CRJU 201 - Crime and Justice

Flashcards related to Crime and Justice lecture notes.

Deviancy

Behavior that violates social norms and is labeled by society as such; a social construct resulting from interactions between social, cultural, and temporal elements.

Social Contract Theories

Theories that argue all rational humans are bound together through universal values, to live together in peace and harmony; set the basis for the development of criminological theories.

Cesare Beccaria

Proposed punishments for crimes should be fixed strictly in proportion to the seriousness of the crime; supported the Social Contract theory.

Jeremey Bentham

Believed criminal behavior was ascribed to incorrect upbringing and socialization; punishments should outweigh the pleasure derived from criminal behavior.

Panopticon

A model prison developed by Jeremey Bentham, consisting of a physical circular structure with a tiered honeycomb of cells arranged around a central inspection tower.

Neo-Classical School

Began to recognize the individual differences between offenders, acknowledging that children, the elderly, and the insane might be less responsible for their actions.

Positivist Theories of Crime

An approach to the study of human behavior that seeks to identify the underlying causes of the behavior using the principles and tools of the scientific method.

Physiognomy

The idea, popularized by Johan Caspar Lavater, that there were distinctive facial features common amongst people who committed crimes. Examples include men without beards (and women with beards), weak chins, and shifty eyes.

Phrenology

Focused on the shape and contours of the head; attribution of head shape to brain development. Certain head shapes would have different levels of brain development, leading to criminal behavior.

Atavism

Developed by Cesare Lombroso, where criminals were seen as a throwback to a prehuman form of evolution.

Contemporary Biosocial Criminology

Focuses on biological factors, genetic factors, the brain, and the environment in relation to criminal behavior.

Psychoanalytic Theory

Developed by Sigmund Freud, involving the Id, Superego, and Ego. Deviant behavior can be externalized when the Id is not socialized, when the Superego is over dominant, or when repressed guilt and Id eventually 'explode'.

Lifestyle Perspective

Suggests that crime arises from how individuals live their lives, including their social environment, choices, and thinking patterns; emphasis on the role of thought process.

Sociological Positivism

Durkheim's philosophy where stratification and division of labor are historically necessary processes serving social progress and solidarity, reflecting natural inequalities.

Anomie

A state of normlessness produced by a reduction in social cohesiveness and social solidarity, leading to deviancy and criminal behavior; often caused by rapid social change, excessive individualism, and the forced division of labor.

Social Conflict Perspective

The view that there is no general consensus, only the view of certain groups wielding power; the Criminal Justice System reflects an uneven distribution of power and resources within society; crime is a by-product of social inequality.

The Lumpenproletariat

The dangerous class, consisting of the underclass devoid of class consciousness; a threat to revolutionary progress.

Social Disorganization Theory

Studied social roots of crime in urban environments, linked to weakening family and communal ties; crime rates linked to poverty, residential instability, and racial heterogeneity.

Routine Activities Theory

States that 3 elements need to be present for commission of crime: presence of a likely offender, presence of a suitable target, absence of a capable guardian.

Differential Association Theory

Developed by Edwin Sutherland, crime results from those whose role models are criminals and thus who associate with people whose behavior is different or abnormal; criminal behavior is learned, not spontaneous.

Aker’s Social Learning Theory

Developed from differential association theory, maintains that the continuation of a behavior depends on its consequences. Simply, behavior that brings pleasure is likely to be continued while behavior that brings pain will be very short lived.

Cultural Transmission Theories

Theories suggesting criminal behavior is learned and passed down through generations, like how language and other social norms are transmitted.

Robert Merton’s Anomie Theory

Proposes that crime and deviance results from a mismatch between cultural goals and the means to achieve them, leading to social strain and various adaptations.

Messner and Rosenfeld’s Theory of Institutional Anomie

Institutions that are responsible for regulating behavior have been subverted and rendered ineffective, leading to a state of normlessness.

Robert Agnew’s General Strain Theory

Identifies three major types of strain: goal blockage, the presentation of noxious stimuli, and the loss of positively valued stimuli, which can contribute to crime and delinquency.

Labelling Theories of Crime

Suggest that societal reactions to deviance can create a self-fulfilling prophecy, where the label of 'criminal' leads to further criminality.

Reintegrative Shaming

Incorporation of construction shaming followed by attempts to reintegrate the offender back into the community through forgiveness; contrasts with Disintegrative shaming which pushes offenders to the periphery of society.

Conflict Criminology

Crime is viewed as occurring through a specific set of social conditions and as a by-product of social inequality, arising from efforts to control lower classes and as an expression of deprivation and frustration.

Victimology

The study of victimization, including the psychological effects on victims, the relationship between victims and offenders, and the interactions between victims and the criminal justice system.

Positivist Victimology

Premised on the idea that victims may share some degree of responsibility in their victimization, creating victim typologies from 'ideal victims' to 'most guilty'.

Radical Victimology

Assumes society is made up of many conflicting groups and that laws are designed to support or perpetuate the capitalist economic structure; problems solved by major change in the social order.

Critical Victimology

Aims to reveal the unequal treatment of victims and promotes more ethical and equitable responses to victimization, recognizing the 'ideal victim' construct can be harmful.