Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Criminal Justice 200 > Exam 1 > Flashcards

Exam 1 Flashcards

1
Q

what is the legalistic approach to crime

A

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

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

what are issues related to the legalistic approach to crime

A

culpability and legal defense (acts reas and mens are); crime distinctions (felonies and misdemeanors); male in se vs male prohibita

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

what is the criminological approach to crime

A

violations of social norms (folkways, mores, laws); relativity of crime and deviance; making and breaking rules and the social reaction to it

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

what are folkways

A

violations of norms in terms of manners (farting in public, turning around on an elevator)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

what are the three common sources of criminal data

A

UCR, NCVS, self-report surveys (official crime stats, victimizations surveys, self-report studies)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

what are some advantages of the UCR

A

◦ Collected since 1930’s
◦ 18,000+ police departments volunteer info
◦ Can examine percent change in types of crime
from previous year (or other time periods)
◦ Can find descriptive information about demographic correlates of Part I crimes (e.g., gender, age, race, geographic region)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

what are some disadvantages of the UCR

A

◦ Underestimation of the amount of crime
◦ Minimizes seriousness of white-collar crimes
◦ Bias
◦ Changes in citizens’ reporting practices may
artificially raise estimates of official crime rates
◦ Police crackdowns or politically motivated police reporting can artificially bias official crime statistics
◦ Definitions of crimes may vary across police precincts (e.g., issues with defining rape)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

what are the index 1 crimes

A

criminal homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, arson

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

what are the index 2 crimes

A

everything else

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

how does each source of data produce different results

A

when relying on UCR, it depends on the information provided by the police not the total number of crimes committed (a lot of crime committed isn’t even reported to the police, NCVS excludes homeless people or white collar crime, Self-report is not valid

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

what is the UCR measuring

A

the UCR measures crimes that are reported to the police, it does not shed light on the dark figure of crime

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

what crimes does the NCVS include

A

street crimes and sheds light on the dark figures of crime

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

what crimes does the NCVS exclude

A

homicide, steers away from white collar

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

how is information collected in the NCVS surveys

A

the BJS collects a sample of 90,000 households and asks them questions on whether or not any member of their house has been a victim

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

what is the dark figure of crime

A

amount of unreported or undiscovered crime, which calls into question the reliability of official crime statistics

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

what types of crimes do self-report surveys measure?

A

reveals the hidden figure of crime

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

what are the advantages of NCVS

A
  • More accurate estimate of the number of crimes (Note important exception: Homicide!) Thus, illuminates some of “dark figure of crime”…
  • Info on context has improved development of theories of victimization (e.g., we now know that most violent crime is intra-racial; that is, black-
    on-black, or white-on-white
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

what are the disadvantages of NCVS

A
  • Potential issues with underreporting or over-reporting
  • Excludes some populations due to household sampling (e.g., homeless, runaways, etc.)
  • Like UCR, these data also divert attention away from white-collar crimes, as focus is on street crimes.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

what is a convenience sample in self-report survey

A

convenience sampling is bias because it includes the sample of the population that is the easiest to reach

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

what is a random sample in self-report survey

A

random samples give the population an equal chance of being selected to participate in the survey

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

what is the difference between prevalence and incident offending

A

prevalence is how many people are doing it- proportion of the sample; incidence is how frequently people engage in certain crimes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

what is quantitative research

A

“quantify” variables and analyze numerical patterns such as mean differences, variation, etc.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

what is qualitative research

A

meaning and interpretation rather than numerical trends

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

what are some advantages of self-report surveys

A

◦ Reveals “hidden figures of crime”
◦ Can examine theoretically interesting correlates of crime
◦ With longitudinal designs, can examine changes over life course (and increase causal inference)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

what are disadvantages of self-report surveys

A

◦ Often focuses on minor or “trivial” offenses such as truancy, running away, minor substance use, etc.
◦ Potential issues with validity
◦ Many focus primarily on boys
◦ May also ignore white-collar offenses

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

what is deductive research

A

deductive research is when we develop a theory then create a general hypothesis from the theory and prove it when we collect observations

