chapter 13

Question 1

choice theory

Answer 1

the framework for understanding how individuals made decisions by weighing the percieved costs and benefits of an action

Question 2

rational choice theory

Answer 2

a modern version of classical school thinking originating in economics; it assumes that humans are rational and have free will and that offenders make conscious choices to commit crimes based on a cost-benefit analysis

Question 3

When does an individual commit a crime

Answer 3

when the perceived benefits of the crime outweigh the costs

Question 4

bounded rationality (limited rationality, intuitive decisions; irrationality)

Answer 4

decisions are often made imperfectly as best guesses given available information and time constraints. decisions are bounded by the limits of our knowledge and circumstances, and so our rationality is bounded

Question 5

utility maximization

Answer 5

choices are made based on what someone perceives will provide the greatest rewards for the lowest costs

Question 6

impulsive decisions

Answer 6

they are made too quickly, without thinking

Question 7

imperfect decisions

Answer 7

they are based on poor or wrong information

Question 8

impaired decisions

Answer 8

they are impaired by emotion, alcohol, or drugs.

Question 9

script

Answer 9

the steps in decision-making and the sequence of actions for a particular criminal event

Question 10

routine activity theory

Answer 10

Felon’s theory that everyday routine and legitimate activities are key determinants of crime opportunities

Question 11

who is considered a potential/likely offender

Answer 11

anyone can be tempted or provoked to choose to commit a crime.

Question 12

potential offender defined

Answer 12

individuals who may be more experienced or actively searching for crime aka a suitable target

Question 13

capable guardian

Answer 13

any passbyer who may intervein

Question 14

“suitable targets” are CRAVED

Answer 14

concealable, removable, available, valuable, enjoyable, and disposable

Question 15

crime pattern theory

Answer 15

a theory that helps explain how crime patterns arise; it asserts that crime is not random.

Question 16

routine activity theory original proposal

Answer 16

originally proposed to explain why crime rates in most industrialized countries increased in the second half of the 20th century.

Question 17

crime opportunitey theory

Answer 17

the set of theories and concepts that are underpinned by the notion that the level of crime opportunities is the main cause of crime

Question 18

dispositional theories

Answer 18

theories that seek to explain variations between individuals in their tendency or disposition to commit crime

Question 19

situational crime prevention

Answer 19

measures taken to reduce crime opportunities, SCP takes into account the nature of the crime, the environmental factors that allow for the crime, and the risks and rewards associated with crime.

Question 20

designing out crime

Answer 20

the concept that crime prevention can start at the design process is that products and places with potential criminal threats or opportunities in mind

Question 21

environmental criminology

Answer 21

a term coined by C.Ray Jeffery; it focuses on the environment as a key area of interest in understanding how and why crime occurs