Criminal Psychology Flashcards
A form of child abuse in which someone shakes or throws an infant, causing significant brain damage or death
- Previously called shaken baby syndrome
Abusive Head Trauma
An individual engaged in killing or attempting to kill in a public area
Active Shooter
The ability to participate in a variety of court proceedings
Adjudicative Competence
Sexual assault in which the victim knows the assailant
Acquaintance Rape
A procedure that employs statistical group data based on prior offenders to identify an individual offender who committed similar crimes
Actuarial Profiling
An individual who usually demonstrates delinquent or antisocial behavior only during his or her teen years and then stops offending during adulthood
Adolescence Limited (AL) Offender
Behavior characterized by the intent to harm others or destroy objects
Aggression
An adult who victimizes children for both sexual and aggressive purposes
Aggressive (Sadistic) Child Sex Offender
Complete or partial memory loss of an incident, series of incidents, or some aspects of life’s experiences
Amnesia
Part of brain that regulates fear and other emotional responses
Amygdala
Clinical term reserved for serious habitual behavior, especially that involving direct harm to others
Antisocial Behavior
A disorder characterized by a history of continuous behavior in which the rights of others are violated
Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD)
Any willful or malicious burning or attempt to burn, with or without intent to defraud, a dwelling house, public building, motor vehicle, aircraft, or personal property of another
Arson
The intentional inflicting of bodily injury on another person, or the attempt to inflict such injury
Assault
Inflicting or attempting to inflict, bodily injury on another person, with the intent to inflict serious injury
Assault, Aggravated
A theory that states infants have a strong need to establish close emotional bonds with significant others in their social environments
- According to the theory, the nature of this emotional bond determines the quality of social relationships later in life
Attachment Theory
Traditionally considered a chronic neurobiological condition characterized by developmentally poor attention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity
- More contemporary perspectives see the behavioral pattern as a deficiency in interpersonal skills
Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
The approach to parenting that sets a very rigid structure on the family setting and allows little decision making by the child
Authoritarian Style
The approach to parenting that sets firm rules yet encourages the development of autonomy in the child
Authoritative Style
The killing of someone of higher authority than the perpetrator
Authority Homicide
Self arousal and gratification of sexual desire without a partner or partners
Autoeroticism
The cognitive shortcuts that people use to make quick inferences about their world
- It is the information that is most readily available to us mentally and is usually based extensively on the most recent material we gain from the news or entertainment media
Availability Heuristic
A process whereby someone responds in time to a warning signal in order to avoid painful or aversive stimuli
Avoidance Learning
The naturally occurring rate of a phenomenon within a given population
Base Rate
Examines the role genes play in the formation and development of behavior
- Distinguishes genetic from environmental influences
Behavior Genetics
A perspective that focuses on observable, measurable behavior and argues that the social environment and learning are the key determinants of human behavior
Behaviorism
Psychologists who study the biological aspects of behavior to determine which genetic and neurobiological variables play a part, and to what extent
- They generally see human behavior as the result of a complex interaction between the individual’s neuropsychological makeup and the social environment
Biopsychologists
A key characteristic of psychopaths according to the Triarchic Psychopathy Model
Boldness Trait (Fearless Domain)
Professional shoplifters
Boosters
A standard for evaluating the insanity defense that recognizes that the defendant suffers from a condition that substantially (1) affects mental or emotional processes, or (2) impairs behavior controls
Brawner Rule
The unlawful entry of a structure, with or without force, with intent to commit a felony or minor theft
Burglary
Collection of traits in juveniles believed to be precursors of adult psychopathy
- Also, a key characteristic of adult psychopaths
Callous Unemotional (CU) Traits
Survey of sexual victimization at nine U.S. colleges
Campus Climate Survey Validation Study (CCSVS)
The completed or attempted theft in which a motor vehicle is taken by force or threat of force
Carjacking
A section of the ALI/Brawner Rule that excludes abnormality manifested only by repeated criminal or antisocial conduct
- It was specifically designed to disallow the insanity defense for psychopaths
Caveat Paragraph
A situation in which an individual enters a public place or barricades himself or herself inside a public building, such as a fast food restaurant, and randomly kills patrons and other individuals
Classic Mass Murder
The process of learning to respond to a formerly neutral stimulus that has been paired with another stimulus that already elicits a response
- Also called Pavlovian conditioning
Classical Conditioning
Theory of human behavior that emphasizes free will as a core concept
Classical Theory
The proportion of reported crimes that have been “solved” through the arrest and turning over of at least one person for prosecution
- Crimes also may be cleared through exceptional means such as the death of the person about to be arrested
Clearance Rate
Profiling based on experience and “gut feelings” rather than on research and statistical data
Clinical Profiling
The belief that punitive and coercive tactics employed by parents will increase the likelihood of later aggressive behavior and family violence
Coercion Theory
The internal processes that enable humans to imagine, to gain knowledge, to reason, and to evaluate
- The attitudes, beliefs, values, and thoughts that a person holds about the environment, relationships, and him or herself
Cognitions
An approach to therapy that focuses on changing beliefs, fantasies, attitudes, and rationalizations that justify and perpetuate antisocial or other problematic behavior
- It is often used in the treatment of sex offenders
Cognitive Behavior Therapy
The acquisition and retention of a mental representation of information, and the use of this representation as the basis of behavior
Cognitive Learning
A revised theory of the frustration aggression hypothesis proposed by Leonard Berkowitz
Cognitive Neoassociation Theory
Internal mental processes that enable humans to imagine, gain knowledge, reason, and evaluate information
Cognitive Processes
A psychological process that allows one to justify committing reprehensible actions; typically involves moral justification, euphemistic language, and advantageous comparison
Cognitive Restructuring
Mental images of how one feels he or she should get in a variety of situations
Cognitive Scripts
Huesmann’s theory that social behavior in general and aggressive behavior in particular are controlled largely by cognitive scripts learned through daily experiences
Cognitive Scripts Model
An offender who rapes in response to an intense sexual arousal initiated by stimuli in the environment, often quite specific stimuli (eg; dark haired women)
- His main motive is to prove his sexual prowess
Compensatory Rapist
The legal requirement that a defendant is able to understand the proceedings and to help the attorney in preparing a defense
Competency to Stand Trial
A term used in genetics to represent the degree to which related pairs of subjects both show a particular behavior or condition
- It is usually expressed in percentages
Concordance
A diagnostic label used to identify children who demonstrate habitual misbehavior
