criminology - chapter three

deterrence theory

a Classical school theory of crime that proposes individuals make rational decisions regarding their behavior

Age of Enlightenment

a period in the 17th and 18th century where Western philosophers and scholars began to emphasize the rights of the individual in society

Classical School

a model of crime that assumes crime occurs after a rational individual mentally weighs the potential consequences of a crime and then makes a decision on whether to commit it

social contract

an Enlightenment idea or assumption that stipulates an unspecified arrangement among citizens in which they promise the state or government not to commit offenses against other citizens and in turn gain protection from being violated by other citizens

utilitarianism

a philosophical concept that relates to the idea of the greatest good for the most people

mens rea

a concept regarding whether offenders actually knew what they were doing and meant to do it

actus reus

in legal terms, whether the offender actually engages in a criminal act

brutalization effect

the predicted tendency of homicides to increase after an execution, especially a high-profile execution

swiftness of punishment

the assumption that the sooner an offender is punished for a crime they are guilty of, the more they will deterred from breaking the law

certainty of punishment

the assumption that people percieve a high likelihood of being caught and punished if they commit a crime

severity of punishment

the assumption that a given punishment must be serious enough to outweigh any potential benefits gained from a crime

specific deterrence

punishments given to individual offenders that are meant to prevent or deter them from committing crime in the future

general deterrence

punisments given to individual offenders that are meant to prevent or deter others from engaging in similar criminal activity

Neoclassical school

assumes that aggravating and mitigating circumstances should be considered when sentencing and punishing offenders