DRUG USE AND CRIME

Question 1

DRUG USE AND CRIME

Answer 1

Drug use does have connections to crime
- Lowers inhibitions
- Many criminals are addicted to illegal substances
- Profit from drug trade can be used to corrupt law enforcement agencies
Although 72 percent of most illicit drug users are White, incarcerated drug users are primarily African American
- Rising numbers of women convicted for drug offenses

Question 2

Organized Crime

Answer 2

• Organized crime is an ongoing criminal conspiracy that exists to profit from providing illicit goods and services
  Organized crime enterprises are primarily gambling, prostitution, auto theft, and drug trafficking
  Organized crime is becoming more transnational; some organized crime enterprises in the U.S. are controlled from foreign soill

Question 3

RICO

Answer 3

*Racketeer
* Influenced and
* Corrupt
* Organizations Act

Question 4

RICO CON’T

Answer 4

• Enacted in 1970 by the Organized Crime Control Act
• Provides for Extended Criminal Penalties and a Civil Cause of Action for Acts Performed as Part of an Ongoing Criminal Organization title 18 Chapter 96

Question 5

General Deterrence

Answer 5

• A Crime Control Policy That:
  Depends On the Fear of Criminal Penalties and the Pains Associated with Crime Outweigh the Benefits

Question 6

SPECIFIC DETERRENCE

Answer 6

A Crime Control Policy That:
Makes Punishment Severe Enough to Convince Offenders Not to Repeat Criminal Activity

Question 7

POSITIVIST SCHOOL

Answer 7

The Positivist School: Criminal Behavior Is
Predetermined
* Replaced the classical school concepts of free will and rational choice with the idea that criminal behavior is a product of biological, psychological, and/or social forces that are beyond a person’s control

Question 8

Principles of the Classical school

Answer 8

Criminal behavior is the product of free will.
The presence of punishment in the general population prevents crime.

Question 9

Principles of the positivist school

Answer 9

Criminal behavior is a result of determinism.
Treatment of convicted offenders prevents them from committing crime.

Question 10

BIOLOGICAL FACTORS

Answer 10

• Neurobiological Factors of Brain Function
• Differences in the biological makeup of individuals affect likelihood of criminal behavior
• Brain functioning may be affected by disease, injury, or the effects of such chemical agents as alcohol and drugs

Question 11

BIOLOGICAL CON’T

Answer 11

Neurobiological Factors of Brain Function
* Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): a syndrome with symptoms such as poor impulse control, restlessness, and inability to concentrate
* Neurotransmitters are chemicals secreted by neurons that facilitate the transmission of information from one neuron to another
* Low levels of certain neurotransmitters like serotonin can cause mental disorders and aggressive behavior.
*Hormone levels can also affect aggressiveness

Question 12

BIOLOGICAL CON’T
* Genetic Factors: The Inheritance of Criminal
Tendencies

Answer 12

• The basic unit of heredity is the gene—a segment of an individual’s DNA that contains the information that contributes to particular biological or behavioral traits
• Criminal behavior tends to run in families o Environmental factors also play a role
• Studies on twins suggest that genetic makeup has a strong influence on criminal behavior

Question 13

PSYCHOLOGY

Answer 13

• The Scientific Study of Mental Functions and
  Behaviors

Question 14

PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS

Answer 14

Mental Disorders and Criminal Behavior
* A mental illness or mental disorder is a medical condition that interferes with a person’s ability to function on a day-to-day basis
* Psychoses are serious disorders that leave individuals out of touch with reality

Question 15

PSYCHOLOGICAL CON’T

Answer 15

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
* Lists four categories of serious mental disorders:
Schizophrenic disorders
Paranoid disorders
* Mood disorders
Psychotic disorders not classified elsewhere

Question 16

Psychological Traits and Characteristics

Answer 16

Personality and Crime
* The Antisocial Personality
* A pervasive pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others that begins in childhood or early adolescence and continues into adulthood

Question 17

psychopath

Answer 17

A person suffering from chronic mental disorder with abnormal or violent social behavior.

Question 18

Sociopath

Answer 18

A person with a personality disorder manifesting self in extreme antisocial attitudes and behavior and a lack conscience.

Question 19

PSYCHOPATH VS SOCIOPATH

Answer 19

• Now Known As Antisocial Personality Disorder

Question 20

SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY

Answer 20

Social learning theory suggests that we learn behavior, which is then maintained or extinguished by the rewards or punishments we associate with it
- How a person behaves is also influenced by his experiences with the behavior of others
* The socialization of every individual involves internalizing the rules for appropriate behavior

Question 21

BROKEN WINDOWS THEORY

Answer 21

Preventing small crimes such as vandalism, public drinking, and fare jumping helps to create an atmosphere of order and lawfulness, thereby preventing more serious crimes from happening.
* James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling

Question 22

LAW

Answer 22

• Law is a system of rules enforced by governments to govern behavior.

Question 23

LAWS CON’T

Answer 23

Laws can be made by
* Legislatures through legislation (resulting in statutes)
* The executive through decrees and regulations
* Judges through binding precedent (normally in common law jurisdictions).

Question 24

PURPOSE OF LAW

Answer 24

Criminal law serves a number of functions:
* Protect people and property from harm
* Provide clear standards of behavior
* Limit the government’s power to penalize people unfairly or arbitrarily
Regulate and sometimes maintain social order
* Serve a symbolic function, sending a message that a society disapproves of particular acts

Question 25

History of Law

Answer 25

Before recorded history began, human behavior was governed by unwritten social norms
- Code of Hammurabi established high standards of behavior
One of the earliest known records of written laws
Ancient Greeks and the Romans relied heavily on written laws

Question 26

MOSAIC LAW

Answer 26

• EARLY INFLUENCE ca. 1200 BC
• AFTER HAMMURABI (1754 BC)
• MOSES
• TEN COMMANDMENTS

Question 27

Common Law

Answer 27

Developed in England
Common law relies on judges’ interpretations of previous cases, or precedent.
* The United States adopted common law as the foundation of the legal system

Question 28

SOURCES OF LAW in the U.S.

Answer 28

The Constitution specifies the components of a government, the duties of each component, and the limits of their power
The supreme law of the land
Statutes are written laws enacted either by legislatures or by citizens through the voting process
Cities and counties also create their own written laws,
usually called ordinances

Question 29

CIVIL LAW

Answer 29

Civil Law governs relationships between individuals
The party who initiates the lawsuit is the plaintif
The other party is the defendant

Question 30

Criminal law

Answer 30

Criminal law operates under the assumption that society-rather than an individual-has been injured by the defendant’s actions
The standard of proof is different in civil and criminal cases

Question 31

Burden of proof

Answer 31

• The Obligation Resting On a Party in a Trial to Substantiate an Allegation

Question 32

Civil law

Answer 32

• Preponderance of the Evidence

Question 33

CRIMINAL LAW

Answer 33

• Proof Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

Question 34

U.S. CONSTITUTION

Answer 34

The fundamental laws and principles of the United States