Conduct Disorder
Seeking evidence to confirm one’s own preconceived notions about a person or situation
Confirmation Bias
The theoretical position that humans are born basically good and generally try to do the right and just thing
Conformity Perspective
A tendency for some people to model or copy a behavior or activity portrayed by the news or entertainment media
Contagion Effect
Crime committed by a corporation or by persons acting on its behalf
Corporate Crime
One of several forms of profiling, it refers to examining features at the scene of the crime to discern characteristics of the offender
- Also called offender profiling
Crime Scene Profiling
Illegal acts that are committed under the order of someone in authority
Crimes of Obedience
A term that encompasses both murder and nonnegligent homicide
Criminal Homicide
A primary psychopath who engages in repetitive antisocial or criminal behavior
Criminal Psychopath
In stranger rape, the victim is seen as an inanimate object to incapacitate
- Contrast to hostility and sexual exploitation themes
Criminality Theme
Those dynamic risk factors that are empirically found related to criminal behavior
- A key principle in RNR treatment
Criminogenic Needs
The multidisciplinary study of crime
Criminology
The branch of criminology that focuses on individual aspects of behavior, particularly internal forces and unconscious drives
Criminology, Psychiatric
The branch of criminology that examines the individual behavior and especially the mental processes involved in crime
Criminology, Psychological
The branch of criminology that examines the demographic, group, and societal variables related to crime
Criminology, Sociological
In sexual assault, offending against victims regardless of their age or other characteristics
Crossover Offending
Suggests that an accumulation of risk factors and insufficient protective factors lead to antisocial and criminal activity in children and adolescents
Cumulative Risk Model
Sending or posting harmful or cruel text or images using the internet or other digital communication devices
- Primarily a problem with school aged children and adolescents
Cyberbullying
Any illegal act that involves a computer system
- Also called computer crime
Cybercrime
Sending messages electronically to torment another person
- Compared with cyberstalking, not considered a credible threat when statutes distinguish between the two
Cyberharassment
Threatening behavior or unwanted advances directed at another using the internet or other forms of online communications
Cyberstalking
The belief that violence is likely to be perpetuated across generations among individuals who have experienced and witnessed violence in their families
Cycle of Violence Hypothesis
The scapegoating or demonizing of one cultural group by members of another cultural group
- Refers to the emergence of terrorist groups
Cultural Devaluation
Those who are motivated by fear or irreparable damage to their ways of living, national heritage, or culture
Culturally Motivated Terrorists
The number of crimes that go unreported in official crime data reports
Dark Figure
A cluster of personality traits that are associated with criminal psychopathy
- The cluster includes psychopathy, narcissism, and machivellianism
Dark Triad
A sexual assault that occurs within the context of a dating relationship
Date Rape
Engaging in actions that obscure the identity of the victim, such as excessive facial battery, or treating victims like objects rather than human beings
Dehumanization
A process by which individuals feel they cannot be identified, primarily because they are disguised or are subsumed within a group
Deindividuation
Mental disorder characterized by a system of false beliefs or delusions
Delusional Disorder
The variables that are measured to see how they are changed by manipulations of the independent variables
Dependent Variables
Modern version of classical theory, it proposes that people will avoid committing crime if the possibility of punishment is great enough
Deterrence Theory
Examines the changes and influences (risk factors) across a person’s lifetime that contribute to the formation of antisocial and criminal behavior or, alternately, that protect individuals with many risk factors in their lives
Developmental Approach
In the study of criminal behavior, these are the various tracks individuals follow that lead to antisocial behavior
- Researchers began by identifying two pathways but have now found evidence of more
Developmental Pathways
The official guidebook or manual, published by the American Psychiatric Association, used to define and diagnose specific mental disorders
- Now in its fifth revised edition (DSM-5)
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
A theory of deviance developed by Akers that combines Skinner’s behaviorism and Sutherland’s differential association theory
- The theory states that people learn deviant behavior through the reinforcements they receive from the social environment
Differential Association Reinforcement (DAR) Theory
Formulated by Sutherland, a theory of crime that states that criminal behavior is primarily due to obtaining values or messages from others, including but not limited to those who engage in crime
- The critical factors include with whom a person associates, how early, for how long, how frequently, and how personally meaningful the associations are
Differential Association Theory
Social signals or gestures transmitted by subcultural or peer groups to indicate whether certain kinds of behavior will be rewarded or punished within a particular social context
Discriminative Stimuli
Refers to impulsivity, poor self regulation, low frustration tolerance, irresponsibility, alienation, and unreasonable risk taking
Disinhibition Trait (Externalizing Proneness)
Demonstrates that the offender committed the crime without careful planning
- In other words, the crime scene indicators suggest the person acted on impulse, in rage, or under extreme excitement
Disorganized Crime Scene
The rapist whose attack is violent and aggressive, displaying minimum or total absence of sexual feeling
- Also called displaced anger or anger retaliation rapist
Displaced Aggression Rapist
The theory that some aggression is directed at the target as a replacement for the individual who is the real source of the provocation
Displaced Aggression Theory
A concept that allows an individual to deny responsibility for an action because he or she was told to perform it by someone higher in authority; also referred to as obedience to authority or strong respect for authority
Displacement of Responsibility
In personality theory, a term that signifies internal or personality determinants of human behavior
- Dispositional theorists look to inner conflicts, beliefs, drives, personal needs, traits, or attitudes to explain behavior
Disposition
A pattern that generally includes conduct disorder and oppositional disorder
- Characterized by chronic violation of social norms and rights of others
Disruptive Behavior Disorders
A state of mind during which the person feels detached from self and surroundings
Dissociated State
A psychiatric syndrome characterized by the existence within an individual of two or more distinct personalities, any of which may be dominant at any given moment
- Formerly called Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD)
Dissociative Identity Disorder
Twins who developed from two fertilized eggs and are no more genetically alike than nontwins
- Also called fraternal twins
Dizygotic Twins
Term used for a wide variety of ideologically motivated violent crimes that are carried out by people within their own country
Domestic Terrorism
Theory of adolescent brain development that focuses on differences between cognitive and emotional maturity in most adolescents
Dual Systems Theory
A rarely used legal standard of insanity that criminal defendants are not criminally responsible if their unlawful act was the product of mental disease or defect
- Also known as the Product Rule
Durham Rule
