Ch 2: Crime, Criminology, and Victimization Flashcards
Robbery
Taking someones property through threats, force, or violence
Burglary
Unlawful entry into structure with intent to commit a crime inside
Theft
Unlawful removal of property
Larceny
Stealing of physical property from its owner
Petty theft
Theft of goods under $500
Grand theft
Theft of goods over $500
Auto theft
Theft of automobile/vehicle
Disorderly conduct
Anything that disturbs the peace; discretionary law
Visible crime
Crimes committed publicly that are easily observable
Violent crimes
Acts against people that result in death or physical injury
Property crimes
Acts that threaten property held by individual or state without use of threat or violence
Public order crime
Considered illegal bc they conflict w social policy, morals, or public opinion
Occupational crime
Offenses committed through opportunities created in legal business or occupation
Organized crime
Structured group that makes a profit through illegal activities and survives through the use of force, threats, and corruption
Transnational crime
Crime whose planning or execution crosses borders of countries
Victimless crime
Legal offense where no one is identifiable victim
Political crime
Crime usually for an ideological purpose that are considered against the state but can also be committed by the state
Cybercrime
Use of computers and the internet to commit acts against ppl, property, public order, or morality
Uniform crime report (UCR)
Annually published statistical summary of crimes reported to the police based on voluntary reports to FBI by local, state, and federal law enforcement (misdemeanors didn’t require victim info)
National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)
Captures details on crime incident and separate offenses within the same incident (collects all crime, offender, and victim info)
National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)
Biannual survey of a sample of household to ask questions regarding their victimization
Criminology
Study of how sociology/psych influences crime and how law effects society
Criminal justice
Study of the system of law enforcement, procedures/policies, and how the systems interact with individuals
Classical theory
Crime done by free will where offender can weigh out cost vs benefit and their punishment fits crime
Positivist/biological theory
Criminals are biologically different people and can be analyzed with science
Psychological theory
Emphasizes mental processes and how someones raised
(psychopath, sociopath, antisocial personality disorder)
Sociological theory
Where one lives/grew up and their social conditions affect their entrance into criminal life
Life course theory
Asks what point criminality starts and stops, explores turning point in ones life, and that criminality starts at an early age
Integrated theory
A mixture of theories explains crime more superiorly than any individual theory
Gender theory
Women commit less violent crimes and less crimes in general; women are usually victims and are less likely to be suspects
Victimology
Scientific study of causes of victimization, consequences, and how criminal justice system helps victims
Victim precipitation
Extent to which victim is responsible for their own victimization
Victim facilitation
Victim unintentionally makes it easier for an offender to commit a crime; helps understand why one person may be victimized over another but does not connote blame and responsibility
Victim provocation
When a person incites someone else to commit a crime
Secondary victim
Someone who suffers harm indirectly
Cost of victimization
How much/what a victim loses or suffers as a result of a crime
Victim of Rights Act
(1984) Authorizes crime victim compensation and assistance to victims of federal and state crimes
Victims Rights and Restitution Act
(1990) Requires all Federal law enforcement agency officers and employees to give victims rights to fairness, respect, dignity, protection
Violence Against Women Act
(1994) Gives prevention programs and prosecution efforts for violent crimes against women/children and improves criminal justice responses to sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking
Crime Victims Act
(2004) Allows victims to speak at sentencing hearings, not just to submit victim impact statements
1st degree murder
Premeditated murder that’s carried out with intent to kill
2nd degree murder
Murder carried out with intent to kill but wasn’t premeditation
3rd degree murder
Murder with no intent to kill and no premeditation
