Exam 1 Flashcards
what is crime?
behaviors that we have deemed to be unlawful as a society
a conduct or failure to act in violation of the law forbidding or commanding it, and for which a range of possible penalties exist upon conviction
crime
behavior in violation of the criminal code
criminal behavior
offenses that do not require criminal intent
strict liability offenses
psychology of crime and aggression/delinquency
forensic psychology
personal theory that the world is a just place, where one gets what one deserves
just-world theory
just-worlders have been shown to favor ___ and to be nonsupportive of many social programs
capital punishment
considered to be adaptive and helpful in coping with dire circumstances to one’s life (“I get what I deserve”)
belief in a personal just-world
more problematic belief because it is associated with less compassion for others and even a derogation of victims of crime
belief in a general just-world
a set of interrelated constructs (concepts), definitions, and propositions that present a systematic view of phenomena
scientific theory
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
the end result if any proposition of the theory is not verified
falsification
theory of human behavior that emphasizes free will as a core concept
classical theory
modern version of classical theory which proposes that people will avoid committing crime if the possibility of punishment is great enough
deterrence theory
ex. of deterrence theory
surveillance cameras
theory that argues prior experiences or influences determine present behavior (closely aligned with the idea of determinism)
positivist theory
according to the positivist school, human behavior is governed by ____ and ____ is undermined
causal laws; free will
three major theories of crime:
- conformity perspective
- nonconformist perspective
- learning perspective
humans are born basically good and generally try to do the right and just thing (trying to conform to societal norms)
conformity perspective
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
who developed strain theory?
robert merton
two aspects of strain theory:
anomie and innovation
anomie
crime occurs when goals and ability to get there are incompatible
innovation
acting in criminal ways to achieve a goal - “success through the back door”
this theory assumes that people are basically unruly - human beings will naturally try to get away with anything they can, including illegal conduct, unless social controls are imposed
nonconformist perspective
this theory contends that crime and delinquency occur when an individual’s ties to the conventional order or normative standards are weak or largely nonexistent (the socialization that usually holds one’s basic human nature in check is incomplete or faulty)
social control theory
who proposed social control theory?
travis hirschi (1969)
this theory proposes that crime and delinquency can be explained largely by deficits in self-control and self-regulation (also referred to as control theory)
general theory of crime
three ways to prevent children from becoming criminals in adulthood:
attachments
committed
involved
attachments
child grows up forming pro-social attachments with others (good role models)
committed
get the child to become committed to a pro-social goal (ex. college)
involved
commit to a goal and get involved (role model involvement, ex. community programs)
this theoretical position states 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
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, and how personally meaningful the connections are
differential association theory
according to the differential association theory, criminal behavior is ____
learned
period between adolescence and adulthood when individuals may not have reached the psychological maturity associated with adulthood
emerging adulthood
agnew’s perspective of strain
strain is an event or condition that is disliked by individuals
criminology
the multidisciplinary study of crime
the branch of criminology that examines the demographic, group, and societal variables related to crime
sociological criminology
the branch of criminology that focuses primarily on how individual factors lead to the acquisition and maintenance of criminal and other antisocial behavior
psychological criminology
the attitudes, beliefs, values, and thoughts that people hold about the social environment, interrelations, human nature, and themselves
cognitions
ex. of a cognition that involves distortions of social reality
prejudice
this approach often focuses on aggression and violent behavior
biological/neurological approach
this approach examines the changes and influences (risk factors) across a person’s lifetime that contribute to the formation of antisocial and criminal behavior or, alternatively, that protect individuals with many risk factors in their lives
developmental approach
prosecutes crimes directed at people because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, disability, gender, or gender identity
hate crime statistics act of 1990
in 2016, ___% of agencies required to report bias or hate crimes said that ___ such crimes occurred in their jurisdiction
88% ; 0
where in the united states are there the most hate groups?
the south
in 2018, the southern poverty law center reported there were ____ hate groups
953
groups whose beliefs or practices attack or malign an entire class of people, such as immigrants or members of a given race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation, or gender identity
hate groups
4 ex. of risk factors
poor nutrition, the loss of a parent, early school failure, or substandard housing
protective factors
influences that provide individuals with a buffer against risk factors
ex. of protective factors
a caring adult mentor, good social skills, and RESILIENCE
relatively stable and enduring tendency to behave in a particular way across time and place (basic building blocks of personality)
trait
internal or personality determinants of human behavior
disposition
the branch of criminology that focuses on individual aspects of behavior, particularly internal forces and unconscious drives
psychiatric criminology
three ways of measuring crime:
official police reports
self-report studies
victimization studies
two types of official police reports
uniform crime reports (UCR) and national incident-based reporting systems (NIBRS)
the FBI’s system of gathering data from law enforcement agencies on the crimes that come to their attention and on arrests
uniform crime report (UCR)
the UCR consists of four data collections:
- the national incident-based reporting system (NIBRS)
- the summary reporting system (SRS)
- the law enforcement officers killed and assaulted program (LEOKA)
- the hate crime statistics program
the UCR program is the only major data source in which national data is broken down by _____
age, sex, race, and offense
crimes are divided into two major groups in the UCR
part I and part II crimes (index and non-index crimes)
part I crimes are broken up into two offenses:
violent offenses and property offenses
violent crime (part I) comprises four offenses:
murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault
simple assaults, forgery and counterfeiting, fraud, embezzlement, stolen property, offenses against family and children, sex offenses, drug abuse violations, gambling, and vandalism
property crimes (part II)
the UCR only lists what kind of data?
