Key Terms

Question 1

Classical school

Answer 1

18th century philosophy that contends that humans possess free will and are rational and thus make choices about how to behave. Advocates consider behavior a process whereby people weigh the costs of their actions and the benefits they expect to receive

Question 2

Confidentiality

Answer 2

In self-report surveys a condition in which the identity of a respondent is known by the researcher but the researcher does not reveal that individuals identity

Question 3

Courtroom work group

Answer 3

The collection of people who work in and around court houses.

Question 4

Crime control model

Answer 4

Philosophy of criminal justice that contends that the most important goal of the criminal justice system is to suppress crime. The aggressive and quick apprehension trial and processing of criminals

Question 5

Crime rate

Answer 5

The number of crimes committed or reported to authorities usually expressed as the number of events per 1000 or 100,000 people per year

Question 6

Dark figure of crime

Answer 6

Term used by criminologist to refer to the total number of unreported crimes

Question 7

Deterrence

Answer 7

Contends that punishments should prevent crime by making potential offenders aware of the costs of crime

Question 8

Deviance

Answer 8

Human behaviors or actions that are considered by others to be wrong bad or inappropriate

Question 9

Discretion

Answer 9

The police combined their knowledge with the array a verbal and nonverbal information that attends each unique situation make an accurate judgment about what is going on and decide on the proper response

Question 10

Due process model

Answer 10

A model of criminal justice that emphasizes procedures and guidelines that the government must follow in order to adjudicate defendants

Question 11

Felony

Answer 11

Term applied to the most serious of crimes including murder robbery and rape

Question 12

General deterrence

Answer 12

A subtype of deterrence theory that predicts that those contemplating the commission of a crime will be influenced by their understanding of the certainty and severity of the punishment in the speed at which that punishment will be administered

Question 13

Incapacitation

Answer 13

A philosophy of criminal justice that argues that the role of the criminal justice system is two separate or segregate criminals from the rest of society in order to protect it

Question 14

Informal social control

Answer 14

One of two methods by which society and the other individuals who make up society influence behavior

Question 15

Just deserts

Answer 15

Appropriate punishment for a crime; an element of retribution

Question 16

Mala in se

Answer 16

Behaviors that are considered inherently bad and must be prohibited and punished

Question 17

Mala prohibita

Answer 17

Behaviors that are considered problematic but not necessarily bad

Question 18

Misdemeanor

Answer 18

A class of less serious crimes, usually involving punishment of less than one year in prison

Question 19

Official statistics

Answer 19

One of three types of data society gathers on crime; UCR, self report

Question 20

Positivist school

Answer 20

Contends that human behavior is influenced by external conditions in situations that are beyond individuals control

Question 21

Rehabilitation

Answer 21

Philosophy of criminal justice that views criminals as broken and seeks to repair them by reformation and treatment

Question 22

Retribution

Answer 22

A philosophy based on the belief that criminals should be punished because they have violated the law and that the criminal justice system exists to punish wrongdoers

Question 23

Self report statistics

Answer 23

Gathered by asking people to report And the number of times they have committed a crime during a set period of time

Question 24

Specific deterrence

Answer 24

Refers to the deterring effect Of punishing a particular offender and argues that offenders who are punished for a crime will be less likely to commit the crime again because they will remember the punishment they received the first time

Question 25

Victimization studies

Answer 25

Ask people if they have been victims of a crime during a certain time period

Question 26

Victimless crime

Answer 26

Class of crime in which there is no individual directly victimized including crimes such as illegal drug use or under age drinking

Question 27

Actus reus

Answer 27

The act of a crime, usually an overt act or act of omission

Question 28

Administrative law

Answer 28

Law that is created an enforced by administrative bodies

Question 29

Bills of attainder

Answer 29

Policies that allow the imposition of punishment without a trial

Question 30

Case law

Answer 30

La created by judges through their interpretation of other types of laws