Criminology Flashcards
Who was Cesare Beccaria?
An Italian scholar that developed a systematic understanding of why people engage in crime
Who was Cesare Lombroso?
The “father of criminology”. Studied cadavers of criminals, and stated that criminals are born with certain physical traits
Define Biosocial Theory
Focuses on the interaction between biological and social factors that lead to crime
Define Sociological Criminology
Focuses on the relationship between social factors and crime
Define Social Structure Theory
Links crime rates to the social structures of the community
Define Conflict Theory
The economic system creates social conditions that leads to crime
Who was John Hagan?
A criminologist that studied the relationship between deviance and crime
What was John Hagan’s 4 kinds of deviance? (examples too)
Consensus crimes (homicide or incest)
Conflict crimes (drugs, or prostitution)
Social deviations (mental illness or delinquency)
Social diversions (fads and fashions)
What is the Code of Hammurabi?
A set of laws based on physical retaliation as punishment. The severity of the punishment was based on social standing
Define statutory crimes
Crimes that are a result of change in social conditions, public opinion, and customs
What are the goals society expects to achieve by outlawing criminal acts?
Enforce social control
Discourage revenge
Express public opinion and morality
Deter criminal behavior
Punish wrongdoing
Maintain social order
Define failure to act as a crime
It is a crime to not do something, based on the relationship of the parties, imposition by statue, and contractual relationships
Define the Uniform Crime Report
A yearly crime report used by all police agencies in Canada
Define Crime Severity Index
A yearly crime report that measures the volume and severity of crime across Canada
What is the General Social Survey-Victimization Survey (GSS-VS)?
Surveys Canadians about their personal experiences of criminal victimization
What does Peter Carrington’s research show?
As the population continues to age, crime rates will decrease until another large youth cohort comes along
How does weather affect crime rates? What is a crime that continues to increase with the temperature
Crime increases with temperature until the temperature reaches approximately 30 degrees. Domestic violence continues to rise after 30 degreesq
Define street crimes
Crimes that occur in public places, and are easy to detect
What is the inverse relationship between crime and age?
The older you get, the less likely you are to commit crime
Define the cycle of violence
The abused becomes the abuser
Define social ecology
The study of social and behavioral consequences of the interaction between humans and their environment
The rate of violent victimization is highest among what ages?
20-24
What are 3 points regarding marital status that influence victimization?
Many young people are too young to get married
Young people go out and interact more often with high-risk peers
Widows-widowers have lower victimization rates (are older, are home at night, and avoid public places)
Does prior victimization enhance or reduce the chances of future victimization?
Enhances
Define Victim Precipitation Theory
Victims may initiate the confrontation that leads to their victimization
Define active precipitation. Provide an example
Aggressive or provocative behavior that results in their victimization
Using threats/fighting words
Define passive precipitation. Provide an example
Characteristics of victims that make them ‘attractive’ targets for criminals
Improved job status - jealousy in their partner, and cause intimate violence
Define lifestyle theories. Provide three examples
The view that people become victims because their lifestyle increases their exposure to offenders
1. Young runaways
2. Teenage males
3. University students that party often
Define deviant place theory
Victimization is a function of where people live
Define routine activities theory
Victimization results from
- the availability of suitable targets
- the absence of capable guardians
- the presence of motivated offenders
Teenage males are at high victimization risk because _______
They spend lots of time with friends, recreationally. Their friends may be involved in criminal activities
Define target hardening
Making a property secure with locks, bars, alarms, etc.
Offenders choose to engage in crime after considering what?
The costs and benefits associated with the crime with respect to their personal needs and situational factors
Define classic criminology
People have free will. They will commit crime for greed/personal need. Crime can be deterred by fear of criminal sanctions
What are 2 things crack cocaine street dealers consider when setting up shop according to Bruce Jacobs?
