Chapter 14 Flashcards
Criminology Definition
The body of knowledge regarding crime as a social phenomenon
Crime vs Deviance
C: Designates certain behaviours and actions that require social control
D: Violating social norms
Social Deviance
Any acts that involve the violation of social norms
Howard Becker Theory
Not the act itself, rather people’s reaction to the act that makes it deviant
Rational Choice Theory
Behaviour not the result of supernatural forces, but rather purposeful
Beccaria and Bentham Theory
If crime results in some form of pleasure for the criminal, then pain must be used to prevent crime
Four Beliefs of Rational Choice Theory
Crime is a rational choice
Criminal solutions are more attractive when they require less work
Fear of punishment can control choices
Society has better control over criminal behaviour when it is dealt with immediately
Biological Perspectives - Crime
Positivism: assuming that once we identify features that distinguish criminals from non-criminals, then possible to determine how to eliminate criminal behaviour
Cesare Lombroso: People are born criminal
Biological determinism
biological factors completely determine a person’s behaviour
Functionalism
Normlessness leads to deviant behaviour
Strain Theory
Unstable conditions are a result of people attaining goals by not doing it the socially accepted way
Illegitimate Opportunity Theory
Individuals must be located in deviant learning environments that provide them with the opportunities to learn deviant behaviour
Conflict Theory - Crime
Crime is the product of class inequality
Justice system plays in favour of the powerful
Saints vs Roughnecks
Viewed from social class positioning
S: Headed for success while performing criminal acts
R: Headed for serious trouble
Differential Association Theory
People learn criminal behaviour through social interaction