Mid Term 1

Question 1

Definition of Criminolgy

Answer 1

The body of knowledge regarding crime as a social phenomenon. Includes the process of making laws, of breaking laws, and the reacting toward the breaking of laws.

Question 2

Objective of Criminolgy

Answer 2

The development of a body of general and verified principles and of other types of knowledge regarding this process of law, crime, and treatment or prevention

Question 3

Factual definition of crime

Answer 3

Some acts are seen as so threatening to society’s survival they are designated a crime

Question 4

Normative definition of crime

Answer 4

Harm or damage caused to others

Question 5

Consensus model

Answer 5

• Certain acts are deemed so threatening to society survival that they are designated as crimes.
• If large majority agree on whats right and wrong that value becomes law
• a mechanism of control that settles disputes between people who stray
• laws created for greater good
• harmonize with least sacrifice
• loses weight with morality crimes(no consensus ex. pot)

Question 6

Conflict model

Answer 6

• Crim law does not reflect the majority
• expresses values of the ruling class
• justice system is used to control the powerless
• struggle for power is far more basic

Question 7

Interactionist model

Answer 7

• similar to conflict as it focuses on special interest groups vying for power and passing laws that reflect their agenda
• non consensual view
• allows for the interaction and competition between groups with various power

Question 8

Green Criminology

Answer 8

• what crimes inflicted on the environment
• who commits them
• who suffers as a result
• how should we respond

Question 9

Applied criminology

Answer 9

-Research informs policy

Question 10

Public Criminology

Answer 10

• Encourages public debate on the topic of crime
• makes topic of harm central
• impact on victims, offenders, the public

Question 11

Convict Criminology

Answer 11

-Case studies, stories of ex cons, qualitative

Question 12

Moral entrepreneur

Answer 12

-

Question 13

Deviance

Answer 13

• describes an action or behavior that violates social norms

- durkheim said its a necessity in social organization

Question 14

Crime funnel

Answer 14

-the attrition of a case through the justice system

Question 15

Dark figure of crime

Answer 15

-unreported crime

Question 16

General Social Survey(GSS)

Answer 16

• every 5 years
• main source of victimization data
• replaced Canadian urban victimization survey

Question 17

UCR

Answer 17

• Provides police with standard set of procedures for collection of crime related info
• quantitative(numbers)
• attempted and completed crimes are counted in the same category
• when several crimes are committed in one event only the most serious is recorded
• aggregate totals recorded
• omissions
• Cant tap into the dark figure of crime

Question 18

Crime rate

Answer 18

# incidents
---------------------  X  100,000 = Crime rate
Population

Question 19

Victimization surveys

Answer 19

• Characteristics of crime and victims
• Characteristics of offenders
• Compare victims and reaches a large number of people
• Populations not reached and different definitions of victimization

Question 20

Self Report survey

Answer 20

• Report on your own offending behaviour
• taps into dark figure and why people commit crime
• missing cases and is usually conducted on youth

Question 21

Reasons why victims do not report crime

Answer 21

• Not enough faith in the justice system
• they are afraid for their safety
• they dont think it is worth it

Question 22

Crime severity index

Answer 22

• Incarceration rate + average length of prison stay in days
• weighs different crimes according to their seriousness
• data collected from stats canada
• it reflects trends in serious crimes
• improves comparison of trends between provinces especially how less serious crimes are reported

Question 23

Cesare Beccaria

Answer 23

• CJS must serve the people, not the monarchy
• Better to prevent crime than punish
• good legislation
• 3 things to make a good law: Certain, Swift, punishment has to fit the crime

Question 24

jeremy Bentha

Answer 24

• utilitarianism: people weigh the probability of present/future pleasures vs pain
• felicific calculus: people think of factors on whether to commit a crime

Question 25

Classical school of criminology

Answer 25

- developed as an atempt to apply rationality and the rule of law to brutal crim justice processes - why are people commiting crime if deterrance is high - rational approach to crime

Question 26

Positivism

Answer 26

-human behaviour is determined by forces beyonf individual control and that it is possible to measure those