Requirement from the Tarasoff case that clinicians must take steps to protect possible victims from serious bodily harm as a result of threats made by the clinicians’ clients
- The duty to protect does not require that the clinician contact the potential victim
Duty to Protect
Requirement from the Tarasoff case that clinicians must actively warn potential victims of threats of serious bodily harm made by their clients
Duty to Warn
Both the accumulation of risk factors and their interaction lead to criminal activity, in the absence of protective factors
Dynamic Cascade Model
Individual with psychopathic characteristics who is antisocial because of social learning and does not possess the features of the primary psychopath
Dyssocial Psychopath
Period between adolescence and adulthood when individuals may not have reached the psychological maturity associated by society with adulthood
Emerging Adulthood
Belief by some child sex offenders that their relationships with children are more emotionally satisfying than relationships with adults
Emotional Congruence with Children
The research observation that psychopaths seen to be able to talk about emotional cues but lack the ability to use them effectively
Emotional Paradox
A parental style in which the parent takes extraordinary control of the child’s life including imposing rigid rules and seeing even trivial, minor behaviors are problematic
- Typically results in harsh punishment but inconsistent discipline
- Opposite of lax style
Enmeshed Style
In this form of stalking, the stalker usually has serious mental disorders and is considered delusional
- Public figures are typically the targets
Erotomania Stalking
The study of the evolution of behavior using the principles of natural selection
Evolutionary Psychology
Theory explaining how physiological arousal can generalize from one situation to another; based on the assumption that physiological arousal, however produced, dissipates slowly over time
Excitation Transfer Theory
Higher order mental abilities involved in goal directed behavior
- They include organizing behavior, memory, inhibition processes, and planning strategies
Executive Function
A theory of motivation that takes into account both the expectancy of achieving a particular goal and the value placed on it
Expectancy Theory
An adult who seeks children almost exclusively for sexual gratification
Exploitative Child Sex Offender
Burglars who take considerable pride in developing ingenious techniques and skills for successful burglary
Expressive Burglars
In firesetting, characterizes serial firesetters who are fascinated with fire and damage inhabited objects
Expressive Object Pattern
In firesetting, behavior intended to draw attention to the person’s emotional distress
- Most common firesetting pattern among children
Expressive Person Pattern
A rape situation in which the offender’s primary goal is to gain some control over his life
Expressive Sexual Aggression
In children, maladaptive behaviors directed at persons in the environment, such as temper tantrums and aggression
Externalizing Disorders
The decline and eventual disappearance of a conditioned or learned response when it is no longer reinforced
Extinction
Sex abuse in which victims are outside the immediate or extended family
Extrafamilial Child Molestation
A behavioral dimension, identified through factor analysis, representing the interpersonal and emotional aspects of psychopathy
Factor 1
A behavioral dimension representing the socially deviant lifestyle characteristics of psychopaths
Factor 2
A core feature of psychopathy that refers to emotional shallowness, callousness, and lack of empathy
Factor 3
A statistical procedure by which underlying patterns, factors, or dimensions are identified among a series of scale items
Factor Analysis
The end result if any proposition of a theory is not verified
Falsification
A situation in which at least three family members are killed (usually by another family member)
Family Mass Murder
An individual who accepts stolen goods and resells then
Fence
Broad term for a continuum of conditions that result from alcohol exposure in utero
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder (FASD)
Killing of one’s child older than 24 hours
- This time period has fluctuated over years and research projects
Filicide
The term used primarily in the literature on child and adolescent psychopathology for an abnormal fascination with fire accompanied by successful or unsuccessful attempts to start harmful fires
Firesetting
Model of psychopathy that incorporates antisocial behavior
Four Factor Model
An aversive internal state of arousal that occurs when one is prevented from responding in a way that previously produced rewards (or that one believes would produce rewards)
Frustration
The theory first formulated by Berkowitz that frustration leads to aggressive behavior
Frustration Aggression Hypothesis
A tendency to underestimate the importance of situational determinants and to overestimate the importance of personality or dispositional factors in identifying the causes of human behavior
Fundamental Attribution Error
Combines social learning and cognitions to explain aggressive behavior
General Aggression Model (GAM)
Death resulting from hostile aggression
General Altercation Homicide
Proposes that crime and delinquency can be explained largely by deficits in self control and self regulation
General Theory of Crime
A type of profiling that focuses on the location of the crime and how it relates to the residence and/or base of operations of the offender
Geographic Profiling
A comprehensive research project designed to gain a better understanding of girls’ delinquency and recommend effective prevention programs directed specifically at girls
Girls Study Group (GSG)
Term used in sexual assault literature, it refers to the belief that one is at lower risk of victimization than one’s peers
Global Risk Recognition Failure
A verdict alternative in some states that allows defendants with mental disorders to be found guilty even if they might meet standards for insanity
- The verdict is said to afford them treatment in prison settings, but such treatment is not guaranteed
Guilty but Mentally III (GBMI)
Things or events that a person with mental disorder sees or perceives
- Characteristic of schizophrenia and some forms of dementia
Hallucinations
A 1990 federal statute that directs the FBI to collect data on all crimes motivated by hatred of or bias against victims based on their racial, ethnic, religious, or sexual orientation
- Other characteristics (eg; physical or mental disability) were later added
Hate Crime Statistics Act
The attraction to young adolescent girls or boys for sexual gratification by adults, usually males
Hebephilia
In the UCR program, the rule that requires that only the most serious crime in a series be reported in the crime statistics
- The exception is arson, which is always reported
Hierarchy Rule
Crimes committed by someone illegally entering a residence while someone is at home
Home Invasions
The tendency to perceive hostile intent in others even when it is lacking
Hostile Attribution Bias
A cognitive model of aggression developed by Dodge and colleagues
Hostile Attribution Model
In stranger rape, a highly aggressive attack that includes not only physical violence but also violent verbal expressions, tearing of clothing, and similar hostile behaviors
Hostility Theme
The transportation and exploitation of individuals, usually for sex related purposes but also for high economic profits
- Children and women from impoverished nations or parts of the United States are particularly vulnerable
Human Trafficking
A new theory of aggression, it organizes and summarizes risk factors for aggression and considers instigating triggers, impelling forces, and inhibiting forces
- Self regulation is the core emphasis of the theory
I3 Theory
A process whereby mental or physical disorders are unintentionally induced or developed in patients by physicians, clinicians, or psychotherapists
Iatrogenic
