Test 1 Flashcards
(102 cards)
1
Q
What is criminology?
A
- Sees crime as a social phenomenon
-also crime need scientific research
2
Q
What does criminology focus on besides law violations?
A
What leads people to break the law.
like social, psychological, and economic factors.
3
Q
Immigration and crime
A
- Misconception: that immigrants commit the most crime
-A 1st gen immigrant is less likely to commit crime then an 2nd gen immigrant etc.
4
Q
The “Father of Criminology”
A
Cesare Lombroso
5
Q
what did Cesare Lombroso think
A
- Ppl are born criminal
-criminals can be identified with physical abnormality’s : AKA Criminal Atavism
6
Q
Criminal Atavism
A
criminals have physical defects
-are biological throwbacks
7
Q
Internal forces
A
crime is function of chemical, neurological, genetic, personality, intelligence, or mental traits.
8
Q
Edwin Sutherland
A
He criticized that “Psychopath/ mental illness” does NOT equal “Criminal”
-psychopath was so focused on the individual it could not explain crime as a larger aspect
9
Q
Schuessler & Cressey
A
o Not much difference with personality traits between criminals and not criminals
10
Q
- Emile Durkheim
A
- crime is normal and inevitable
-Thought crime could be useful: crime can allow us to evolve and bring around new social change
11
Q
Chicago School beleifs abt crime (2 ideas)
A
- Crime is a statistical phenomenon
- Crime comes from Cultural forces
12
Q
Criminal Law
2 aspects of it
A
- law creation
- the law in action
-a topic criminologists study
13
Q
- Crime Statistics
A
-a topic criminologists study
- looks at patterens, social factors connection, how crime changes due to time
14
Q
- Criminal Behavior Systems
A
-a topic criminologists study
-Crime typology: organizing different criminals
15
Q
- Theory Construction
A
-a topic criminologists study
-Does crime have a social or individual basis?
- then Why do some groups seem more crime-prone than others?
16
Q
Operation of the CJS
A
-a topic criminologists study
- stand for criminal justice system
The operation of:
a) the police;
b) the criminal courts
c) the correctional system.
17
Q
- Victimology
A
-a topic criminologists study
o The study of the impacts of crime on others
18
Q
- Deviance
A
Behaviour that does not conform to social norms, but is not defined as a crime by the law and does not carry formal sanctions
19
Q
John Hagan’s Typology of Deviance
A
pyramind that explains crime at 4 levels:
-consensous crime: 1st degree murder is at the top
-conflict crime: smoking weed
-social deviation: mentally ill
-social diversion: having a tatoo
20
Q
Early Legal Codes
A
Historically, the laws were created based on:
○ traditions
○ Folkways
○Communal sense of how things should be done
21
Q
crime
A
a violation of a criminal law that has been formally established by the State/ government.
22
Q
Criminal law definition
A
A set of rules legislated by the State in the name of society and enforced by the State through the threat or application of punishment.
23
Q
Substantive
A
In order to charge someone with a crime, something has to be broken and the state must take steps to prove something was broken
24
Q
procedural law
A
□ Rules that govern the proceedings of police, judges, government etc
□ To ensure fair practice & consistency
25
Mala in Se
(consensus crime)
-no ones question if these crimes are bad or not
○ i.e. murder, rape
26
Mala Prohibitum (conflict crime)
- There is debate on its criminality
○ i.e. decriminalization of weed and sex work
27
Consensus Perspective
○ People agree on what is evil and agreement is incorporated into criminal law
28
Conflict Perspective
-Laws reflect the power structure of society
| rich ppl influence law creation
29
3 things the law requires for a crime to of taken place
1. Actus Reus
-(requirement of a voluntary act)
2.Mens Rea
-(intent) carrying an act out intentionally
3.Concurrence in time of actus reus and mens rea.
-They both have to come together
30
2 forms of Mens Rea
subjective Mens Rea
-deliberately intended the crime
objective Mens Rea
-would a ''reasonable person'' acted this way?
31
Who is this “reasonable person”?!
○ It is up to the judge/ jury based on the case in front of them
32
Criminal Defenses:
1. Ignorance of the Law or Mistake of Fact
-if the law is not publicized or successfully communicated by government
-exception: “Consent No Defense”
□ Consent cant be assumed
33
Criminal Defenses: insanity
defined as: A disease of the mind
○ Defense:
1.“Not Criminally Responsible Due to Mental Disorder” (NCR)
-the defendant/ their lawyers to prove they have a mental disorder during the crime
2. “Unfit to Stand Trial”
-At the time of the trial, the criminal has a mental disorder effecting their understanding
34
Criminal Defenses: Intoxication
- Mere loss of inhibition caused by ur own intoxication is not a defense
○ Involuntary Intoxication: being drugged
35
Criminal Defenses: Duress
- Committing crime under threat of harm
36
Criminal Defenses: Necessity
-When someone breaks the law to avoid greater evil such as storms, natural disasters, illness
-Crime committed has to be lesser of two evils
37
Criminal Defenses: Self-defense
1.Must be a reasonable belief of danger of harm is imminent
2.Proportionality: The force used to defend urself cant be greater then necessary to avoid harm
38
Criminal Defenses: Entrapment
-Practice where law enforcement agents induce someone to commit a crime they would have otherwise been unlikely/ unwilling to commit
39
the 'scientific method' used in criminology
1) theory;
2) hypotheses
3) test hypotheses;
4) evaluate research findings.
