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Definition
| stages through which offenders pass: police, courts, and corrections. |
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Definition
| an academic discipline that uses the scientific method to study the nature, extent, cause, and control of criminal behavior. |
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Definition
| people choose to act when, after weighing costs and benefits, they believe that their actions will bring them an increase in pleasure and a reduction in pain. |
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| Perspective suggesting that (1) people have free will to choose criminal or conventional behaviors; (2) people choose to commit crime for reasons of greed or personal need; and (3)crime can only be controlled by the fear of criminal sanctions |
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Definition
| Branch of social science that uses the scientific method and suggests that human behavior is a product of social, biological, psychological, or economic forces. |
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| A scientist that studies the facial features of criminals to determine whether the shape of ears, nose, and eyes and the distance between them are associated with antisocial behavior |
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| a scientist who studies the shape of the skill and bumps on the head to determine whether these physical attributes are linked to criminal behavior. |
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Definition
| A personality characterized by inappropriate behavior responses and an inability to learn from experience. |
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| According to Lombroso, the physical characteristics that distinguish born criminals from the general population and are throwbacks to animals or primitive people |
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Definition
| Belief that criminogenic traits can be acquired through indirect heredity from a degenerate family whose members suffered from an illness, or through direct heredity--being related to a family of criminals. |
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Definition
| Early efforts to discover a biological basis of crime through measurement of physical and mental processes. |
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| The view that physical, environmental, and social conditions work in concert to produce human behavior. |
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| Cartographic School of Criminology |
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Definition
| Used statistical data to measure information about the population including density, gender, religious affiliation, and wealth. |
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Definition
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| Environmental forces that have a direct effect on human behavior. |
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Definition
| Study of human interactions and relationships; emphasizes group dynamics and socialization. |
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Definition
| Key to understanding crime; process of human development. |
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Definition
| Social forces operating in urban areas create criminal interactions; some neighborhoods become natural areas for crime. |
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| People who do the actual labor. |
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Definition
| Idea that criminals are rational and decide if crime is worth committing. |
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| Criminological Enterprise |
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Definition
| Areas of study and research that makeup the field of criminology. |
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Definition
| Links between different types of crimes and criminals. |
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| Crimes are behaviors believed to be repugnant to all elements of society. |
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| Written code that defines crimes and their punishments, reflects the values, beliefs, and opinions of society's mainstream |
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Definition
| View that behaviors harmful to people and others in society must be controlled. |
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Definition
| View that behaviors harmful to people and others in society must be controlled. |
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| Any action that departs from social norms. |
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| Society is a collection of diverse groups who are in constant conflict. |
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Definition
| View that one's perception of reality is influenced by one's interpretations of the reactions of others to similar events and stimuli. |
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Definition
| To apply negative labels to someone, affecting their self-image and social interactions. |
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| People who use their influence to shape the legal process in the way they see fit. |
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Definition
| People who use their influence to shape the legal process in the way they see fit. |
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| Basis of criminal law; use previous decisions in cases as a precedent. |
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Definition
| Acts that are outlawed because they violate basic moral values (robbery, rape, etc) |
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Definition
| Acts that are outlawed because they violate current norms and social opinion (drugs, traffic, etc) |
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Definition
| Crimes defined by legislative bodies in response to changing social conditions, public opinion, etc. |
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Definition
| Prohibits willful, malicious, and repeated following and harassing of another person. |
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Term
| Uniform Crime Report (UCR) |
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Definition
| Large database, compiled by the FBI, of crimes reported and arrests made each year throughout the US |
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Term
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Definition
| The 8 crimes the FBI reports in the UCR. Includes murder, rape, assault, robbery, burglary, arson, larceny, and motor vehicle theft |
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Definition
| Another term for Index Crimes |
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Definition
| All crimes other than Index Crimes and minor traffic offenses |
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Definition
| When the person is arrested and charged OR when an element beyond police control precludes the physical arrest of an offender |
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Term
| National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) |
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Definition
| requires local police agencies to provide a brief summary of each incident and arrest |
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Term
| National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) |
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Definition
| an ongoing victimization study that surveys victims about their experiences with law violation |
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Definition
| a research approach that requires subjects to reveal their own participation in delinquent or criminal acts |
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Definition
| a sample of subjects whose behavior is followed over a period of time |
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Definition
| offenses designed to improve the financial or social position of the criminal |
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Definition
| Crimes that have no purpose except to accomplish the behavior at hand |
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Definition
| the view that women who commit crimes have biological and psychological traits similar to those of men |
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Term
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Definition
| low female crime and delinquency rates are a reflection of the leniency with which police treat women |
