Index Crime I Flashcards
Lesson 2
Name the 7 Index Crimes
Murder, Rape, Robbery, Aggravated assault, Burglary, MV theft, Theft
What are the violent/physical crimes?
Murder, Rape, Robbery, Aggravated assault
What are the personal crimes?
Burglary, MV theft, Theft
Describe the NCVS advantages (National Crime Victimization Survey)
-provides a better coverage of household crimes, random sample interviews
Describe the NCVS disadvantages (National Crime Victimization Survey)
-Available only on national level
-misses business crimes, bank roberries
Describe the advantages of UCR (Uniform Crime Reports)
-geographic detail
-has business crimes like bank roberries
Describe the disadvantages of UCR (Uniform Crime Reports)
Only crimes reported to the police as categorized by police
What are the four approaches to modeling crime?
- Personality Traits
- Incentives
- Happenstance
- Victims
These approaches provide various perspectives on understanding criminal behavior.
what does the personality trait model say about the world?
The world is divided into criminals (bad guys) and non-criminals (good guys).
This division simplifies the understanding of criminal behavior.
What is the objective of policies aimed at reducing crime based on personality traits?
To reduce the number of people with bad personality traits that make them criminals.
This focuses on preventive measures rather than punitive ones.
What does the term ‘Incapacitation’ refer to in the context of crime reduction?
Policies that seek to reduce crime by reducing the number of people on the street with bad personality traits.
Incapacitation is a strategy used in criminal justice to prevent future crimes.
How has empirical work shown that personality traits can affect crime rates?
-Prison; altering the number of incarcerated people, crime moves in the appropriate direction
This suggests that interventions targeting personality traits can have an impact on criminal behavior.
What is one of the strongest forms of incapacitation discussed?
Abortion
The argument is that allowing abortions can prevent the birth of individuals who may become criminals.
What significant change occurred around 1970 that is linked to crime trends?
Abortion was legalized.
This legalization is associated with a decline in crime observed around 1990.
Who conducted a significant study linking abortion to crime trends, and when was it published?
Levitt and Donohue (2000).
Their work sparked considerable debate regarding the effects of abortion on crime rates.
What childhood exposure is linked to increased impulsivity, aggressivity, and lower IQ?
Childhood lead exposure.
This highlights environmental factors influencing behavioral outcomes.
What legislative act significantly reduced lead exposure in the US?
The 1970 Clean Air Act
The act led to a substantial decrease in lead levels in gasoline.
What percentage of the decline in violent crime does Jessica Reyes Wolpaw attribute to lead removal?
56%.
This statistic underscores the impact of environmental health on crime.
What was the impact of increased use of psychotherapeutics according to Frank and McGuire (2005)?
Responsible for 8.5% of the crime drop
This suggests a link between mental health treatment and reduced criminal activity.
True or False: Prisoners are disproportionately seriously mentally ill.
True.
This observation raises questions about the adequacy of mental health treatment in correctional facilities.
What is the impact of violent movies on crime
violent crime goes down when violent movies are being shown
This concept is foundational in criminology and crime prevention strategies.
what is the impact of high school on crime
property crime goes down when high schools are in session
What are other factors that prevent people from committing crime
high quality preschool, education, job corps
(weaker results because they only show who commits crimes)
What determines crime?
-incentives because they move people on the margin; intermediate people and people at the margin determine the volume of crime
Describe the equation for deterrence
Deterrence = expected punishment
= probability of punishment * amount of punishment
= certainty * severity
What is the impact of certainty or severity on crime
Increasing certainty or severity deters crime, certainty seems to be more important
Describe how Domestic violence supports deterrence of crime
Arrest was more effective in avoiding recurrences of DV crime (Arrest, mediate and give advice, send the abuser away for 8 hours)
Describe happenstance
The volume of crime depends on people at the margin, who are swayed by minor things (dv increases on sunday due to sports losses)
What is victim hardening
-potential victims spending to avoid crime, if victims do not call there won’t be arrests
