Positivist

Question 1

Free will/Rational Choice Theories

Answer 1

People do a cost befit analysis before acting

Question 2

general deterrence

Answer 2

intended to deter the public from committing crimes

Question 3

specific deterrence

Answer 3

Specific punishment is meant to deter criminals from committing more crime.

Question 4

Routine Activities Theory

Answer 4

that criminal behavior will take place when and where there is a conjunction of three elements or factors:

1. The motivated offender
2. A suitable target (VIVA)
3. The absence of a capable guardian.

Question 5

suitable target: VIVA

Answer 5

Value - $$$
Inertia - Easy to move?
Visibility - Can be seen?
Access - Can get to it?

Question 6

Social Disorganization Theory

Answer 6

social disorganization indirectly contributes to crime rates through its effect on a neighborhood’s social ties and level of informal social control

Question 7

Socially organized neighborhood characteristics

Answer 7

solidarity, cohesion, integration

Question 8

Solidarity

Answer 8

internal consensus on important norms and values such as a crime free community

Question 9

Cohesion

Answer 9

strong bonds among neighbors

Question 10

Integration

Answer 10

social interaction among residents

Question 11

Socially Disorganization neighborhood characteristics

Answer 11

Poverty
Residential mobility
Racial/ethnic heterogeneity
Other ecological factors (e.g. divorce rates, unemployment)

Question 12

Socially organized neighborhood have high levels of informal social control, which help to lower crime

Answer 12

Informal surveillance
Movement-governing rules – avoidance of areas in or near neighborhoods viewed as unsafe
Direct intervention, or the questioning of strangers and residents about suspicious activities

Question 13

Merton’s Strain/Anomie Theory

Answer 13

a disjunction between culturally defined goals and structurally available opportunities = deviance

Question 14

Conformity

Answer 14

accepting both society-approved goals and means

Question 15

Innovation

Answer 15

Use of illegitimate (or deviant) means to achieve socially accepted/promoted high success goals

Question 16

Ritualism

Answer 16

abandoning high success goals but pursuing legitimate work

Question 17

Retreatism

Answer 17

withdrawal from goals and means of society

Question 18

Rebellion

Answer 18

Rejection of prevailing social expectations and support for overthrowing the system (i.e. social institutions, bureaucracy)

Question 19

Differential Opportunity Theory

Answer 19

that the type of delinquency that strained youth pursue depends on the criminal opportunities available to them

Question 20

Learning structures

Answer 20

opportunities to learn values and skills to achieve culturally defined goals (lower classes have more opportunity to learn criminal means)

Question 21

Performance structures

Answer 21

opportunities to learn and be rewarded for certain behaviors (lower classes have more opportunity to be rewarded for delinquent behaviors)

Question 22

Criminal subcultures

Answer 22

occur when commitment to conventional goals but lack legitimate opportunity

Question 23

Conflict subcultures

Answer 23

lack of learning structures to commit crimes above; more socially disorganized; violent gangs give high status to good fighters (performance structures conducive to violence/aggressive behavior)

Question 24

Retreatist subcultures

Answer 24

lack of both learning and performance structures – drug use is common

Question 25

General Strain Theory

Answer 25

individuals who experience strains or stressors often experience negative emotions and sometimes cope with crime

Question 26

Institutional Anomie Theory

Answer 26

Economic values penetrate and weaken non-economic institutions leading to lower levels of social control over self-serving behaviors, including deviance & crime

Question 27

Differential Association Theory

Answer 27

People learn through interactions Positive definitions of deviance increase the likelihood of deviant behavior 4 modalities: Priority, Intensity, Frequency, Duration

Question 28

Priority

Answer 28

the earlier in one’s life one is exposed to favorable definitions (attitudes and values) of crime, the greater the likelihood one will commit a crime

Question 29

Intensity

Answer 29

the closer more intimate the friends, relatives, and acquaintances that endorse criminal behavior (express favorable definitions of crime), the more likely one will commit a crime

Question 30

Frequency

Answer 30

the more frequently one associates with those who express favorable definitions of crime, the more likely one will commit a crime

Question 31

Duration

Answer 31

the longer one associates with those who express favorable definitions of crime, the more likely one will commit crime

Question 32

Social Learning Theory

Answer 32

Differential Association Definitions Differential Reinforcement Imitation

Question 33

Differential Association

Answer 33

argues that crime is a behavior that is learned from others who feel that criminal behavior is acceptable

Question 34

Definitions

Answer 34

justifications from offender/deviant to rationalize certain inappropriate behaviors, which allow them to square their self-images with the obvious harm of their actions

Question 35

Differential Reinforcement

Answer 35

a concept which explains how certain types of rewards and punishments have a different effect on certain types of people – operant conditioning

Question 36

Imitation

Answer 36

Individuals learn how to make the decision to engage in crime by modeling other criminals’ behavior

Question 37

Social Control Theory (Bonding Theory)

Answer 37

A juvenile is more likely to engage in delinquent acts when he or she’s bond to society is weak or broken. 1. Attachment 2. Commitment 3. Involvement 4. Belief

Question 38

Attachment

Answer 38

positive bonds with individuals and legitimate institutions in society

Question 39

Commitment

Answer 39

dedication to legitimate, conventional goals

Question 40

Involvement

Answer 40

spending time doing conventional activities

Question 41

Belief

Answer 41

worldview that crime is unacceptable

Question 42

Self-Control Theory (The General Theory of Crime)

Answer 42

Lack of self-control leads to more deviant behavior.

Question 43

Low Self-Control traits

Answer 43

such as impulsivity, insensitivity, self-centeredness, and lower-than-average intelligence.

Question 44

Life-course perspective

Answer 44

Use socio-structural factors and social processes to explain delinquency and crime in terms of patterns of change and the continuity between childhood behavior and later adulthood outcomes Age Increases -> Criminal behavior decreases

Question 45

Positive reinforcement

Answer 45

add something good to encourage behavior

Question 46

Negative reinforcement

Answer 46

take away something bad to encourage behavior

Question 47

Positive Punishment

Answer 47

add something bad to discourage behavior

Question 48

Negative punishment

Answer 48

take away something good to discourage behavior

Question 49

VIVA

Answer 49

Value Inertia- easy to move? Visible Access