The fraudulent use of another person’s personal identification information - such as social security number, date of birth, or mother’s maiden name - without that person’s knowledge or permission
Identity Theft
A child sex abuser who demonstrates a longstanding, exclusive preference for children as both sexual and social companions
- Also called fixated child sex offender
Immature Child Sex Offender
A rapist who demonstrates neither strong sexual nor highly aggressive features, but engages in spontaneous rape when the opportunity presents itself
- The rape is usually carried out in the context of another crime, such as robbery or burglary
- Also called exploitative rapist
Impulsive Rapist
In the NIBRS definition, the nonforcible sexual interaction between persons who are related to one another within degrees where marriage is prohibited by law
Incest
A judicial ruling that a criminal defendant, because of mental illness, defect, or other reasons, is unable to understand the nature and objective of the criminal proceedings or is unable to assist his or her defense lawyer
- May apply to a variety of judicial stages including plea bargaining, trial, and sentencing
Incompetent to Stand Trial (IST)
The measure whose effect is being studied, and, in most scientific investigations, that is manipulated by the experimenter in a controlled fashion
Independent Variable
In Berkowitz’s theory, the person who offends after a series of frustrations and unmet needs
Individual Offender
Although this term literally means the killing of an infant, it has become synonymous with the killing of a child by a parent
Infanticide
A criminal defendant’s argument that his or her mental illness relieves him or her from responsibility for a crime
- Legal tests of insanity vary widely, with the most common being the ability to know right from wrong
Insanity Defense
A law designed to make it more difficult for defendants using the insanity defense in the federal courts to be acquitted
Insanity Defense Reform Act of 1984
General term for attacks carried out principally to achieve a goal other than the victim’s injury, such as acquiring cash or valuable items
- Also called instrumental violence
Instrumental Aggression
A hostage situation in which the primary goal of the offender is material or monetary gain
Instrumental Hostage Taking
In firesetting, a pattern that represents a desire to cover up tracks of another crime (eg; theft)
Instrumental Object Pattern
In firesetting, a pattern that indicates desire for retaliation against persons or institutions for perceived harms done to the offender
Instrumental Person Pattern
When the sexual offender uses just enough coercion to gain compliance from his victim
Instrumental Sexual Aggression
Occurs when the injury of an individual is secondary to the acquisition of some other external goal of the offender
- Also called instrumental aggression
Instrumental Violence
Limitations in cognitive capacity, determined by IQ tests and a variety of performance measures
- Cannot be cured, but can be compensated by care and training
- Formerly called mental retardation
Intellectual Disability
Crimes committed against persons by their current or former spouses, boyfriends, or girlfriends
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)
Child sex abuse where victims are within the immediate or extended family
Intrafamilial Child Molestation
The application of psychological research and concepts to the investigation of crime
Investigative Psychology
The hypothesis that certain attitudes are associated with those who believe the world is just and people get what they deserve
- For example, people who believe this way are thought to be in favor of the death penalty and even less sympathetic to some crime victims
Just World Hypothesis
The irresistible urge to steal unneeded objects
- Rare phenomenon, not widely substantiated
Kleptomania
An absence, loss, or delay in normal speech and language development
Language Impairment
A parental style that does not respond sufficiently to problematic or antisocial behavior in children but rather allows it to occur without disciplinary action
- Opposite of the enmeshed style and similar to the permissive
Lax Style
A learned passive and withdrawn response in the face of perceived hopelessness
Learned Helplessness (Reactive Depression)
The theoretical position that humans are born basically neutral and behaviorally a blank slate
- What they become as individuals depends on their learning experiences rather than innate predispositions
Learning Perspective
Political activists who move from activism to violence
Left Wing Extremists
A term introduced by Terrie Moffitt to represent offenders who demonstrate a lifelong pattern of antisocial behavior and who are resistant to treatment or rehabilitation
Life Course Persistent (LCP) Offenders
Terrorist who operates alone, or occasionally with one or two others
- May or may not be sympathetic to the goals of an established terrorist organization
Lone Wolf Terrorist
In this form of stalking, the stalker and victim are strangers or casual acquaintances
- The stalker seeks a love relationship with the object of his or her obsession
Love Obsession Stalking
General label for symptoms that include an extremely depressed state, general slowing down of mental and physical activity, and feelings of self worthlessness
Major Depressive Disorder
Gene that is believed to play an instrumental role in antisocial behavior, either preventing it or - in low form - contributing to such behavior
MAOA and MAOA-L Gene
Sexual assault in which the perpetrator and victim are married
Marital Rape
A term used for the neurological indicators of a particular phenomenon, such as psychopathy
Markers
The unlawful killing of three or more persons at a single location with no cooling off period between murders
Mass Murder
In psychopathy research, meanness is proposed as an additional feature characterizing the psychopathic personality
- Refers to generally cruel verbal or physical behavior toward others
Meanness Trait
An unusual form of child abuse in which the parent consistently brings a child for medical attention with symptoms directly falsified or induced by the parent
- Formerly called Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy
Medical Child Abuse
Term used for a variety of psychiatric diagnoses that indicate that the individual has problems in living; also referred to as mental disorder
Mental Illness
Indicates that the nature of the crime demonstrates both organized and disorganized behavioral patterns
Mixed Crime Scene
An insanity standard based on the conclusion that if a defendant has a defect of reason, or a disease of the mind, so as not to know the nature and quality of his or her actions, then he or she cannot be held criminally responsible
- Also called the right and wrong test
M’Naghten Rule
A graphic representation of a theory or concept design to enhance its clarity
Model
Individuals or groups of individuals in the environment whose behavior is observed and imitated
Models
Studies the structure and function of genes at the molecular level
Molecular Genetics
A self report survey administered to high school students nationwide focusing on drug use and abuse
Monitoring the Future (MTF)
Twins who developed from one fertilized egg and share the same genes
- Also called identical twins
Monozygotic Twins
The process of freeing oneself from one’s own moral standards in order to act against those standards
- The unacceptable conduct is usually undertaken under orders from someone higher in authority or under high social pressure
Moral Disengagement
The process of convincing oneself that one’s actions are worthy and have a moral and good purpose
Moral Justification
Nuclear families (traditional or nontraditional) characterized by multiple incidents of violence involving more than one perpetrator
Multiassaultive Families
A treatment approach for serious juvenile offenders that focuses on the family while being responsive to the many other contexts surrounding the family, such as the peer group, the neighborhood, and the school
Multisystemic Therapy (MST)
The felonious killing of one human being by another with malice aforethought
