Criminological Theory Test 1

what is a theory?

interconnected statements that explain how two or more events are related to one another

what are the types of criminological theory?

theories of law and criminal justice

theories of criminal and deviant behavior

what is macro theories?

cover major groups of people such as a society

what is micro theories?

covers small groups of people possibly even individuals

what are categories of criminal and deviant behaviour?

biological

psychological

social psychology

sociological

what are some of the criteria of evaluating theory?

logical consistency

scope and parsimony

testability

empirical validity

usefulness and policy implication

what is the most important criteria of evaluating theory?

empirical validity

what is logical consistency?

the theory must make sense

what is scope?

the area to which the theory can be applied

what is parsimony?

deals with the theory to explain criminal behaviour

if a theory cannot be tested what happens?

it has no scientific value

what is empirical validity?

supports the theory through scientific evidence

if a theory cannot be supported, it is not valid

what is causality?

one thing produces another

what is determinism?

both external factors and internal thought affects the behavior

what did Beccaria and Bentham want?

bans on cruel and unusual punishment

what is severity and fitting the punishment to the crime?

to deter crime the system must be swift certain and severe (the punishment must fit the crime)

what is certainty?

offenders understand if they commit a crime they will be punished

what is celerity?

punishment for the crime is enacted swiftly

what is specific deterrence?

deterrence aimed at the specific offender

what is general deterrence?

deterrence aimed at the remainder of society

what are the components of modern deterrence?

certainty

severity

celerity

proportionality

specific and general

what is absolute deterrence?

people not committing crime because they are scared of the punishment

what are the 3 types of individuals?

acute conformists

incorrigible offenders

deterrable offenders

what is acute conformists?

comply with the law because it’s the right thing to do

what is incorrigible offenders?

committed to crime, nothing will stop them

what is deterrable offenders?

groups who are scared of punishment

what is informal deterrence?

disapproval of family

sanctions outside of the criminal justice system will be a form of punishment

what are the 3 elements composed within routine activities theory?

an available target

a motivated offender

lack of guardian

what is a form of prevention in terms of routine activities?

hot spot policing

what is lombroso’s theory of stigma?

physical abnormalities such as large monkey ears or extra fingers or toes

what is lombroso’s theory of atavism?

earlier stage of human evolution

what is an insane criminal?

idiot, unfit for society, psychotic

what is criminaloid?

motivated by passion to commit crime

what is shared environments?

class, parents, religion

what is non shared environments

peer groups, teachers, differences in family

does genes cause behaivor?

no they don’t, they facilitate our behaviours and feelings

what did adoption studies tell us?

children who were adopted and not raised by their biological parents still inherit their genetic tendencies

what did biological theories believe?

they believed that criminals were born criminals as a result of genetics

what did biosocial theories believe?

criminals were influenced by genetic makeup and their environment

what did the twin studies tell us?

behavior or attitude of one twin matches that of the other

what are policy implications for biological theories?

deportation or isolation

imprisonment

medical (lobotomies)

kill

sterilization and abortion

what are policy implications for modern biosocial theories?

educational programs

teacher training

after school programs

drug treatment

promotion of parenting skills

what is psychological theory?

looks deeper into the mind of the individual (looking at an individual’s childhood experiences)

what is the Id?

basic instincts and drive

what is the ego?

rational part of the personality

what is the superego?

conscience of the individual

what is personality theory?

belief that crimes are committed as a result of individual’s personality (aggressiveness)

what is the MMPI?

Minnesota multiphase personality inventory (measures depression)

what is CPI?

california psychological inventory (measures sociability)

what is a psychopath?

manipulation of others and having little to no conscience (also has many personality disorders)

what is PPI-I: fearless dominance?

positive traits such as academic performance

what is PPI-II: impulsive antisociality?

antisocial behaviour and aggression

what are the 5 components of OCEAN?

Openness

conscienstiousness

extraversion

agreeableness

neuroticism

what was the Wayne county clinic?

tried to use psychotherapy, did not work

what was the Cambridge - somerville youth study?

the treatment boys had more contact with police and committed more offences than the control group

what did psychological theories prove?

individuals are criminals because of internal factors (childhood trauma) and not choice