40
Public Perceptions of Crime in Canada
mass media causes Canadians to worry abt
-crimes that are not happening often
41
Fantino’s Ball of Confusion
- Shows how police draw on ppls emotions on crime
- If we approach crime logically/ scientifically, it could reduce our fear
42
Measurement tools Available to Criminologists: Official Crime Data
○ The Uniform Crime Report (UCR)
-public document of crime occurring each month
43
Measurement tools Available to Criminologists: Survey Data
General population surveys
44
Measurement tools Available to Criminologists: Court Data
○ Courts have thousands of files to keep track of all their cases
45
Measurement tools Available to Criminologists: Corrections Data
○ Data from prisons and rehabilitations
46
Measurement tools Available to Criminologists: Field Work/Observation
○ Researchers immerse themselves in the world of the group they r studying
47
Measurement tools Available to Criminologists: Experimental Research
○ Preforming experiments to see how ppl react under certain conditions
48
Measurement tools Available to Criminologists: Historical Analysis
○ Looking at court cases to see how law/ crime definitions have changed overtime
49
Measurement tools Available to Criminologists: Content Analysis
○ Going through media reports like news paper for common language/ tone in relation to crime
50
what is The Uniform Crime Report (UCR)
○ A summary based on criminal reports from police
-used to see crime trends
-every police office in canada reports to it
51
The Uniform Crime Report 2 (UCR2)
- redone to collect more data on accused and victims characteristics
52
Crime Severity Index
○ Created to reflect different rates in volume and seriousness of different crimes
53
4 Strengths of UCR Data
1. comparisons over time
2. consistence
3.Helps understand where/ when crime takes place/ victum and criminal charatoristics
4. Crime trends
54
Weaknesses of UCR Data
1. Non-reporting of crime
- throws off measurements
2. Changing legal definitions
55
The Dark Figure of Crime
AKA unreported crimes
-The more serious the crime, the greater the likelihood that it is reported (by the public) and recorded (by the police)
56
3 methods to gather Unofficial Crime Data
1. self report survey
2. Victimization
3. Public Opinion Surveys
57
Pre-18th Century Theories of Crime
* Theories of crime inspired by religious beliefs and superstitions
58
Judeo-Christian teachings offer two explanations for the role of evil spirits played by sinful behavior
1. Temptation
-Humans have free will and can choose their behavior but the devil tempts us constantly
2. Possession
- Wrong doers are possessed by evil spirts and could be cleansed
59
Blaming social problems on the Devil and other evil spirits was a way for powerful ppls to achieve two objectives:
1. Diverted attention from failings of elites
- placed blame on ppl who were “possessed” by Devil
2. Those in power made themselves indispensable by saying only they could stop the Devil
60
Trephination
-Early form of neurological sugary
-Goal was to release evil spirts from the brain
61
The Enlightenment
* Period of industrialization and urbanization, economic prosperity, artistic
-The age of scientific discover
62
The Classical School of criminology - founders
Cesare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham
63
Cesare Beccaria
Criticized the cruelty of the justice system
64
Jeremy Bentham
- That a scientific approach to law should be grounded in the idea of pleasure and pain
65
The Hedonistic Calculus
-Offenders are rational actors: they do crime bc they receive more pleasure in crime then its punishment
| -Make crime painful enough so ppl wont commit it
66
Beccaria & Bentham both believed:
1. we should approach punishment rational
2. The relationship between crime and punishment NEEDS to be fair & balanced
67
Contributions of Classical School ; introduced 4 things
| W.U.R.D
○ free Will
○ Utilitarianism
○ Rationality
○ Deterrence
68
main ideas of Rational Choice Theory
| 2 factors a criminal considers
○ Criminal behavior is a rational choice based on the beleif that the gain outweighing the costs.
* Crime occurs after individual considers the following:
1. Personal factors:
2. Situational factors:
69
Why do ppl commit crime if it does not pay well?
* Criminals tend to:
1. Overestimate The payout
2. Believe that real work is unavailable
3. Do not believe they will get caught
4. Do not consider the costs of crime
70
how is Routine Activities theory different from Rational Choice
- larger scale
- Accounts for social/ economic reasons
-How do social and economic changes influence opportunities for crime?.
