Final Exam Flashcards
Which of the following types of criminal intent is associated with the most severe punishment in the U.S. legal system?
A. purposive conduct with specific intent
B. conduct that is done knowingly
C. reckless conduct
D. negligent conduct
E. none of the above because it depends on the type of felony
A. purposive conduct with specific intent
Hyperlexis
excessive use of law
Hyperlexis is common under which condition?
weak informal social controls within a society
How would a legal definition of crime explain why smoking marijuana is illegal in all states but smoking cigarettes is legal for persons over 18 years old?
find answer (marked wrong) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Surveys indicate that Americans disagree on the rating of the seriousness of occupational crimes like employee theft and income tax evasion (T/F)
TRUE
The majority of money spent by local governments for criminal justice activities is in the area of
police protection
In contemporary American society, most politicians who accept bribes for political favors, inside traders on Wall Street, and corporate heads who fix prices on goods and services are most often perceived as
secret criminals
Legally, crime is defined as law-violating behavior that involves:
A physical act (actus reus), a mental state (mens rea), and concurrence (the union of the physical and mental elements).
When counting crime and compiling data, police departments use a ________ definition of crime.
legal
A normative definition of crime is most appropriate in describing the content of criminal laws in which of the following types of societies?
A. highly diversified, heterogeneous societies
B. most modern, industrial societies
C. most tribal or pre-industrial societies.
D. only a) and b) are true
C. most tribal or pre-industrial societies
According to Becker’s definition of crime, an example of a secret criminal would be:
A CEO engaging in illegal business practices or a politician taking a bribe
The majority of Americans will be a victim of a violent crime in their lifetime (T/F)
TRUE
Laws that focus on teen drinking, disorderly conduct, hate crimes, compulsory school attendance and similar problems demonstrate the concept of ____________
Social engeneering
Studies of differences in crime rates between U.S. and other countries are examining differences in the
epidemiology of crime
Epidemiology of Crime
social, spatial, and temporal distribution
In pre-industrial societies, crime is mostly discouraged by ___________, while in industrial, modern societies, crime is mostly discouraged by ____________.
informal social control, formal social control
Labeling theorists assume that acts like adultery, teenage drinking, and prostitution are inherently wrong. (T/F)
False
“Dead letter” laws are never enforced (T/F)
False
What is considered a “national disease” in contemporary American society?
hyperlexis
Normative definition of crime
Criminal behavior represents conduct that violates public standards of morality
What types of societies use normative definitions of crime?
small agrarian/tribal societies
Legal definition of crime
assumes that crime is a violation of legal rules
Labeling/Interactionist definition of crime
No behavior is inherently criminal, definitions of crime are socially constructed
-derives from conflict theory of social order
Conflict Theory of Social Order
Criminal law is an instrument used by the ruling class to to protect their interests
Non-criminals
don’t engage in law violating behavior
Falsely accused
don’t engage in criminal behavior but are perceived to do so
Social Engeneering
Using criminal law to eliminate social problems and promote constructive social changes
Loony laws
city ordinances and state laws that are weird and outdated
How is social order maintained in pre-industrial societies?
using strict enforcement of of social norms/customs (informal social control)
-collective responsibility for crime