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

what is inductive research

A

we collect observations and begin to notice patterns so we create a hypothesis from it to develop a theory

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

what is a definition

A

statement of a concepts meaning; “true” by definition

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

what is a fact

A

empirical ‘existence’ statement; “true” by observation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

what is a hypothesis

A

testable relational statements; often both empirical and causal claims

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

what are experimental methods

A

changing variables to see the changing outcome

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

what are observational methods

A

just observing change; researcher attempts to predict nature

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

what scientific method do they use the most in criminological research

A

they mostly use observational methods because they are more natural- can’t necessarily imitate crime in a lab

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

what is a variable

A

characteristics of whatever is being studied

35
Q

what is a dependent variable

A

the effect, or the variable to be explained or predicted

36
Q

what is an independent variable

A

the causes, or the variable that theoretically explain or predict change in the dependent variable

37
Q

what are simple causes in causality

A

only one variable causes change; “water in a freezer:” temperature causes the water to freeze

38
Q

what are complex causes in causality

A

more than one variable causes change; so many factors go into why a car will not start

39
Q

what are the three basic criteria for causation

A
  • association/correlation: x is related to y in a statistical sense
  • non-spuriousness: relationship between x and y is not false- it doesn’t reflect confounding variable z
  • proper time order: x comes before y
40
Q

what is correlation in experimental methods

A

often manipulate independent variables, then observe changes in dependent variables

41
Q

what is correlation in observational methods

A

usually observe correlations between independent and dependent variables

42
Q

what are correlations

A

variables that are related in a statistical sense

43
Q

what is a mediation variable

A

mediating variables intervene between two variables and

explain why they are correlated

44
Q

what is a moderating variable

A

moderators “change” or modify the relationship between two variables (e.g., they may specify certain conditions under which two variables are correlated)

45
Q

what are the key correlates of crime

A

prior criminality; association with criminal peers; geographic location; age; gender; SES; race/ethnicity

46
Q

how does prior criminality relate to crime

A
  • persistent heterogeneity: “persistent difference”- differences between criminals and non-criminals: criminals have lower self-control than those who don’t commit crime
  • cumulative continuity: something that happens after you break a rule that makes it more likely that you break another
47
Q

how does criminal peers relate to crime

A

selection: some people are more likely to commit crime than others and select into peer groups like themselves: hangout with people who do same kind of things as you
socialization: learning things from your peers like attitudes related to crime

48
Q

how does age relate to crime

A

people in their late teens and early 20s are more likely to commit crime (not all types of crime peak at the same age- gambling and fraud are later in life)

49
Q

how does geographic location relate to crime

A

crime rate: compare the number of people in a given area to the amount of crime
-US used to have a high crime rate but now we are average in comparison to other countries

50
Q

which US regions have a higher crime rate

A

urban areas, the south and the west (some argue bc of climate differences or more interaction with people)

51
Q

how does gender relate to crime

A

men are more likely to violate laws than women; gender gap is not the same across all crimes (rape, prostitution, same for drug use); quantitative research shows similar rates of adolescent violence among boys and girls

52
Q

how is SES related to crime

A

SES is a weak and inconsistent correlate of criminal behavior; the relationship between SES and crime depends on: type of data, measure of crime, measure of social class

53
Q

what is the relationship between SES and crime found official stats

A

poor people are more likely to commit crime and end up in prison; we don’t see this data in self-report surveys

54
Q

how does race/ethnicity relate to crime

A

race and ethnicity are inconsistent correlates of crime; researchers find less of a crime gap when they examine: self-report data, examine minor offenses or white collar crimes

55
Q

how does the crime rate look in terms of immigration groups

A

first generation immigration groups have lower rates of crimes

56
Q

what two correlates of crime have the strongest association with crime

A

prior criminality and criminal peers

57
Q

what is a paradigm

A

a set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality for the community that shares them (framework or lens through which we view the world)

58
Q

why do paradigms matter

A

they shape the questions we ask, influence how we attempt to answer them, not usually right, wrong, true or false, and are rather useful or not useful at a given time

