Unit 3: Criminology Flashcards
What is Criminology?
Criminology is the study of crime, justice and deviant behaviour and their relationship to the police, courts, prison and other systems of regulation
What does Criminology Explore?
Criminology explores the…
- Individual and societal causes of crime
- Incidence and forms of crime
- The definition of crime from a legal standpoint
- Reaction to law break i.e punishment/rehabilitation
What is a Crime?
- An act deemed socially harmful or dangerous, that is specifically defined, prohibited & punished under criminal law
- A person who violates the law is considered a criminal
Types of crime…
- Violent Crime: crimes against other people
- Property Crime: vandalism, theft
- Public Order Crime: contrary to moral values eg. speeding, peeing in public
- White Collar Crime: business related crimes
- Organized Crime: illegal acts committed by illegal organizations eg. sex trafficking, drug dealing
- Cyber Crime: identity theft, child pornography, hacking, etc
What type of crime is embezzlement?
white collar
What type of crime is prostitution?
public order
What type of crime is murder?
violent crime
What type of crime is bank robbery?
property crime
What type of crime is vandalism?
property crime
What type of crime is illegal gambling
organized crime
What type of crime is grand theft?
white collar crime
What type of crime is drunk and disorderly?
public order
What type of crime is bribery/extortion?
public order (minor) and organized crime (major)
What type of crime is arson (firestarting)?
property crime
What type of crime is assault?
violent crime
What type of crime is credit card theft?
cyber crime
What is deviance?
- Behaviour that is departed from social norms but is not necessarily criminal
- A person who violates norms of society is called deviant
- Not all deviance is criminal and not all crime is deviant behaviour
eg. speeding, someone speaking really loud
Possible Reasons why People Commit Crimes?
- Biological
- Psychological (rape, stress, labeled, moral defects, pathological, drug abuse)
- Environmental (social pressures, crime as a profession, poverty)
- Learned behaviour (abuse, crime is tolerated or enabled, crime in family)
- Physical abuse
- Exposure to violence (in home, media, pornography, etc)
- Privilege or sense of entitlement (narcissistic: think they are more important then other people)
Traits that lead to Criminal Behaviour?
- Antisocial values (because someone hurt them justifies their actions and values ): this is also known as criminal thinking. It includes criminal rationalization or the belief that their criminal behaviour was justified. Individuals possessing this trait often blame others for their negative behaviour, and show a lack of remorse
- Criminal Peers: individuals with this trait often have peers that are associated with criminal activities. Most are often involved with substance abuse including drugs or alcohol. Peer influence often persuades the individual to engage in criminal behaviour. They will also typically present with a lack of pro-social community involvement (i.e strong support system at home)
- Anti-social personality: these traits often include atypical behaviour conducted prior to the age of fifteen and can include, running away, skipping school, fighting, possessing weapons, lying, stealing and damage to either animals or property
- Low self- control: this involves one’s ability to control temperament and impulsivity. People that carry this trait often do things that they didn’t plan, and will fail to think before acting. This mindset is of the here and now, and not on the consequences of the behaviour
- Dysfunctional family: one of the most common traits includes a lack of family supposed, both emotionally and others. An individuals family lacks the ability to problem solve and often is unable to communicate effectively. Family members often don’t possess the ability to express emotions in an appropriate manner. More often than not, they are also involved in criminal activity
- Substance abuse: the use of drugs or alcohol that significantly affect ones ability to engage in a successful and productive lifestyle. There is often an increased tolerance to substances, in addition to an ability to stop use.
Characteristics of Criminals?
Social Class:
- The relationship between social class or economic status and crime has been studies extensively
- More crime in deprived and deteriorating neighbourhoods, or large cities, and studies of penal populations revealed that levels of educational and occupational attainment were lower in the wider population
Racial Patterns:
- Relationship between racial or ethnic background and criminality has evoked considerable controversy. Most penal populations do contain a disproportionately higher number of people from minority racial groups relative to their numbers in the general population
- However, some criminologists have painted out that this may be the result of the high incidences among minority racial groups of characteristics that are commonly associated with identified criminality (eg. unemployment and low economic status) and the fact that in many cities racial minority groups inhabit areas that have traditionally had high crime rates
- Other explantations have focused on the enforcement practices of the police which can be identified by racial discrimination
Gender:
- Crime is predominantly a male activity. In all criminal populations, whether of offenders passing through the courts or of those sentenced to institutions, men outnumber women by a high proportion, especially in more serious offences. Beginning of 21st century, in the US men accounted for about 4/5 of all arrests and 9/10 of arrests fir homicides
Age:
- Crime is predominantly a youthful activity. Although statistic vary between countries, involvement in minor property crime generally peaks between ages 15-21
- Participation in more serious crime peaks at a later age from the late teens through the 20s and criminality tends to decline steadily after the age of 30
Why after 30?
- Physically unable
- Families
- Career and future
Cognitive Behavioural Treatment
- Getting better at answering questions to situations
- Communication
- Decision making
- Problem solving
- Practicing the newly learned skill
- Graduating only once patient is able to demonstrate change
- Success is equal to improved change
Re (again) cidivism
- Reoffend
- Rearrested
- Reconvicted
- Resentenced
- Reincarcinated
- Regressed
- Relapsed
- Readmitted
- Rehospitalized
Why do we Care about Crime so Much?
- Deviant behaviour can be intriguing to those that are removed from such tendencies
- The need to feel safe is our more important need after our basic psychological needs (food, shelter, water, etc)
__ssdgm list___
How is Crime Potrayed in the Media?
Criminals
- Scruffy or handsome (depends on crime)
Victims
- Weak and vulnerable
Criminal Justice System
- Strict
- Very slow
- White, male
What is Human Trafficking?
- Human trafficking is one of the fastest growing crimes worldwide
- It is serious criminal offence under the Criminal Code of Canada that can include recruiting, harbouring or controlling a persons movements using force, physical or psychological coercion, or deception
- Traffickers often make victims do labour (for ex. domestic, physical, and manual labour) or preform sexual acts in exchange for monetary gain
Human trafficking is not…
- human smuggling that involves moving someone across a border
- consensual, paid sex work by individuals 18 years or older
What is sex trafficking?
- Sex trafficking is a form of sexual exploitation that can include recruiting, harbouring, transporting, obtaining, or providing a person for the purpose of sex
- It refers to the forced, coercive, fraudulent or deceptive exchange of sex for something of value (for ex, money, food, drugs, alcohol, transportation, shelter)
- In Ontario, sex trafficking is the most commonly reported form of human trafficking
What is labour trafficking?
- Labour traffickers often take away passports and other documents, and sometimes control where the person stays. Debt bondage is a form of labour trafficking where a person is told they must work to pay off a large, unexpected and illegal debt
- People in other countries and newcomers may be recruited by someone from their home country or from Canada who makes false promises about what a job is and how much is pays
How trafficking can happen…
- Traffickers identify and target a persons vulneralabilites to gain trust and form a bond. They often identify and fulfil a persons needs, and then use that dependence to control and exploit them
- A person can be trafficked anywhere, including in their home community. People who are being trafficked, and the people around them, may not know that a crime is taking place
- Some people who are trafficked are controlled and monitored constantly and don’t have the opportunity or are afraid to ask for help
- They may also be manipulated to believe that the trafficker is the only person who cares about them and that they are best off staying with their trafficker
What can traffickers do to control and manipulate victims…
- emotional abuse
- lies
- addiction (gives them drugs to stay)
- threats
- violence
- isolation
- taking control of identification, documents or money