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Term
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Definition
| a person who repeatedly violates the law and organizes his or her lifestyle around criminality |
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Term
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Definition
| a delinquent offender who is arrested 5 or more times before he or she is 18 and who stands a good chance of becoming an adult criminal |
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Definition
| Policy whereby people convicted of three felony offenses receive a mandatory life sentence |
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Definition
| Idea that victimes of crimes are more likely to commit crime themselves |
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Definition
| Crime victims have a much higher chance of being victimized again |
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Definition
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| Victim Precipitation Theory |
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Definition
| Idea that the victim caused their own victimization |
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Definition
| The idea that the source of many criminal incidents is the aggressive behavior of the victims |
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Definition
| View that some people become victims because of personal and social characteristics that make them attractive targets |
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Term
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Definition
| People may become victims because their lifestyle increases their exposure to criminal offenders |
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Term
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Definition
| People become victims because they reside in high-crime areas where they have the greatest risk of coming into contact with criminal offenders |
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Term
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Definition
| Effective deterrents to crime, like police or neighbors |
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Term
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Definition
| Emergency counseling for crime victims |
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Term
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Definition
| a condition of probation in which the offender repays society for their crime (money, community service) |
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Term
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Definition
| Making one's home or business crime-proof through locks, alarms, etc |
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Term
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Definition
| crime is a function of decision-making in which the offender weighs the costs and benefits |
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Term
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Definition
| concept that the penalty for a crime may prompt commission of a more severe crime because the penalty is the same |
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Term
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Definition
| idea that offenders react selectively to the characteristics of certain crimes |
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Definition
| idea that offenders evaluate their skills, motives, needs, and fears before committing a crime |
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Term
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Definition
| excitement you get after committing a crime |
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Term
| Situational Crime Prevention |
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Definition
| a method of crime prevention that stresses strategies to reduce particular crimes |
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Term
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Definition
| Crime control policy meant to convince individuals that the pain associated with crime outweighs the benefits |
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Term
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Definition
| Level at which deterrence measures have an effect on the crime rate |
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Definition
| Concentration of police resources on a certain problem area |
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Term
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Definition
| crime control policy suggesting that punishment should be severe enough to convince convicted offenders never to repeat their crime |
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Term
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Definition
| Idea that keeping offenders in confinement will eliminate the risk that they will commit future offenses |
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Term
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Definition
| Those who violate the rights of others deserve to be punished; punishment=crime |
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Definition
| Offenders should be punished based solely on their offense, not on how the punishment affects others |
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Definition
| Theory in which id-driven people are driven to increase their pleasure without regard to consequences |
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Term
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Definition
| Ability to learn about the consequences of one's actions through experience |
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Definition
| Instinctual drive toward aggression and violence |
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Term
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Definition
| View that the ability to form social bonds controls human behavior |
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Term
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Definition
| Human behavior is modeled through observation of human social interactions, especially through observation |
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Definition
| Process of learning behavior by observing others |
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Term
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Definition
| Intelligence is largely determined genetically |
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Term
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Definition
| Intelligence is not inherited, but a product of society |
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Term
| Primary Prevention Programs |
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Definition
| Treatment programs that seek to correct personal problems before they manifest themselves in crime |
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Term
| Secondary Prevention Programs |
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Definition
| Treatment programs aimed at helping offenders after they have been identified |
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Term
| Tertiary Prevention Programs |
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Definition
| Crime control and prevention programs that may be a requirement of a probation order |
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Term
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Definition
| Society is stratified based on economic class and wealth |
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Term
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Definition
| View that people in the lower class form their own separate culture |
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Term
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Definition
| view that disadvantaged economic class position is a primary cause of crime |
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Term
| Social Disorganization Theory |
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Definition
| branch of social structure theory that focuses on the breakdown of institutions such as the family, school, and employment |
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Term
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Definition
| Sees crimes as a function of the conflict between people's goals and the means available to obtain them |
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Term
