exam 1

Question 1

criminology

Answer 1

the study of the making of criminal laws, the breaking of criminal laws, and of society’s reaction to the breaking of criminal laws

Question 2

criminalistics

Answer 2

the scientific evaluation of physical evidence

Question 3

advantages and disadvantages of three definitions of crime

Answer 3

clarity/absence of vagueness
coverage
succinctness

Question 4

legalistic definition of crime

Answer 4

any culpable action or inaction, prohibited by criminal law and punishable by the state as a misdemeanor or felony

Question 5

no law and no punishment and no culpability = ___?

Answer 5

no crime

Question 6

misdemeanor

Answer 6

up to 1 year in jail or prison

Question 7

felony

Answer 7

more than 1 year in jail or prison

Question 8

actus rea

Answer 8

action/inaction

Question 9

mens rea

Answer 9

criminal intent

Question 10

exception 1 to legalistic definition of crime

Answer 10

not all crimes require actus rea and/or mens rea

Question 11

exception 2 to legalistic definition of crime

Answer 11

not all violations or criminal law are crimes due to excuses/justifications

Question 12

consensus perspective

Answer 12

society characterized by a collective conscience (the shared values, beliefs, and norms)

Question 13

conflict perspective

Answer 13

society is characterized by conflict between groups with competing interests, beliefs, and values

Question 14

class conflict theory

Answer 14

the mode of production of a society shapes all social institutions

Question 15

group conflict theory

Answer 15

many sources of conflict, groups compete for control of law

Question 16

mala in se crimes

Answer 16

considered wrong in and of themselves, regardless of whether they are criminalized

Question 17

mala prohibita laws

Answer 17

considered wrong because they are prohibited by criminal law

Question 18

interactionist perspective

Answer 18

definitions of crime vary by place, time, and situation; actions prohibited law are not inherently criminal

Question 19

violent UCR part 1 offenses

Answer 19

criminal homicide, rape, aggravated robbery, aggravated assault

Question 20

nonviolent UCR part 1 offenses

Answer 20

burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, arson

Question 21

dark figure of crime

Answer 21

gap between the actual amount of crime committed and the amount of crime reported to the police

Question 22

three kinds of crime statistics

Answer 22

official statistics, victimization surveys, self-report surveys

Question 23

temporal order

Answer 23

in order for something to cause crime, it must occur prior to crime

Question 24

spuriousness

Answer 24

the observed relationship between two variables is due to chance and some 3rd variable

Question 25

social disorganization theory

Answer 25

high crime areas are socially disorganized

Question 26

urban rural differences in crime

Answer 26

south- violent culture, west- more opportunities

Question 27

age and crime correlation UGR

Answer 27

relationship is invariant

Question 28

gender and crime correlation UGR

Answer 28

typical gender patterns in UR but not G

Question 29

SES and crime correlation

Answer 29

relationship is unreliable

Question 30

left realism

Answer 30

studying marginalization and over policing as a way to reduce crime