Chapter 8 – Crime & Criminal Justice Flashcards
What term refers to “a behavior prohibited by the criminal law because it is considered especially harmful or offensive”.
Crime
What is the relationship between crime and deviance?
Crime is a type of deviance
What term refers to “a behavior that violates social norms and arouses strong social disapproval?”
Deviance
Is public concern about crime proportionate to how much the facts warrant?
No
Does news media overdramatize crime?
Yes
Has youth violence been rising?
No
African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans have higher rates than whites in what kind of crime?
Street crime
Whites have a higher rate of what kind of crime?
White-collar crime
Why do whites have a higher rate of white-collar crimes?
They are more likely to lead and manage corporations
The disproportionate involvement of African Americans and Latinos in street crime arises largely from what?
Their poverty and urban residence
What theories stress that crime results from economic and other problems in how society is structured, and from poverty and other problems in the neighborhood?
Functionalist (Social structure)
What theorists stress that crime results from our interaction with family, peers, and other people, and from labeling by the criminal justice system?
Interactionist
What theories stress that social groups with power and influence try to use the law and criminal justice system to maintain their power and keep other groups at the bottom of society?
Conflict
Why do police have a working personality that is authoritarian and suspicious?
Partly because the police often fear for their lives
What is the most significant problem with legal representation for criminal defendants?
Inadequate legal representation for criminal defendants, who are mostly poor
