exam 2 content

Question 1

choice theory has its roots in what school

Answer 1

classical school

Question 2

two branches of choice theory:

Answer 2

deterrence doctrine

rational choice theory

Question 3

determinism

Answer 3

behavior being caused by something outside of your control

Question 4

deterrence doctrine tends to lean

Answer 4

right / far right

Question 5

assumptions of the deterrence doctrine

Answer 5

humans are rational creatures who posses free will

human behavior is based on hedonism

Question 6

types of deterrence

Answer 6

specific: so powerful individual should never repeat criminal acts
general: fear of penalties convinces potential law violators to not break the law

Question 7

for deterrence to work, the punishment needs to be what:

Answer 7

certain, swift, and severe

Question 8

main critiques of deterrence

Answer 8

rationality: they assume offenders are rational when this is not the case (ex. emotionally charged crimes or drug and alcohol influence)
effectiveness of system: deterrence is a threat system but our system is not effective in carrying out punishments.

Question 9

what is the basic assumptions of choice theory?

Answer 9

humans are rational creatures who posses free will

Question 10

identify the assumptions of the deterrence doctorine?

Answer 10

humans are rational creatures who posses free will
human behavior is based on hedonism
a painful punishment prevents crime

Question 11

what are the criteria for an effective punishment according to the deterrence doctrine?

Answer 11

certain
swift
severe

Question 12

what are the major critiques of deterrence?

Answer 12

assumes offenders are rational, when that is not the case

deterrence uses a threat system, when out system doe snot effectively carry out this threat

Question 13

who is the founder of the rational choice theory?

Answer 13

beccaria

Question 14

components of the decision making process according to rational choice theory?

Answer 14

rewards/costs. weighing the magnitude and probability of rewards and magnitude and probability of costs

Question 15

what did jack katz say was the cause of crime?

Answer 15

that some people are attracted to the immediate emotional rewards of the crime

Question 16

discuss the idea and the rationale behind situational crime prevention?

Answer 16

seeks to eliminate or reduce specific crimes in specific settings
criminal acts will be avoided if potential targets are guarded, the means to commit crime are controlled, potential offenders are carefully monitored

Question 17

what are the three ways displacement occurs?

Answer 17

one target to another
one area to another
one offense to another

Question 18

discuss deterrence and capital punishment?

Answer 18

the deterrent effect of punishment is influenced by race and gender
does not work well with conventional criminals

research indicates that the death penalty is not an effective general deterrent to murder
death penalty lacks certainty and swiftness

Question 19

discuss the impact of social variables on deterrence as well as deterrence an offender type.

Answer 19

influenced by race and gender
doesn’t work with conventional criminals
more effective with white collar crime

Question 20

what are the problems with “biological” conditions and crime?

Answer 20

most research has been on a small and non representative sample such as correctional or clinical populations
casual links are problematic

Question 21

discuss genetics and crime with: twins, adoption, and takeaway

Answer 21

twins: identical twins have concordance rates 2-3 times higher than fraternal twins
adoption: there is a slight tendency for adopted children to have criminal behavior more similar to biological parents
takeaway: genetics take a limited role in crime

Question 22

what is sociobiology? how do these traits link to criminal behavior?

Answer 22

biological and genetic conditions affect how social behaviors are learned and perceived
ADD/ADHD, learning disorders, and child abuse can trigger antisocial responses

Question 23

how common are mental disorders among youth in the juvenile justice system?

Answer 23

70% have symptoms of one or more mental disorder. most have never been evaluated prior to court appearance

Question 24

what is the relationship between self control and criminal behavior? where does it come from? what are the characteristics?

Answer 24

low self control results in criminal behavior. result of ineffective child rearing practices
characteristics: impulsivity, preference for simple tasks, risk seeking, physical activities, self centered, quick to anger

Question 25

what is the link with IQ and crime and what are the criticisms?

Answer 25

criminals tend to have lower IQ then general population review finds a 9 point different cannot account for white collar crime some say it has racial bias, but 9pt difference is consistent between all races compared with one another

Question 26

what is the psychopathic personality and crime? what are the controversies?

Answer 26

psychopath is a person who is antisocial, aggressive, impulsive, unable to form lasting bonds, feels little or no guilt for their actions. about 10-25% of criminals use of this is based on circular reasoning no agreement on precise definition of this

Question 27

what are the basic assumptions of perspectives that examine socioeconomic sources of crime?

Answer 27

assumes crime is causes by structural conditions | criminal behavior is an adaptive response to those conditions

Question 28

what are the basic assumptions made me Merton? identify the five types of anomie.

Answer 28

``` american society defines its goals and means to attain these goals for all its members conformity-accepts goals and means innovation-accepts goals declines means ritualism-declines goals accepts means retreatism-declines goals and means rebellion-declines both to replace them ```

Question 29

discuss shaw and mckay's work. where? patterns in deliquency? what did they say causes it?

Answer 29

Universit of Chicago rates of delinquency are the highest in inner city and decrease systematically as you move out causes it???

Question 30

``` group people and their main work: shaw and mckay merton agnew goffredson and hirschi ```

Answer 30

social disorganization anomie general strain theory general theory of crime

Question 31

accoring to agnew, what are three possible sources of strain? how do they result in deliquency?

Answer 31

failure to achieve positively valued goals removal of positive valued stimuli presentation of negative stimuli results in deliquency because of negative affective states, anger, depression, disapointment, fear, and other adverse emotions that derive from strain

Question 32

Gary Becker

Answer 32

applied economists model of choice to human behavior people weigh rewards and costs differently explained bounded rationality and that heroine addiction is rational

Question 33

bounded rationality

Answer 33

social, psychological, physical, and situational contexts impact decision making and how potential offenders consider rewards and costs

Question 34

displacement effect

Answer 34

a change in the pattern of crime without a reduction in the total amount of crime that results for criminals efforts to avoid punishment

Question 35

general deterrence

Answer 35

fear of potential penalties convinces potential law violators not to break the law

Question 36

specific deterrence

Answer 36

criminal sanctions should be so powerful that an individual never repeats their criminal acts

Question 37

conduct disorder

Answer 37

a repetitive pattern of behavior in youth in which the rights of others or social norms are violated linked to long term offending kids frequently lie cheat bully and lack guilt for their actions

Question 38

self medication hypothesis

Answer 38

the individuals choice of a particular drug is a result of the individuals psychological condition as the drug of choice provides relief to the user specific to his or her condition

Question 39

trait theory

Answer 39

the view that criminal behavior is a product of abnormal biological or psychological traits

Question 40

shattered child hypothesis

Answer 40

horrific childhood maltreatment results in trauma that leads to self destructive behavior

Question 41

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Answer 41

ADD/ADHD

Question 42

concentric zone model

Answer 42

a model of metropolitan areas that identifies circular rings that have distinctive characteristics

Question 43

gradient hypothesis

Answer 43

all rates of crime and delinquency are the highest in the inner city and decrease systematically as you move outward

Question 44

natural areas

Answer 44

places of extreme poverty where crucial social control mechanisms have broken down

Question 45

anomie

Answer 45

a sense of moral confusion

Question 46

negative affective states

Answer 46

anger, depression, disappointment, fear, and other adverse emotions that derive from strain