Chapter Four Flashcards
rational choice theory
view that crime is a function of a decision-making process in which the potential offender weighs the potential costs and benefits of an illegal act
offense-specific
view that an offender reacts selectively to the characteristics of a particular criminal act
offender-specific
view that offenders evaluate their skills, motives, needs, and fears before deciding to commit the criminal act
johns
men who solicit sex
situational crime prevention
a method of crime prevention that seeks to eliminate or reduce particular crimes in specific settings
defensible space
the principle that crime can be prevented or displaced by modifying the physical environment to reduce the opportunity that individuals have to commit crime
crime discouragers
people who serve as guardians of property or people
diffusion
an effect that occurs when efforts to prevent one crime unintentionally prevent another
discouragement
an effect that occurs when crime control efforts targeting a particular locale help reduce crime in surrounding areas and populations
displacement
an effect that occurs when crime control efforts simply move, or redirect, offenders to less heavily guarded alternative targets
extinction
an effect that occurs when criminals try new offenses they had previously avoided because situational crime prevention avoided because situational crime prevention programs neutralized their crime of choice
general deterrence
crime control policy that depends on the fear of criminal penalties convincing the potential law violator that the pains associated with crime outweigh its benefits
marginal deterrence
occurs when a relatively more severe penalty will produce some reduction in crime
restrictive deterrence
refers to situations in which the threat of punishment can reduce but not eliminate crime
specific deterrence
view that criminal sanctions should be so powerful that offenders will never repeat their criminal acts