Murder
A government sponsored survey of victims of crime, intended to collect data from the victim’s perspective on crimes both reported and not reported to police
National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)
The FBI’s system of collecting detailed data from law enforcement agencies on known crimes and arrests
National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS)
Comprehensive survey of incidence and prevalence of children’s exposure to violence
National Survey of Children Exposed to Violence
Tendency of some burglars to repeat their offenses close to but not in the same locations where previous offenses occurred
Near Repeat Burglary
Style of parenting in which parents are detached and uninvolved in child’s activities
Neglecting Style
The unlawful killing of another through reckless or negligent behavior, without intention to kill
Negligent Manslaughter
The killing of a newborn, usually within 24 hours but also within 48 hours
Neonaticide
Cognitive tactics used by auto thieves, including self medication, shunting, fatalism, smoothness, and lens widening
Nerve Management
The ability of the brain to change and develop neural connection throughout life
Neuroplasticity
The branch of psychology that combines theory and research from the neurosciences and traditional psychology
Neuropsychology
Biochemicals directly involved in the transmission of neural impulses and without which communication would not be possible
Neurotransmitters
The theoretical perspective that humans will naturally try to get away with anything they can, including illegal conduct, unless social controls are imposed
Nonconformist Perspective
The killing of a human being without premeditation but with the intention to kill in the “heat of the moment,” such as under high emotional states of anger or passion
Nonnegligent Manslaughter
An important concept in twin studies, this refers to the living experiences that are different for each twin, such as being raised by different parents
Nonshared Environments
A legal determination that a defendant was so mentally disordered at the time of the crime that me or she cannot be held criminally responsible
Not guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI)
Terrorist activities carried out with the use of nuclear, biological, or chemical substances
Nuclear/Biological/Chemical (NBC) Terrorism
The process by which individuals learn patterns of behavior by observing another person performing the action
Observational Learning (Modeling)
A concept promoted by Green, it refers to offenses committed through opportunity created by a legal occupation
- It can be divided into sometimes overlapping categories such as organizational, professional, state authority, and individual
Occupational Crime
A form of learning in which a voluntary response is strengthened or diminished by its consequences
- Also called instrumental learning
Operant Conditioning
Rapist whose sexual assault is an impulsive, predatory act that is controlled by situational and contextual factors, such as a woman being present during the commission of another crime
Opportunist Rapist
A rare psychological diagnosis in which a child has difficulty controlling behavior and emotions
Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
Indicates planning and premeditation on the part of the offender
- In other words, the crime scene shows signs that the offender maintained control of himself or herself and of the victim, if it is a crime against a person
Organized Crime Scene
The clinical term for a sexual condition exhibited in fantasies, urges, or behaviors involving nonhuman objects, suffering or humiliation of oneself or one’s partner, or children or other nonconsenting persons
Paraphilia
Supervision by parents of their children’s activities
- Poor parental monitoring is a strong risk factor for delinquency
Parental Monitoring
Methods employed by parents to meet some specific goal they would like to have their children achieve
Parental Practices
Seemingly nongoal directed approaches displayed by parents, although the goals may be implicit
Parental Styles
The killing of a parent
Parricide
Hostile behaviors that do not directly inflict physical harm, such as refusing to speak to someone against whom one holds a grudge
Passive Aggressive Behaviors
Research project indicating that most serious juveniles reduce offending over time with sufficient monitoring and treatment
Pathways to Delinquency
Clinical condition that involves intense sexual arousal fantasies and urges directed at children
Pedophilia
A relaxed parenting style characterized by few demands, controls, or limits
Permissive Style
A rapist characterized by anger directed toward virtually everyone he knows
Pervasive Anger Type
Longitudinal study focusing on peer associations and parental practices and their effects on delinquency in girls
Pittsburgh Girls Study
Classic self report longitudinal study of youth, including some considered at high risk of offending
Pittsburgh Youth Study
The characteristic of the brain that allows both its structure and its function to be profoundly responsive to experiences, particularly during early life
Plasticity
Crime committed by agents of government where the desire for power or to maintain power is dominant, although not the only motivating factor
Political Crime
Theory that argues prior experiences or influences determine present behavior
Positivist Theory
A cluster of behavioral patterns that result from a psychologically distressing event outside the usual range of human experience
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
An intervention program designed to prevent behavior or disorders before any sign of the behavioral pattern develops
- Also called universal prevention
Primary Prevention
Robert Hare’s classification of the “true” psychopath
- That is, the individual who demonstrates those physiological and behavioral features that represent psychopathy - in contract to secondary psychopaths, who commit antisocial acts because of severe emotional problems or inner conflicts, and dyssocial psychopaths, who are antisocial because of social learning
Primary Psychopath
Similar to controlled instrumental aggression, actions undertaken to obtain a specific goal
Proactive Violence
Illegal behavior by persons such as lawyers, physicians, psychologists, and teachers committed through opportunity provided through their occupation
Professional Occupational Crime
The process of identifying personality traits, behavioral tendencies, and demographic variables of an offender based on characteristics of the crime
Profiling
Generally involve the illegal acquisition of money and material goods, or the illegal destruction of property, typically but not necessarily for financial gain
Property Crimes
Personal characteristics or experiences that can shield children and adolescents from serious antisocial behavior
Protective Factors
The psychological and psychiatric perspective that views human behavior from the standpoint of unconscious motives that shape behavior
Psychodynamic Model (Hydraulic Model)
Postmortem analysis often reserved for cases in which suicide occurred or is suspected or alleged
- This is frequently done to determine the reasons and precipitating factors for the death
- Also called reconstructive psychological evaluation or equivocal death analysis
Psychological Autopsy
Motivated by their own sense of failure or inadequacy
Psychologically Motivated Terrorists
The perspective that human characteristics, attributes, and traits can be measured and quantified
Psychometric Approach
A more contemporary designation of intelligence as measured by intelligence or IQ tests
- However, the term is not yet widely used in comparison with “IQ”
Psychometric Intelligence (PI)
Developed by Robert Hare, currently the best known instrument for the measurement of criminal psychopathy
- Additional versions include the Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version, the P-Scan: Research Version, and the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL: YV)
