Early Perspectives Flashcards
Enlightnement Era
Societal beliefs relating crime concerned religion, sin, the devil
- Superstition
Demonology
Everything that happened was a result of forces of good and evil
2 explinations for the role evil spirits play
Temptation: humans have free will and make their own decisions (Adam and Eve).
- Those who are sinful are weak and morally inferior
Possession: wrongdoers are possessed by evil spirits and cannot choose between good and evil.
- Severe and fatal methods to expel evil spirits
THEORY
A set of concepts and their nominal definitions or assertions about the relationships between these concepts, assumptions, and knowledge claims.
- Can be proven or disproven
- Set of verifiable principles about a thing or behavior
- A lens, way to look at a situation or phenomenon
Scientific Revolution
Caused a change in thinking during the Enlightenment
- Systematic doubt
- Verification of ideas
- Scientific method
- “we ought to inquire”
Enlightenment Philosophers’ view of SOCIETY
Society is composed of free and rational human beings.
Humans are HEDONISTIC
(Pleasure seeking and pain avoiding)
- self-centred
The social contract theory
Basic assumption that human beings ought to be (relatively) free to make decisions
What punishments help prevent crime (3)
- swift
- certain
- slightly greater than pleasure gained from action
Specific Deterrence
Tailored to individual so they do not repeat offense
Restrictive Deterrence
Trying to deter crime from certain areas
Celerity of punishment
Speed of punishment
Exemplarity
to make an example of
Classical Theory of Crime
Citizens giving up some of their freedowm to the state, in return, being granted protection and security
Neoclassical Theory/Criminology
Sought out more flexibility in the justice system.
- individualizing sentences
- offender characteristics
- extenuating circumstances
Penalties must be swift and certian
Deterrence
Crime prevention (the fear of punishement)
Why was the influance of classical school not all positive?
Beccaria’s insistance that the punishement should “fit the crime, not the person” backfired and presented gross injustices. Monentairy fines were not adjusted to an individual’s income and extenuating factors were not taken into account.
Positivists
Relying on objective, empirical data as opposed to conjure or speculation
Statistical School
Crime is related to the social structre, including the social conditions where it occurs
- using statistics to find a relationship between the information and crime
Positive school
Lombroso and his followers believed that crime was caused by biological factors beyond the individual’s control
- belief in the Perfectibility of society (progress)
- Darwin added “survival of the fittest” as evidance to prove their claims that is is nature vs nerture
Atavism
Lombroso believed that some people were born criminals and physical differences were able to be used to predict their criminality
- not ture
Stigmata
The physical signs/traits that an individual was an Atavism
- large jaw
- lines in the palms
- tattoos
- large noses
etc
Lombroso’s types of offenders (6)
- born criminals
- occasional criminals
- epliptics (an Atavistic characteristic)
- criminal insane (individual’s mental illness led to their involvement in the crime)
- criminals of passion (crimes were committed for motives such as love or politics)
- ciminaloids (general category foranyone who committed a crime but did not fit into other categories)
Indeterminate sentence
A sentence with no fixed release date
- release is determined by their behavior
Successful deterrance is a function of: (4)
- Certainty of punishement
- Celerity of punishement (speed)
- Severity of punishement
- Exemplarity (to make an example of)
3 forms of deterrence
- General deterrance
- Specific deterrance (so an individual does not repeat offense)
- Restrictive deterrence (trying to deter crime from specific areas)
Cesare LOMBROSO
- positive school
- atavism (individual’s physical features correlate to their criminality)
- zero scientific proof behind any of his ideas
John Kaspar LAVATER
- believed that the character of a person is reflected in their facial features
- (“shifty-eyed”, weak chins, arrogant noses)
Sir Francis GALTON
- innovations in fingerprinting
- studied mugshots to find “the look” of a criminal
- founder of EUGENICS movement
Eugenics
the idea that we can perfect a society by deviding out a specific groups(s) of people
- belief that they are biologically superior
Phrenology
Pseudoscience
- study of external characteristic of a person’s skull
- some bumps indicate lower or higher brain function
Somatotyping
- developed theory based on tissue layer, embryology & physiology
- William Sheldon
Endomorph
- relaxed
- comfortable person
Mesomorph
- somotonic (feeling the world through their body a.k.a physical exercise)
- active, dynamic
- gestures when talking
Ectomorph
- ex: young sheldon
- fragile
- introvert
“solutions” to eugenics
-deportation
- incapacitation
- sterilization
3 factors must be present for crime to occur
- motivated offender
- suitable target
- lack of gaurdianship
Social factors of crime
family background, peers
Situational factors of crime
ex: whether the personal has consumed alcohol or drugs
Demographic factors of crime
neighborhood of the criminal
Suitable targets
Looking for vulnerabilities
- The more suitable/accessible the target, the more likely crime will occur
Motivated criminal
- young, unemployed, under the influence etc
How crimes can be reduced
- Increasing the effort required to commit a crime
- Increasing the risks (levels of surveillance or guardianship)
- Reducing the rewards
Situational crime reduction
- keeping valuables hidden from view
- security systems