Desirability of their sales, and the level of protection the area provides
Define structuring a crime
The decision to commit a crime, and determines where it occurs, the characteristics of the target, and the available means
Provide an example of rational choice and burglars
Burglars choose their victims based on their vulnerability and the likelihood of them fighting back
Define edgework
The excitement associated with successfully completing illegal activities
Define displacement
When efforts to control crime in one area causes the crime to be shifted to another area
Why is extinction a problem? Provide an example with respect to burglars
Motivated offenders may turn to riskier, and more violent crimes (armed robbery)
What are 4 examples of crime prevention through environmental design in a townhouse complex
- Large windows for sidewalk supervision
- Sidewalks that encourage interactions between neighborhoods
- Lighting on sidewalks
- Landscaping and fencing that does not create hiding spaces
What is the difference between general and specific deterrence?
General deterrence deters the general public, specific deterrence deters known criminals
Define brutalization effect
The belief that capital punishment increases the level of violence in society
Research on chronic offenders and recidivism indicates what?
Approximately 2/3 of all convicted offenders are re-arrested within 3 years of being released from incarceration
Define incapacitation effect
Keeping offenders in confinement will eliminate the risk for them committing further offences
Define trait theory
Criminality is a product of abnormal biological and/or psychological traits
Trait theorists recognize crime producing interactions that involve what 2 things?
Personal traits, and environmental factors
Define sociobiology
A view that biological traits explain social behaviors
Define androgens
Male sex hormones
Define testosterone
The principle male hormone
Is there a link between mensuration and crime?
No
Define neurotransmitters
Chemical compounds that influence or activate brain functions
Attempts to explain criminal behavior resulted in what 5 main perspectives/theories?
Psychodynamic
Behavioral
Cognitive
Personality
Intelligence
Define ID
The unconscious biological drives and it seeks of instant gratification
Define ego
The personality developed in early childhood
Define superego
The moral standards and values of the people around them
What is stratification? how is it created?
Grouping people based on economic or social classes
It is created by the unequal distribution of wealth, power, and prestige
Define underclass
The lowest social stratum in any country. They lack the education/skills needed to function in society successfully
The view that disadvantaged economic class positions are a primary cause of crime is referred to what theory?
The social structure theory
What are the 3 independent/overlapping branches of the social structure theory?
Social disorganization
Strain theory
Cultural deviance theory
Define social disorganization theory
Focuses on the breakdown of institutions. Links crime rates to neighborhood ecological characteristics
Define strain theory
Sees criminal as a function between people’s needs/goals, and the availability associated with those needs/goals
Define strain
When someone believes they cannot reach their goals legitimately, and experiences anger, frustration, and resentment
Define transitional neighborhoods
An area that shifts in population and structure
When fear grips a neighborhood, what happens?
Business conditions deteriorate, population mobility increases, and a criminal element begins to drift into the area
According to Albert Cohen, when lower class youths display delinquent behavior, they do what?
They are protesting against the norms and values of the middle class structure
What are 5 family characteristics that may contribute to deliquency?
- Parents lacking the ability to provide proper supervision and discipline
- Disrupted families (absent, or separated parents, or being in the foster care system)
- Parents with mental impairments
- Parents with substance abuse issues
- Abusive parents
How do schools contribute to criminality? Give an example
Labelling ‘problem’ children, which segregates them from other
- Streamlining certain students for post secondary
Define Social Learning Theory
People learn to be aggressive by seeing other achieve goals are being rewarded for being violent
Define Social Control Theory
People commit crime when their bond to society is weakened or broken
Define Social Reaction Theory
Criminals become criminals when they are labelled as such. They accept the label as a personal identity
Define drift
Moving in and out of delinquency, and shifting between conventional and criminal behavior
Define commitment to conformity
A strong personal investment in conventional institutions, individuals, and processes. Prevents people from engaging in behavior that would jeopardize their reputation and/or achievements
Define stigmatize
To apply negative labels/beliefs on someone that may/would be detrimental to them