Psychopathy Checklist (PCL) and Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL-R)
The study of the dynamic interactions between behavior and the autonomic nervous system
Psychophysiology
A psychiatric term for an irresistible urge to set fires along with an intense fascination (usually sexual) with fire
- The existence of this behavioral phenomenon has been brought into serious question by the available research
Pyromania
An event by which a person receives a noxious, painful, or aversive stimulus, usually as a consequence of behavior
Punishment
Relating to terrorism, the theory proposes that the terrorist wants to be meaningful and accomplish something in his or her life
Quest for Significance Theory
Illegal singling out of someone (eg; by law enforcement) solely on the basis of his or her race or ethnicity
Racial or Ethnic Profiling
Environmental activists who have used terrorist tactics to draw attention to dangers in or to the environment
Radical Environmental Groups
A type of malicious software designed to block access to a computer system or data until money is paid
Ransomware
The act of having sexual relations with a supposedly consenting adult under fraudulent conditions, such as when a physician or psychotherapist has sexual intercourse with a patient under the guise of “effective treatment”
Rape by Fraud
A variety of mistaken beliefs about the crime of rape and its victims held by many men and women
Rape Myths
Those motivated by goals of the organization they belong to and the possible consequences of their actions
Rationally Motivated Terrorists
Spontaneous aggression, possibly in response to provocation
- Also referred to as reactive aggression or hostile aggression
Reactive Impulsive Aggression
Violence perpetrated in response to provocation, perceived provocation, or an unanticipated occurrence
Reactive Violence
A return to criminal activity (usually measured by arrest) after being convicted of a criminal offense
Recidivism
Reconstruction of the personality profile and cognitive features (especially intentions) of deceased individuals
- Also referred to as psychological autopsy or equivocal death analysis
Reconstructive Psychological Evaluation (RPE)
A research approach that argues that in order to understand highly complex events or phenomenon, one must start examining the simplest parts first
Reductionism
One who had fairly normal relationships with adults but later reverted to children for sexual and social companionship because of feelings of inadequacy
Regressed Child Sex Offender
Anything that increases the probability of responding
Reinforcement
The reward received for avoiding a painful or aversive condition, or stimuli
Reinforcement, Negative
The acquisition of something desired as a result of one’s behavior
Reinforcement, Positive
A concept developed by Gresham Sykes for explaining economic crime
- It refers to the perceived discrepancy between what an individual has and what he or she would like to have
Relative Deprivation
Refers to the observation that some burglars burglarize the same place repeatedly
Repeat Burglary
Rehabilitative programs applied in an institutional or group home setting
Residential Treatment
A crucial protective factor in the individual that resists the influence of multiple risk factors
Resilience
Behavior elicited following a stimulus
Response
In RNR treatment, the principle that treatment should be delivered by means best suited to the style of the offender
Responsivity Principle
Extremist groups that adhere to an antigovernment or racist ideology and often engage in a variety of hate crimes and violence
Right Wing Terrorists
The enterprise in which clinicians offer probabilities that a given individual will engage in violent or otherwise antisocial behavior based on known factors relating to the individual
Risk Assessment
Characteristics or experiences that place children at risk of antisocial or criminal activity
Risk Factors
Believed to be highly effective principles for the treatment of a wide range of criminal offenders
Risk, Needs, Responsivity (RNR)
Tendency of groups to make decisions that are more extreme than if the same decisions were made by individuals independent of the group
Risky Shift
The symbolic display of aggressive intentions or strength without actual physical combat or conflict
Ritualized Aggression
The taking or attempt to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of another by force or the threat of force
Robbery
The focused attention on one’s own thoughts and feelings that, if excessive, can lead to aggression against others
Rumination
Mental disorder characterized by severe breakdowns in thought patterns, emotions, and perceptions
Schizophrenia
A set of interrelated concepts, definitions, and propositions that present a systematic view of phenomena
Scientific Theory
Follow up to first survey; discovered lower rates but many polyvictims
Second National Survey of Children Exposed to Violence
An intervention program designed for individuals who demonstrate early signs or indications of behavioral problems or antisocial behavior
- Also called selective prevention
Secondary Prevention
Individual with psychopathic characteristics, but who commits antisocial acts because of severe emotional problems or inner conflicts
Secondary Psychopath
The ability to control one’s behavior in accordance with internal cognitive standards
Self Regulation
A tendency to attribute positive things that happen to us to our abilities and personalities, and to attribute negative events to some cause outside ourselves or beyond our control
Self Serving Bias
A characteristic found in psychopaths whereby the words they speak are devoid of emotional sincerity
Semantic Aphasia
Incidents in which an individual (or individuals) kills a number of individuals (usually a minimum of three) over time
Serial Murder
Juvenile offending that is characterized by violent and extensive property crimes
Serious Delinquency
A neurotransmitter in the nervous system that usually prompts the activity of neurons
Serotonin
Emerging online threat to scare minors into providing updated images or payment to avoid disclosure of their past postings
Sextortion
A rapist who demonstrates both sexual and aggressive features in his attack
- In order for him to experience sexual grouse, it must be associated with violence and pain, which excite him
- Also called a sadistic rapist
Sexual Aggressive Rapist
Term for any one of various behaviors that involve a sexual attack on the body of another person
- It has replaced the term rape in many
Sexual Assault
A burglary committed with the primary motive of carrying out a sexual assault or obtaining objects supportive of a fetish
Sexual Burglary
In stranger rape, offenders attempt to bond with victims
Sexual Exploitation Theme
Rapist whose motivation is hypothesized to be sexual, marked by the presence of protracted sexual or sadistic fantasies that influence as well as sustain the rape
- These offenders have in common some form of enduring sexual
Sexual Gratification Rapist
An important concept in twin studies, this refers to the prenatal and life experiences that are common to both twins, such as being raised by the same biological parents
Shared Environment
Shoplifting for another person because asked or ordered to do se
Shoplifting by Proxy
Pertains to sexual abuse and assault when perpetrator and victim are siblings
Sibling Sexual Abuse
Any behavior that goes beyond what is necessary to commit the crime
- A crime scene one is left deliberately by the offender
- A psychological one is beyond the offender’s awareness
Signature
The form in which the stalker seeks power and control after a failed relationship with the victim; often associated with past domestic violence
Simple Obsession Stalking
A theoretical perspective that argues that environmental stimuli control behavior
Situationism
Amateur shoplifters
Snitches
A theory proposed by Travis Hirschi that contends that crime and delinquency occur when an individual’s ties to the conventional order or normative standards are weak or largely nonexistent
Social Control Theory
