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29 Terms
1
Crime
A socially constructed concept used to categorize certain behaviors as requiring formal control and some form of social intervention.
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Indictable offenses
Serious crimes such as robbery, assault, and homicide.
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Summary offenses
Less serious crimes such as property offenses.
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Conventional Crimes
Crimes committed by individuals or small groups in which some degree of direct or indirect contact occurs.
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Non-conventional Crimes
Crimes committed under cover of official positions and are seldom punished, such as cybercrime and organized crime.
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Deviance
A behavior that violates a social norm but is not prohibited by law.
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Decriminalizing
An act or behavior that is no longer considered a crime, but is still subject to certain legal restrictions and penalties.
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8
Relative
The concept of crime is not absolute but ______.
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9
Evolutive
Understanding of what comprises crime is also ______, developing new forms and meaning over time.
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10
Criminology
The study of criminal behavior, crime causation, crime prevention, and the punishment and/or rehabilitation of offenders.
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Penology
The study of the punishment of crime and of prison management.
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12
Victimology
The study of the relationship between victims and offenders, and the impact of crime on victims.
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13
Dark figure of crime
Crime that is not reported to the police and that remains unknown to officials.
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14
Moral Panic
The widespread, exaggerated concern that can take hold of the public over issues associated with morality.
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15
Restorative justice
Punishment designed to repair the damage done to the victim and community by an offender's criminal act.
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16
Biological determinism
A line of thought that explains social behavior in terms of biological factors and heredity.
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17
Anomie
A social condition in which norms are weak, conflicting, or absent, leading to an increase in crime.
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18
Strain Theory
Merton's theory that deviance occurs when a society does not give all its members equal ability to achieve socially acceptable goals.
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19
Causality
The relationship between cause and effect.
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20
Hypothesis
A testable prediction, often implied by a theory.
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21
Rationalism
The belief that some kinds of knowledge are innate while others are acquired through reasoning, independent of experience.
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Empiricism
The belief that accurate knowledge can be acquired through observation.
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23
Social Disorganization Theory
A theory that asserts crime occurs in communities with weak social ties and the absence of social control.
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Cultural transmission theory
A theory that views deviance as a learned behavior transmitted down from one generation of residents to another.
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25
Consensus Perspective of Crime
Sees laws as representing the interests of society.
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Conflict perspective on crime
Sees laws as representing the interests of specific groups in society.
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27
Behavior modification
The use of operant conditioning techniques to bring about desired changes in behavior.
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28
Operationalization
The process of assigning a precise method for measuring a term being examined for use in a particular study.
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29
Token economy
An operant conditioning procedure in which people earn a token of some sort for exhibiting a desired behavior and can later exchange the tokens for various privileges or treats.
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