Introduction to Criminology

Flashcard set for Exam 1

Criminology

The scientific study for crime, encompassing the process of making laws, breaking laws, and reacting toward the breaking of laws.

Mala in se

Latin for ‘evil in itself’; acts that are inherently and essentially evil, immoral, and injurious regardless of law.

Mala prohibita

Acts that are not inherently immoral but are considered wrong because they are expressly forbidden by positive law.

Consensus perspective

Views the formal system of laws and their enforcement as incorporating societal norms for which there is a broad normative consensus.

Conflict perspective

Maintains that there is conflict between various societal groups with different interests, often resolved when the group in power achieves control.

Parens patriae

Latin for ‘parent of the country’; a philosophical perspective recognizing the state’s right and obligation to protect citizens who have some impairment, such as juvenile immaturity.

Victim precipitation

When an individual increases the risk of victimization through their actions (active) or failure to act (passive).

Parsimony

The characteristic of a goof theory that explains a phenomenon in the simplest way possible.

Scope

The trait indicating how much of a given phenomenon a theory attempts to explain; larger scope is generally better.

Spuriousness

A situation where a third variable (z) causes two events to occur together, making the relationship between x and y appear casual when it is not.

Dark figure of crime

Undetected or unreported crimes that do not come to the attention of law enforcement or criminal justice agencies.

Uniform Crime Reports (UCR)

A program designed to generate a consistent set of crime statistics for law enforcement administration, operation, and management.

Hierarchy rule

In the traditional UCR Summary Reporting System, the rule requiring that when multiple Part I offenses occur, only the most serious offense is scored.

National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)

An incident-based reporting system that replaced the Summary Reporting System to provide more detailed, accurate, and meaningful data on crime incidents.

Supplementary Homicide Reports (SHR)

A data-collection program launched in the 1960s to collect more detailed information on homicides, including victim and offender characteristics.

National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)

A survey of households used to estimate victimization rates and understand crimes not reported to law enforcement.

Self-report surveys

Research methods that collect data by asking respondents to provide information about their own illegal behaviors, typically through written questionnaires or interviews.

Monitoring the Future (MTF)

An annual self-report survey of youth measuring substance and alcohol use patterns along with attitudes and values.

National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)

One of the largest national surveys providing estimates on the level and patterns of alcohol, tobacco, and illegal substance use.

Spatial analyses of crime

Methods that incorporate location, distance, direction, and patterns to analyze where and when crimes occur, often using geographic information systems (GIS).

Classical School

A theoretical perspective emphasizing that individuals have free will and make rational decisions based on the potential costs and benefits of their actions.

Age of Enlightenment

An intellectual movement in the 17th and 18th centuries that acknowledged human capacity for decision-making and laid the foundation for rational theories of crime.

Deterrence theory

The first rational theory of criminal activity, proposing that individuals can be discouraged from committing crime if the potential costs outweigh the perceived benefits.

Free will

The ability of individuals to make choices regarding their behavior and destiny, which is a central focus of Classical School theories.

Rational decision-making

The mental process by which an individual weighs the potential rewards of a criminal act against the possible negative consequences.

Individual responsibility

The core principle that individuals are primarily responsible for their actions and choices, serving as the basis for many U.S. criminal justice policies.

Rational choice model

A modern framework of deterrence that expands upon Classical School ideas by incorporating both formal and informal costs into an individual’s decision-making process.

Informal factors

Non-legal influences, such as family, employment, and community, that can act as deterrents by showing how criminal actions may negatively impact these areas of life.

Get tough movement

A policy shift beginning in the mid-1970s that emphasized harsher punishments and individual responsibility, highly compatible with Classical School theories.

General Deterrence

Punishments given to an individual that are meant to prevent or deter other potential offenders from such criminal activity.

Specific deterrence

Punishments given to an individual that are meant to prevent or deter that particular individual from committing crime in the future.

Certainty of punishment

One of the key elements of deterrence; the assumption that when people commit a crime, they will perceive a high likelihood of being caught and punished.

Severity of punishment

One of the key elements of deterrence; the assumption that a given punishment must be serious enough to outweigh any potential benefits gained from a crime.

Celerity of punishment

The speed with which punishment is applied after a crime is committed, which is considered a crucial element for effective deterrence.

Rational choice theory

A perspective that emphasizes the importance of formal and informal sanctions, along with individual background factors, in the decision-making process.

Routine activities theory

An explanation of crime that assumes it occurs when three elements converge: a motivated offender, a suitable target, and the lack of a capable guardian.

Capable guardian

A person of object that is effective in deterring a potential offender from committing a crime against a target.

Lifestyle theory

A theory of victimization that suggests individuals have a higher chance of becoming victims if their routine activities put them in situations where they are more likely to interact with motivated offenders.