A theory of human behavior based on learning from watching others in the social environment
- This leads to an individual’s development of his or her own perceptions, thoughts, expectancies, competencies, and values
Social Learning Theory
A person who violates the law consistently because of learning the behavioral patterns from his or her social environment
Socialized Offender
An individual who continually commits crimes
- Does not usually qualify as a psychopath
Sociopath
Nonconsensual oral or anal sexual intercourse with another, as defined in NIBRS
Sodomy
Persons whose activism revolves around one issue and ultimately turns to violence
Special Interest Extremists
In sexual assault literature, refers to failure to realize the risk of victimization presented in a particular situation
Specific Risk Failure
The killing of three or more individuals without any cooling off period, usually at two or more locations
Spree Murder
The intentional alteration of a crime scene before the arrival of the police
Staging
Conduct directed as a specific person that involves repeated physical or visual proximity, nonconsensual communication, or implied threats sufficient to cause fear in a reasonable person
Stalking
Classic study by Zimbardo demonstrating the power of the situation and role of deindividuation in human behavior
Stanford Prison Experiment
Law violating behavior by those in government in their capacity as government agents
State Authority Occupational Crime
A class of illegal behavior that only persons with certain characteristics or status can commit
- Used almost exclusively to refer to the behavior of juveniles
- Examples include running away from home, violating curfew, buying alcohol, or skipping school
Status Offenses
Rape for which the age of the victim is the crucial distinction, on the premise that a victim below a certain age (usually 16) cannot validly consent to sexual intercourse with an adult
Statutory Rape
Child abductions that are believed to result in tragedy, such as the complete disappearance or death of a child
- Rarest of child abductions
Stereotypical Abductions
A person, event, or situation that elicits behavior
Stimulus
The rare phenomenon of hostages becoming physically and/or emotionally attracted to their captors
Stockholm Syndrome
A prominent sociological explanation for crime based on Robert Merton’s theory that crime and delinquency occur when there is a perceived discrepancy between the materialistic values and goals cherished and held in high esteem by a society and the availability of the legitimate means for reaching these goals
Strain Theory
A variety of conduct norms, particularly in urban areas, that may be positive or negative
- Negative norms have been associated with street crimes like robbery or drug violations
Street Culture
A robbery in which the main weapon used is one’s own body rather than guns, knives, or other weapons
Strong Arm Robbery
An approach to risk assessment that combines the strength of actuarial predictions with the experiences of the practitioners
- It offers guidelines for providing the risk assessment
Structured Professional Judgement (SPJ)
Controversial and potentially illegal method that tries to identify an offender based on characteristics of prior offenders who have committed similar crimes
Suspect Based Profiling
Cognitive methods used to justify one’s bad or illegal behavior, such as denying that anyone has been hurt
Techniques of Neutralization
A natural mood disposition determined largely by genetic and biological influences
Temperament
The tendency to attack violators of one’s personal space
Territoriality
Model for engaging in terrorist activity that sees the person as afraid of own mortality and believes engaging in terrorism will reduce this fear
Terror Management Theory
The unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives
- May be domestic or international
Terrorism
Intervention strategy designed to reduce or eliminate behavioral problems or antisocial behavior that is fully developed in individuals
- Treatment or counseling of convicted offenders is an example of this
Tertiary Prevention
The capacity to recognize the thoughts and feelings of other people
Theory of Mind
A process whereby a scientific theory is tested through observation and analysis
- If the process falsifies the theory, the theory must be revised to account for the observed events
Theory Verification
Process of determining the likelihood and seriousness of harm carried out by a person who displayed warning signs, such as making veiled oral or written threats
Threat Assessment
Identifies three personality traits that are associated with sex offenders: sexual preoccupation, antisocial, and callous unemotional
Three Path Model
Relatively stable and enduring tendency to behave in a particular way across time and place
- These are believed by some psychologists to be the basic building blocks of personality
Trait
Injury to the brain occurring either in utero, during birth, or at any time in a person’s life and having a significant effect on functioning
- Sometimes used as an excusing or mitigating condition for violent behavior
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Recent model focusing on callous unemotional traits, disinhibition, and boldness
Triarchic Psychopathy Model (TriPM)
Ongoing study of twins examining behavior and cognitions from early childhood through adolescence
Twins’ Early Developmental Study (TEDS)
A classification that identifies commonalities among members of groups (eg; serial murderers, terrorists, sex offenders) to aid in investigation of crime and offering treatment services
Typology
A behavioral pattern found at the crime scene whereby the offender tries to psychologically “undo” the murder
Undoing
The FBI’s system of gathering data from law enforcement agencies on the crimes that come to their attention and on arrests
Uniform Crime Reports (UCR)
Any entity that can be measured
Variable
In this type, stalkers do not seek a relationship with their victims but rather are trying to elicit a response or change of behavior from the victim
Vengeance Stalking
The scientific study of the causes, circumstances, individual characteristics, and social contexts associated with crime victims
Victimology
Refers to rapists of women whose attack is driven by their central and focused hatred of women
Vindictive Offender Types
The part of the insanity defense that requires acceptance of the possibility that a defendant could not control his or her behavior to conform to the requirements of the law
- This is not recognized in federal law or the law of many states
Volitional Prong
Suggestion that the mere presence of a weapon leads a witness or victim to concentrate on the weapon itself rather than other features of the crime
Weapons Effect
A term for conduct, usually on the part of employees, that qualifies as emotional harm or minor physical harm to other employees
- Distinct from workplace violence
Workplace Aggression
Aggressive actions, including deaths, that occur at the workplace, not necessarily caused by those who work within the organization
Workplace Violence
535 U.S. 234 (2002)
Facts of the case:
The Child Pornography Prevention Act of 1996 (CPPA) prohibits “any visual depiction, including any photograph, film, video, picture, or computer or computer generated image or picture that is, or appears to be, of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct and any sexually explicit image that is advertised, promoted, presented, described, or distributed in such a manner that conveys the impression it depicts a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct”
- The Free Speech Coalition and others opposed that the “appears to be” and “conveys the impression” provisions are overbroad and vague and restrain the works otherwise protected by the first amendment
The question:
- Does the Child Pornography Prevention Act of 1996 abridge freedom of speech when it proscribes a significant universe of speech that is neither obscene under Miller v. California nor child pornography under New York v. Ferber?
The conclusion:
- Yes it does abridge freedom of speech
- A 6-3 decision with majority opinion by Justice Anthony M. Kennedy
- Agreed: Justice John Paul Stevens, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, Justice David Hackett Souter, Justice Clarence Thomas, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Justice Stephen Gerald Breyer
- Opposed: Justice William Hubbs Rehnquist, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, and Justice Antonin Gregory Scalia
- “Reasons beyond the categories recognized in Ferber and Miller and the reasons the government offers in support of limiting the freedom of speech have no justification in our precedents or in the law of the first amendment and abridge the freedom to engage in a substantial amount of lawful speech” - Justice Kennedy
Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition
383 U.S. 107 (1966)
Baxstrom v. Herold
587 U.S. ____ (2019)
Facts of the case:
Bucklew was convicted in Missouri and sentenced to death. He filed a federal appeal claiming that lethal injection would constitute cruel and unusual punishment under the eighth amendment because he had a rare congenital medical condition that increased the possibility of him choking on his own blood and suffering during the execution. He further alleged that the employees administering the lethal injection were not qualified to do so and requested an investigation.
Questions:
1. Does the eighth amendment require an inmate to provide an adequate alternative method of execution when raising an as applied challenge to the state execution method?
2. What evidence is required for a court to determine if the alternative method would reduce suffering compared to the state’s method?
3. May a court assume that medical personnel on staff are competent to evaluate and manage an inmate’s medical condition during execution?
4. Did the petitioner meet his burden of proof in proposing an alternative execution method?
Conclusion:
Bucklew did not meet the burden of proof required by the Supreme Court
5-4 decision against Bucklew
Majority agreement: Justice John Roberts Glover, Jr., Justice Clarence Thomas, Justice Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr., Justice Neil McGill Gorsuch, and Justice Brett Michael Kavanaugh
Minority Disagreement: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Justice Stephen Gerald Breyer, Justice Sonia Maria Sotomayor, and Justice Elena Kagan
- The court found that Bucklew did not meet the burden of proof for an alternative method that would decrease the suffering during execution and did not offer an alternative that could be administered swiftly, they further laminated that the appeal was filed at the last minute before the execution date, in essence, assuming that Bucklew was using this appeal to delay execution.
- Justice Clarence Thomas noted that an execution only violates the eighth amendment if it is DELIBERATELY designed to inflict pain
- A dissent was written by all opposing Justices of the court in which they expressed concern about the lamination of the agreeing Justices and how it affected their decision as well as stating that Bucklew met the burden of proof that lethal injection would cost unnecessary suffering and expressing that unfair burden was placed on the inmate to provide an alternative method in detail
Bucklew v. Precythe
252 F.2d 608 (D.C. Cir. 1957)
Carter v. United States
548 U.S. 735 (2006)
Clark v. Arizona
556 U.S. ___ 129 S. Ct. 1769 (2009)
Cone v. Bell
554 U.S. 570 (2008)
District of Columbia v. Heller
(2019)
Duran v. Ray
214 F.2d 862 (D.C. Cir. 1954)
Durham v. United States
363 U.S. 402 (1960)
Dusky v. United States
139 S.Ct. 2228 (2019)
Flowers v. Mississippi
51 Cr.L. 2084 (1992)
Foucha v. Louisiana
554 U.S. 208 (2008)
Indiana v. Edwards
406 U.S. 715 (1972)
Jackson v. Indiana
Cert granted (2019)
Kahler v. Kansas
586 U.S. ___ (2019)
Madison v. Alabama
Cert granted (2019)
Mathos v. Malvo
130 S.Ct. 3020 (2010)
McDonald v. Chicago
200, 210, Eng.Rep 718, 722 (1843)
M’Naghten, 10 Clark & Fin
Cert granted (2019)
Newton v. Indiana
458 U.S. 747 (1982)
New York v. Ferber
Cert granted (2019)
New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. City of New York
Cert granted (2019)
Ramos v. Louisiana
543 U.S. 551 (2005)
Roper v. Simmons
539 U.S. 166 (2003)
Sell v. United States
No. 79-10116 (Wash. Super. Ct., October 19, 1979)
State v. Bianchi
422 so.2d 370 (La. 1982)
State v. Felde
No. 77-CR-11-2908 (Franklin Co. Ohio, December 4, 1978)
State v. Milligan
679 P.2d 615 (Hawaii 1984)
State v. Rodrigues
529 F.2d 553 (Cal.1974), vac., reheard en banc, & aff’d 131 Cal. Rptr. 1, 551 P.2d 334 (1976)
Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California
108 S.Ct. 2687 (1989)
Thompson v. Oklahoma
Cert denied (2019)
Thorpe v. Georgia
(9th Circuit Court of Appeals, 2016)
Trueblood v. Washington State Department of Social and Health Services
471 F.2d 969 (D.C. Cir. 1972)
United States v. Brawner
509 F.Supp. 1186 (D. Mass. 1981)
United States v. Krutschewski
255 F.3d 873 (2001)
United States v. Weston
553 U.S. 285 (2008)
United States v. Williams
Cert denied (2019)
Young v. Ohio
