Chapter One: What Is Criminology?

Question 1

What is the legalistic perspective of crime?

Answer 1

Crime is a human conduct in violation of criminal laws of the federal government (no law = no crime)

Question 2

What is the political perspective of crime?

Answer 2

Crime is the result of criteria that have been built by powerful groups (law serves the politically powerful)

Question 3

What is the sociological perspective of crime?

Answer 3

Crime is an antisocial act that needs to be repressed to preserve social order (an offence against human relations, and secondarily a violation of law)

Question 4

What is the psychological perspective of crime?

Answer 4

Crime is a form of social maladjustment, causing difficulty for an individual to remain in harmony with society ( a problem behaviour for both the individual and society)

Question 5

What is criminal law?

Answer 5

Regulates actions that have potential to harm interests of the state (indictable offences, hybrid offences)

Question 6

What is civil law?

Answer 6

Exists primarily for the purpose of enforcing property rights (contracts and claims to property)

Question 7

What is administrative law?

Answer 7

Regulates many daily business activities

Question 8

What is deviant behaviour?

Answer 8

Human activity that violates social norms

Question 9

What is delinquency?

Answer 9

Violations of the law committed by people under the age of 18

Question 10

What is the overlap between deviance and crime?

Answer 10

Illegal = speeding
Deviant = smoking weed
Illegal and Deviant = robbery

Question 11

What is the consensus perspective of what should be criminal?

Answer 11

Laws should be enacted to criminalize forms of behaviour
- built around most members of society agreeing on what is right or wrong

Question 12

What are the basic principles of consensus perspective (4)?

Answer 12

1. Most members of a society believe in the existence of core values
2. Laws reflect in the collective will of the people
3. All people are equal under law
4. Law violators represent a subgroup w/distinguishing features

Question 13

What is the pluralist perspective in what should be criminal?

Answer 13

Laws exist as peacekeeping tools that allows officials to settle disputes
- a multiplicity of values and beliefs exists in any complex society

Question 14

What are the basic principles of pluralist perspective (5)?

Answer 14

1. Society consists of many distinct social groups
2. Each group has its own set of values, beliefs, and interests
3. A general agreement exists on the usefulness of formalized laws
4. The legal system is free of petty disputes
5. The best interests of society are represented in legal institutions

Question 15

What is the conflict perspective in what should be criminal?

Answer 15

Laws are a tool of the powerful
- conflict is a fundamental aspect of social life itself

Question 16

What are the basic principles of conflict perspective (5)?

Answer 16

1. Society is made up of many social groups, with their own values
2. Each group holds different understanding of right and wrong
3. Conflict between groups is inevitable (class conflict)
4. Group conflict centres on the exercise of political power
5. Law is a toll of power and furthers the interests of those with power

Question 17

What is a criminologist?

Answer 17

Criminologist study crime, criminals, and criminal behaviour. They are trained in the field of criminology

Question 18

What is a criminalists?

Answer 18

They are specialists in the collection and examination of the physical evidence of crime

Question 19

What is criminology?

Answer 19

It is a profession built around the scientific study of crime and criminal behaviour.

Question 20

What is social policy?

Answer 20

Government initiative, program, or plan intended to address problems in society

Question 21

What is criminality?

Answer 21

A behavioural predisposition that disproportionately favours criminal activity

Question 22

What is criminal behaviour?

Answer 22

A way of acquiring valued resources from others by exploring and deceiving them

Question 23

What are the three important types of definitions of criminology?

Answer 23

1. Disciplinary
2. Causative
3. Scientific

Question 24

What is a theory?

Answer 24

A series of interrelated propositions, an attempt to describe, explain, predict, and ultimately control some class of events

Question 25

What is a general theory?

Answer 25

A theory that attempts to explain all forms of criminal conduct through a single, overacting approach

Question 26

What is an integrated theory?

Answer 26

An explanatory perspective that merges concepts drawn from different sources

Question 27

What are some facts about present-day criminology?

Answer 27

• is more scientific than in the past
• is amenable to objective scrutiny
• identifies relationships among gathered facts

Question 28

What is the goal of research within criminology?

Answer 28

The goal is to construct theories or models that allow for a better understanding of criminal behaviour, which permits development of strategies to address the problem of crime