59
Q

what are the two major theoretical paradigms regarding the origins of law

A

consensus and conflict

60
Q

what is the consensus paradigm

A

• Law is a natural part of informal rules of interaction of a society
• NORMS
• Law is a product of consensus & exists to maintain consensus by reaffirming
what we as a social group already believe
• May be seen as recognized by all as necessary for the sake of order
• Ex. Traffic Laws

61
Q

what is the conflict paradigm

A

• Recognizes existence of many moralities representing a variety of group interests in a society
• Focuses on whose morality is expressed in law & with what consequences
• Views law as a tool or a weapon, assumes it will be used as such by any group that can do so to its advantage
• Considers the importance of social class in creating and enforcing definitions of crime and punishment
• Laws may exist to protect interests of dominant class • Wealthy are “weeded out” at all stages of the criminal justice system (from defining
crime to sentencing)

62
Q

what is a theory

A

a set of concepts linked together by a series of of statements to explain why an event or phenomenon occurs (explanation)

63
Q

what are the goals of science

A

provide typologies: create categories of similar/different things; explain phenomena; predict phenomena; provide a sense of understanding about phenomena

64
Q

what is the scientific process

A

start with empirical generalizations; develop scientific explanations; use research to test explanations; develop general theories by integrating specific explanations

65
Q

what are the components of an adequate general theory

A

motivation for crime; constraint (internal/external); opportunity; contingence

66
Q

what are the key characteristics on which we evaluate theories

A

scope; logical consistency; testability; empirical validity; parsimony; policy implications

67
Q

how did pre-classical societies tend to explain rule-violating behaviors

A

crime pointed to religious beliefs and supernatural behavior. If people were breaking laws, they must be associated with the devil. Crime was evil and sinful.

68
Q

how did pre-classical societies respond to criminal offenses

A

exorcisms to get rid of supernatural beings; kill them; or eat them

69
Q

what did Thomas Hobbes make about human nature

A

people are greedy, selfish, at war with one another; people are rational; people create governments and rules to avoid constant states of fear; people grant governments monopoly on use of force

70
Q

what is the “social contract”

A

people willingly give up certain rights and choose to abide by society’s rules in exchange for protection from the rule-violators

71
Q

when is the social contract broken

A

if people feel they have little or no say in government and application of law

72
Q

what were the classical school’s key ideas about punishment and control

A

Beccaria and Bentham thought punishment should fit the crime and when it doesn’t fit the crime then people will stop following social orders; the punishment must be strong enough so that it deters further crime

73
Q

what lasting impacts did their ideas have on our criminal laws and criminal justice system

A

effects our prisons, enlightenment ideas throughout the structure of our government, right to trial by jury, notion of culpability, reduction of corporal punishment

74
Q

explain Beccaria’s views on the death penalty

A

the death penalty was a violation of the social contract; deterrence vs brutalization effects; intensity vs duration of punishment;

75
Q

explain Beccaria’s elements of effective punishment

A

swiftness; certainty; & severity (punishment fits the crime); he believed in specific and general deterrence

76
Q

according to classical criminologists, why do people engage in crime

A

crime, like most human behavior, are the result of rational decision-making processes

77
Q

what basic assumptions did classical criminologists make about human behavior

A

there is a deliberative actor and utilitarian actor assumptions

78
Q

what is the deliberative actor assumption

A

humans think before acting

79
Q

what is the utilitarian actor assumption

A

humans attempt to maximize rewards and minimize costs

80
Q

how did Lombroso explain crime

A

the notion of crime is biological

81
Q

how did lombroso challenge classical criminology’s notions of free will and culpability

A

his ideas suggested that human behaviors may be largely determined by factors that are outside of a person’s control

82
Q

what are the general principles of positivism

A

rejection of metaphysical and speculative approaches; denial of “free will” conception of human action and substitution of a “deterministic” model; application of the scientific method; clear distinction between science and morality

83
Q

Is science completely value free?

A

no, scientists have all the value drives of a normal human being

84
Q

what are some scientific values

A

autonomy: freedom to choose; intellectual integrity; aesthetics; social interaction: collaboration and contribution

Criminal Justice 200 (1 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions