that benefit women should be ousted, gender based laws should be re-written, and male and female children should be socialized in the same way. Women should be hired at equal rates in the workforce, thus altering the power dynamic of the workforce… If this were to occur, the “gender gap” wouldn’t be so wide in the criminal numbers.
Radical Feminism
focus is on the way in which power is constructed and dominated by males in society
, the elimination of male dominance in the family setting, and demand equal presence in the workforce.
Marxist Feminism-
females in the work place are relegated to low paid labor positions. Females are paid notably less than their male counterparts. Frustration at being relegated to these positions results in female criminality.
Socialist Feminism
females commit crime of accommodation (property crimes, non-violent crimes) on the basis. Socialist feminism argues that females are exploited for their labor and their sexuality. Thus, female crimes reflect their resistance to the position they have been relegated to in society.