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Definition
| Sees strain and social disorganization together resulting in a lower-class culture that conflicts with conventional norms |
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Term
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Definition
| a group that is uniquely part of the dominant culture but maintains a unique set of values and norms |
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Term
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Definition
| Concept that conduct norms are passed down from one generation to the next |
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Term
| Transitional Neighborhoods |
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Definition
| an area undergoing a shift in population, usually from middle class to lower class |
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Term
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Definition
| Rude and uncivil behavior |
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Term
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Definition
| A residential renewal stage in which obsolete housing is replaced and upgraded |
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Term
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Definition
| Social control exerted by cohesive communities |
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Term
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Definition
| Two elements of society result in crime: culturally defined goals and socially acceptable means to attain them |
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Term
| Institutional Anomie Theory |
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Definition
| View that anomie pervades in the US because the drive for material wealth dominates |
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Term
| General Strain Theory (GST) |
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Definition
| Multiple sources of strain interact with an individual, causing criminal behavior |
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Term
| Negative Affective States |
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Definition
| Anger, depression, fear, etc that result from strain |
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Term
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Definition
| Behaviors expected of social group members |
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Term
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Definition
| A condition brought about when the rules and norms of an individual's subculture conflict with conventional society. |
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Term
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Definition
| A form of culture conflict experience by lower-class youth because they don't have the resources to be successful |
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Term
| Middle-class Measuring Rods |
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Definition
| Standards by which lower-class youth are evaluated; causes them to become frustrated because they cannot live up to this standard |
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Term
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Definition
| A role in the lower class in which young men remain in their birth neighborhood and adjust to the demands of the environment |
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Term
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Definition
| A disadvantaged youth who embraces the cultural values of the middle class and strives to be successful but is not properly equipped. |
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Term
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Definition
| A youth who adopts a set of norms that completely oppose the values of the middle class. |
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Term
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Definition
| Rejecting goals and standards that seem impossible to achieve |
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Term
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Definition
| View that lower-class youths, whose opportunities are limited, join gangs and pursue criminal careers |
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Term
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Definition
| View that criminality is a result of people's interactions with organizations, institutions, and processes in society. |
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Term
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Definition
| Parenting that is effective, supportive, and noncoercive |
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Term
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Definition
| View that people commit crime when the forces that bond them to society are broken |
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Term
| Social Reaction Theory (Labeling Theory) |
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Definition
| View that people become criminals when significant members of society label them as such and they accept those labels |
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Term
| Differential Association Theory |
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Definition
| Principle that criminal acts are related to a person's exposure to an excess amount of antisocial attitudes and values |
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Term
| Direct Conditioning/Differential Reinforcement |
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Definition
| behavior is either rewarded or punished while interacting with others |
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Term
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Definition
| Using either negative stimuli or loss of reward to curtail unwanted behaviors |
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Term
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Definition
| Practices condemned in public but admired or practiced in private |
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Term
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Definition
| Youths move in and out of delinquency |
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Term
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Definition
| Strong commitment to conventional processes that prevent people from participating in deviant behavior |
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Term
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Definition
| Idea that a strong self-image prevents youth from engaging in criminal activity |
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Term
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Definition
| Ties a person has to institutions and processes of society |
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Definition
| Selecting suspects on the basis of their racial or ethnic background. |
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Definition
| A label that changes a person's identity and how others view that person |
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Term
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Definition
| The reassessment of a person's past to fit a current generalized label. |
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Term
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Definition
| Stigmatized offenders begin to reevaluate their own identities; the person becomes the thing he is described as being |
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Term
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Definition
| Deviant acts that do not help redefine the self-image and public image of the offender. |
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Term
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Definition
| Accepting deviant labels as a personal identity |
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Term
| Contextual Discrimination |
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Definition
| practice in which African Americans get harsher punishments in some instances (when they victimize whites) but not in others (when they victimize other blacks) |
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Term
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Definition
| Programs of rehabilitation that remove offenders from the normal channels of the criminal justice system, thus avoiding the stigma of a criminal label |
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