Crime and the Legal System Flashcards

Flashcards of key vocabulary and concepts.

Deviance

The violation of norms that a society agrees upon

Crime

The violation of norms that have been written into law

Street crime

Criminal acts such as burglary, rape, and assault.

Criminology

The scientific study of crime, deviance and social policies that the criminal justice system applies

Uniform Crime Reports (UCRs)

Official police statistics of reported crimes gathered from police reports

National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)

The measurement of crime victimization based on contact with a representative sample of over 77,000 households in the US

Consensus model of law

Suggests that laws arise because people see a behavior they do not like, and they agree to make it illegal

Conflict model of law

Proposes that powerful people write laws to protect their own interests while punishing the actions of those they wish to control

Shaming

A deliberate effort to attach a negative meaning to a behavior

Stigmatized shame

A permanent label given to an offender, which could increase the chances of reoffending because the guilty person is forever labeled

Reintegrative shaming

An effort to bring an offender back into the community after punishment

Deterrence

A measure that prevents a person from doing something because of fear of the consequences

General deterrence

A measure that ensures individuals will not commit a crime because they see the negative consequences applied to others, and they fear experiencing these consequences

Specific Deterrence

A measure that changes the attitude of individuals, who have already violated the law and been punished, by causing them never to commit crime again

Recidivism

The tendency for inmates released from prison to return to prison

Positivist School of Crime

Assume that people are naturally social beings and are not prone to act criminally unless some biological, psychological or social factor is involved

Classical School of Crime

Assumes all people are self-interested and make rational choices based on pleasure/pain

Antisocial personality

Criminals fail to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors and are impulsive, aggressive, and irritable

Anomie

Not abiding by the norms of society

Social process theories

Review how criminal behaviors develop

Social reaction theories

Examine how societal reactions affect criminal behavior

Differential association theory

Emphasizes that criminal and deviant behavior is learned

Containment theory

All human behavior is controlled by external and internal forces

Attachment

The social bond that refers to our relationship with conforming people

Commitment

The bond that refers to the level of dedication a person has toward conventional things

Belief

Refers to a person’s conviction toward conventional things

Involvement

Is the social bond that refers to the level of activity in conventional things

Primary deviance

The initial deviant act itself

Secondary deviance

Refers to the psychological reorientation that occurs when the system catches a person and labels him or her as a deviant

General strain theory

A person experiences strain from a failure to achieve valued goals, unpleasant life events, or negative events

Discretion

The ability to make decisions in law enforcement

Plea bargain

An out of court agreement between the prosecutor and defense attorney