arrest data
UCR reports _____ rates
clearance rates
the proportion of reported crimes that have been “solved” through the arrest and turning over of at least one person for prosecution (also possibly through death of person about to be arrested)
clearance rate
which crime has the highest clearing rate?
murder
two problems with the UCR:
dark figure and hierarchy rule
dark figure
the number of crimes that go unreported (or crime occurs with no arrest)
how big is the dark figure?
~70-75%
hierarchy rule
only the most serious crime in a series is reported in the crime statistics
exception to the hierarchy rule
arson
this report details each single crime incident, as well as separate offenses within the same incident (victims, offenders, relationships between victims and offenders, arrestees, and property involved in crimes)
national incident-based reporting system (NIBRS)
NIBRS has two categories:
group A and group B
group A includes ____ serious offenses, such as arson, assault, homicide, fraud, embezzlement, larceny-theft, and sex offenses
46
group B includes ____ less serious offenses, such as passing bad checks, driving under the influence of alcohol, engaging in disorderly conduct, drunkenness, nonviolent family offenses, and liquor law violations
11
many researchers believe that ______ studies provide a more accurate estimate of actual offenses than do UCR or NIBRS statistics
self-report studies
self-report studies
people report their own criminal or otherwise antisocial activity to researchers
_____% of respondents admitted they had committed one or more offenses for which they might have received jail or prison sentences, with the average number of offenses for each person being 18
91%
most self-report studies focus on _____ rather than adult offending
delinquency
a self-report survey administered to high school students nationwide focusing on drug use and abuse
monitoring the future (MTF)
victimization surveys
national crime victimization survey (NCVS)
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)
crimes committed against persons by the current or former spouses, boyfriends, or girlfriends
intimate partner violence (IPV)
intimate partner violence is committed primarily against ____
women
black women are subject to intimate partner violence at a rate ____% higher than white women and approximately ____ times higher than the rate for women of other races
35% ; 2.5
juvenile delinquency depends on ____
age; not yet reached adulthood (~16-18 years old, but varies by state)
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)
status offenses
ex. of status offenses
running away from home, violating curfew, buying alcohol, skipping school
violent crimes account for ____% of juvenile arrests
4%
juvenile crime rate peaked in 1990 and has been ____ ever since
decreasing
about _____ of all juvenile arrests are for ____ offenses
3/4 ; part II
____ ratio male to female general delinquency
5:1
____ ratio male to female violent delinquency
9:1
gathering data on juvenile offending is more ____ than data gathering on adult crime
imperfect
in 2017, the highest numbers of arrests were for ____, ____, and ____
drug abuse offenses, driving under the influence, and larceny-theft
clinical term reserved for serious habitual behavior, especially that involving direct harm to others
antisocial behavior
juvenile delinquency depends on ____
age; not yet reached adulthood (~16-18 years old, but varies by state)
various tracks individuals follow that lead to antisocial behavior
developmental pathways
characteristics or experiences that place children at risk of antisocial or criminal activity
risk factors
3 types of risk factors:
social risk factors
parental and family risk factors
psychological risk factors
personal characteristics or experiences that can shield children and adolescents from serious antisocial behavior
protective factors
ex. of protective factor
resilience
poverty, faulty or inadequate parenting, sibling influences, and child maltreatment or abuse
ex. of family risk factors
____ is a strong predictor of adolescent violence
poverty
baumrind’s parenting skills (four styles of parenting)
authoritarian
permissive
authoritative
neglecting
intention of this parenting style is to shape and control the child’s life
authoritarian
intention of this parenting style is to control; few restrictions
permissive
this parenting style is rational; applies reasonable restrictions
authoritative
this parent is detached and unengaged in their child’s life
neglecting
ex. of family risk factor (negative correlation between divorce rates and SES)
“broken home”
____% of children in the US live in a single parent home (____% live with mother)
28% ; 88%
____’s relationship with the child and discipline is most important in terms of preventing delinquency
father’s
