Crime Flashcards
what is crime defined as
an act that violates criminal law and is punishable through the law
you did what they said you did using evidence and witness is defined as
actus reus
providing criminal intent in court is defined as
mens rea
true or false - mens rea is needed for all crimes
false - only for minor crimes
what are the 5 factors affecting the crime rate
report sensitive, definition sensitive, policing sensitive, media sensitive and real trends
how are crimes being report sensitive affect the crime rate
as soon as you see police reported on the article, the information has been tainted -> domestic and sexual violence data is not reported
how are crimes being definition sensitive affect the crime rate
if you are studying sexual assault and you want to look at the trends, there is a problem because sexual assault laws changed
how do real trends affect crime rates
crime swap -> where we used to have theft, is now identity theft
what are examples of how crime changes over time
- if you murder during war it is fine but not allowed in other circumstances
- committing suicide used to be a crime
- abortion used to be a crime
_______ theory is when there is a major consensus in society on what should be a criminal
consensus
how does consensus theory align with structural functionalism
it is good that we all agree on crime because when we separate people from society based on crime -> social stability is high
-> society is organized in a very natural way
what are 3 factors of the consensus theory
societal stability, social cohesion and the idea that society is organic
the consensus theory came out of what older theory
darwins theory
what are the 3 reasons why durkheim believed that crime was a functional part of society
- criminal courts are a spectacle -> solidifies our social values so our society is working properly
- system processing of crime allows for societal change
- crime is a good society -> employs a lot of people middle class jobs
what contradicts the consensus theory
the judges and courts decide what is a crime so they overpower others -> not a consensus
what does the marxist theory focus on
the relationship between crime and social arrangements
list the 3 factors that influence the relationship between crime and social arrangements
political
economic -> hippies a problem population
legal structures -> if you are rich, you have access to lawyers
conflict is rooted in the structure of a ______ society -> why
capitalism -> not fair, never a get job no matter how hard you try -> a risk to the stability of society because of rioting
briefly explain the 6 ideas of the Quinney’s critical marxist theory (do not give examples yet just brief)
- advanced capitalist society
- state serves the dominant economic class
- laws in place to protect capitalism
- it is always the victims that go to jail rather than the higher up people
- bourgeoise and exploitation
- collapse of capitalism and adapt a new society
provide an example of this statement “it is always the victims that go to jail rather than the higher up people”
lots of the companies knew oxycontin was addictive, lied about it -> doctors did not know about this so they still prescribed -> it is not the companies that went to jail, it is friends and families that were arrested or died
why are people with lower SES more likely to be captured in police reported crime
wealthy and middle class commit just as much crime but they are able to get away from it -> poor people do not have the money or resources to get out of the crime
what does it mean “different classes have different opportunities”
poor person is not going to be caught embezzling from the bank, they are likely to be working at the bank -> it is a crime of middle or higher class
what are the 3 fundamental findings Wright found regarding socio-economic status and criminal behavior?
- link between SES and crime is indirect
- low SES promotes delinquency (alienation, financial strain, aggression)
- high SES promotes delinquency (reducing adherence to conventional values while increasing social power and risk-taking behavior)
who defined white collar crime?
edwin sutherland
what is white collar crime?
crimes committed by person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation
do WCC result in convictions? if they don’t what do they deal with?
no instead they deal with:
- civil agencies than courts
- prefer receiving civil damages rather than criminal punishment for offender
- escape prosecution bc of class protection and privilege
- prosecutions limited to primary offender only
what theory is the WCC associated with?
differential association theory
what was the anti-competition crime?
big grocery stores like Walmart got together and decided to fix their prices for items and to try to cover their asses they told Canadians if they agreed to not sue them they would get a $25 giftcard
what happened in Harper’s office before the election to decide if he was PM?
an employer in the office called people at home and told them their election voting location changed in order to change their votes so Harper would win - robo call
- mans went to jail
what was the focus of Marxist research on corporate crime?
- harmful conduct of those inside the sphere of production in capitalist economies
according to Marxist research does corporate or street crime impact society more negatively?
corporate crime
why does capitalism create strong motivation to commit crime?
- profit maximization mandate of capitalism creates strong motivation
what is one failure of the regulation by the state?
transnational corporations
what kind of power does transnational corporations have?
- great influence state policies and laws
- lots of economic power that they are hard to regulate
- when gov’t is too restrictive they can relocate
what does the rule of law depend on?
- willingness of citizens to comply
- requires that the state is perceived as legitimate by citizenry
when is legitimacy of the state questioned?
- if it cannot provide peace, security, good gov’t and protection
when does a crisis of legitimacy arise?
any state that fails to live up to its end of the social contract
what is a crisis of legitimacy?
when the state no longer maintains authority to govern which leads to civil unrest and threatens the state’s power
what are the harms in a crisis of legitimacy caused by?
- under-regulated business practices of major corporations
- growing economic inequality
- growing insecurity and unrest (less secure job positions - more temporary and contract work rather than full time, permanent positions)
- externalities - enviro crises
what is neoliberalism?
- current political philosophy
- emphasizes privatization
- deregulation
- reduction of welfare state through reduction in programs
- lowering taxes
how does neoliberalism work with private facilities?
- privatization wants to gain a profit
- they mandated that nurses stay in one facility rather than moving around to different facilities
- less nurses being hired, lower wages
- instability increases and inequality
what is a branch of interactionist theories and crime extending labelling theory?
coerced mobility theory
who made the coerced mobility theory?
Rose and Clear
what is the counterintuitive finding?
locking up community criminals does not make the neighbourhood safer
- if someone steals money to feed their family and they go to jail then the family will have to steal to meet ends meet and to ensure they are fed so it is a cycle
what was the point of Chambliss’s work?
- the Saints and Roughnecks
- the saints were the middle/upper class high school students who were given a pass for their deviant behavior as their parents played a role in their decision making process
- roughnecks were the poor who were powerless and had to just agree with the police as they had no say