71
Routine Activities theory defined
-That crime is a normal function of routine activities for modern living
72
Routine Activities theory: 3 variables
-The likelihood of crime depends on the interactions with three factors:
1. A suitable target:
2. A capable guardian:
3. A motivated criminal:
73
how choice theory eliminates crime: 4 solutions
G.I.S.S
1. situational strategies = target hardening, defensible space, increase surveillance, etc
2. General deterrence strategies
3. Specific deterrence
4. Incapacitation= ppl cant commit crime behind bars
74
what is General deterrence strategies
Crime control policy by making an example out of some individuals
| i.e. the mandatory minimum law
75
The Brutalization Effect
-That the death sentence reinforced the idea that violence is an appropriate response
76
what is Specific deterrence
□ Making a specific criminal deter from reoffending
□ Punishment should be severe, cost outweighs the positives.
77
what is Trait Theory
- Traits and social factors can be used to explain criminality
78
what is Positivism
○ Challenged classical school thinking
79
2 main ideas of positivism
1. People are blank slates
○ behavior is a function of forces that are beyond individual control
-free will is extremely limited
2. Applies Scientific method
○ To study crime, we must measure things
80
Cesare Lombroso tattooed men study
* Study of 3000 Italian soldiers
○ Found positive correlation between soldiers with tattoos and violations of military/civilian rules/laws
81
Cesare Lombroso beliefs abt criminals
-People are born criminal
-R a lower life form
82
The Skulls of “Criminal Men” - Lombroso
* Criminals are distinguishable from non criminals by their physical features:
○ Large jaw structure
○ Strong canine teeth
○ Wide arm span
○ (characteristic similar to apes)
83
* Lombroso 3 Categories of Criminals:
1. The Born Criminal
2.The Insane
- Ppl who are not criminal at birth, but became criminal from changes in their brain structure
3.The Criminaloid
- Habitual criminals
- commit Crimes of passion
84
* Enrico Ferri
-Ppl don't choose to commit crime, they are driven to by conditions of their lives
| student of Lombroso
85
Raffaele Garofalo
- Psychological traits drive criminal involvement
student of Lombroso
86
Biological Theory
* William Sheldon’s developed Somatotype theory (1940s)
* Tendency to criminality is determined by body type and the type of crime they commit
87
William Sheldon’s developed Somatotype theory
3 body types:
1. Ectomorph
- Tall, thin, intellectual, shy
2. Endomorph
- Heavy, lethargic, friendly
3. Mesomorph
- Muscular, active, aggressive
- Prone to delinquency/violence/ crime
- a Biological Theory
88
Biological Theory - Sociobiology
○ The urge to survive and reproduce motivates human behaviour.
89
* Edmund O. Wilson: - a Sociobiology
Humans have a “Selfish gene” that controls all human destiny
90
3 Core Principles of “Biosocial” Theories
1. Genetic make-up contributes significantly to human behavior.
-Major genetic differences between us and we lead us down different paths
2. Learning, mood and behavioral motivation are influenced by biochemistry and cellular interaction.
- Our ability to understand info is filtered by our genetic makeup
3. There is an innate human drive to reproduce, to possess and control others.
91
Biosocial Theories - 5 Biochemical Factors to Crime
1. vitamin & mineral deficiency
2. Hypoglycemia
3. Male hormone levels
4. Allergies & Environmental Contaminants
5. Alcohol and drug use
92
Biosocial Theories - 3 Neurological Factors to Crime
1. minimal brain dysfunction
2. ADD
3. Tumours, Injury, brain lesions, and Disease
93
Biosocial Theories - Genetic Influences to Crime
twin study's: 60% of identical twins share identical criminal patterns
94
Psychoanalytic theory definition
behavior is governed by unconscious processes, and we develop the processes in childhood and early adulthood
95
Psychological Theory - Sigmund Freud 3 strains
1. Id
□ Pleasure principle: we want it, we get it
2. Ego
- Role is to keep the ID in check: keep in society's boundaries & social appearances
3. Super ego
□ Morality and social convention
96
Psychological Theory - Psychodynamic Perspective
Psychodynamic: human personality is controlled by unconscious mental processes developed early in childhood
Development occurs through 4 psychosexual stages
1. Oral 2. Anal 3. Phallic 4. Latency 5. Genital
- if a stage is missed, it can cause psychoses or neurons
-Crime becomes an outlet
97
what comparison did we make to ted Bundy and a Psychological Theory
men with Inferiority Complex
connects to Psychodynamic Perspective: crime became an outlet: inability to control impulse
98
Psychological Theory - Behavioral Perspective
looks at behavior modelling
- reinforcement and punishment
- i.e. if you grow up with abusive parents, you will become a abusive parent yourself
99
Social learning theory
○ Human actions are developed through a variety of learning overtime
○ Crimes are learned from life experiences
-Ppl alter their actions based on reinforcement and punishment
100
Psychological Theory - Cognitive Perspective
○ Moral development: right from wrong
-Some ppl are stuck in earlier stages of moral development
-the earlier we are in our moral development, the more likely we are to display harmful or immoral behavior.
101
Criticisms of Biosocial & Psychological Theories
1. race and social class bias
2. hyper focus on sexual and violent crimes
3. ignores social factors contributions
4. cant account for crime overtime and places
102
Mental health's statistic in crime
Those with MH are more likely to be victims of violence than perpetrators
