chapter 4

What is criminology?

• the scientific study of the causes of crime. It is “the systematic study of the etiology, prevention, control, and treatment of crime which aims to produce various forms of scientific, professional, and practical knowledge

what is criminal justice?

• Criminal justice is the study of the laws, institutions, and procedures that deal with crime.

• It also refers to the system that responds to crime, including law enforcement, the court system, and correctional facilities

What is a criminologist?

• individuals who study crime using research. Using empir-ical methods (i.e., gathering information through carefully designed studies), criminologists attempt to assess the extent of crime in society. They also seek to understand the relationship between crime and variables

what is a phrenologist and what is a physiognomist ?

• Physiognomists studied facial features and tried to show that characteristics (such as the shape of the ears or eyes) were related to criminal behavior. 

• Phrenologists maintained that there was a relationship between the external shape of the skull and the individual’s likelihood to engage in crime

What are the main points of the demonic perspective?

• If a person had engaged in deviant or criminal activities the most “logical” explanation was the fact that he or she was possessed by an unearthly, or unworldly, being. 

  • Since all explanations for worldly activities were based on the supernatural

who/what are atavists?

• Lombroso believed that certain individuals were born as “evolutionary throwbacks” (or atavists).

• Darwin argued that atavists had biological and physiological attributes similar to that of primitive humans; therefore, they were more animal-like in appearance

What is the main premise for biological explanations for crime?

• it refers to a range of biological traits explaining why crime occurs

  • These include predictable parental contributions, or heredity; genetic mutations; and psychophysiological factors

• Biological explanations of crime suggest that offenders and non-offenders differ in some physiological or anatomical way.

Who is the father of positivist criminology?

• August Comte (1798–1857) who is credited with found-ing the positive school of philosophy.

What do positivists believe in?

• based on the concept of determinism, which is the belief that crime occurs as a result of forces beyond the immediate control of the person.

• it rejects the idea of free will, taking the position that the criminal is “sick” and is perhaps pre-determined to be a deviant

What is the classical perspective? What is it based on?

•  human beings exercise free will

• based on free will

 What is Atavism?

•  Believing that certain individuals are closer to primitive humans due to appearance and these people are likely to be born criminals according to Darwin

What is Anomie?

• Anomie is a sense of normlessness that a person may experience. It is the product of two societal elements: 

• condition produced by normlessness in society

What is Routine Activities? What are the elements of RAT

• treats the motivated offender as only one element of the criminal event, proposing that additional factors contribute to the crime equation.

• Crime is opportunistic and dynamic in nature

  • (1) motivated offenders;

  • (2) suitable targets; and

  • (3) the absence of capable guardians. 

What is the main premise of criminologists that take a conflict approach to explain crime?

• crime is a reflection of societal conflict and inequality, not just individual deviance.

• The main premise is that crime arises from the inequalities and power struggles within society

  • laws and norms are created by those in power to maintain their dominance over marginalized groups.

What is the main premise of social process theorists?

• argues that criminal behavior is learned through interactions with others and is influenced by socialization processes.

• deviance is learned in social settings

  • 3 categories: (1) learning; (2) control; and (3) reaction.

What is the main premise of social reactions theories?

• these theories focus on societal reactions toward the actions of offenders rather than the initial motivations of the offenders themselves

  • EX: labeling theory

What is the main premise of social learning theories?

• examine how a person learns to be a deviant or criminal

• Most well known is Differential association theory

what is differential association theory?

• Individuals will engage in deviant activities if they:

  1. determine that the current situation is appropriate to commit a crime

  2. and is based on a person’s history of past experiences, (associations with others)

     • has 9 points

 What are Strain Theories?

• The strain theories propose that crime is the product of the inherent “strains” that people may experience due to their inability to succeed or attain the “American Dream”

. What are the modes of adaptation, according to Merton?

• These represent different ways individuals can respond to societal pressures and goals based on whether they accept or reject the culturally defined goals and the legitimate means to achieve them

  1. conformity, (Yes, yes)

  2. innovation, (Yes, No)

  3. ritualism, (No, Yes)

  4. retreatism, (No, NO)

  5. rebellion. (y/n, y/n)

  • see chart in book ch 4

What do social control theories believe?

• take the position that crime is a product of conformity to the norms and values of a subculture that are contrary to those of the dominant group

• examines how crime and deviance can be controlled through proper socialization.

what is the social bond?

• most people have a social bond that is composed of four components: (1) attachment, (2) commitment, (3) involvement, and (4) belief.

  1. Persons with a strong attachment to others (particularly family) are less likely to violate societal norms and laws because they fear that doing so may “hurt” the individuals who matter to them. 

  2. People with high levels of commitment feel that engaging in crime may result in the loss of the scholastic or career success that they have worked so hard to achieve (a concept that has also been called stakes in conformity)

  3. Involvement refers to participation in socially acceptable or approved activities (employment, organized team sports, church).

  4. Belief, those who believe in society and the legitimacy of the “system” are less likely to engage in crime and deviance. Those who do not believe, meanwhile, are more likely to engage in deviant activities

 What is the Age Crime Curve?

• majority of criminal behavior takes place between the ages of approximately 14 and 17  regardless of sex/gender/SES/race 

What is the main premise of the classical approach to crime and crime control?

• individuals have free will and make rational choices to commit crimes,

  • before doing a crime they weigh the pros and cons

  • can be deterred from criminal activity through swift, certain, and proportional punishments (Rational choice)

    • essentially, crime is a result of a conscious decision to act based on a cost-benefit analysis

what was the Eugenics Movement?

• was based on using genetics to improve the human race through effective reproduction (Nazis) 

• It falls under the biological movement category

what is the criminological enterprise?

• refers to the collective body of individuals, institutions, and activities dedicated to the study, research, and understanding of crime and criminal behavior

What is Cognitive Development Theory?

• crime and deviance occurs because a person is unable to organize their thoughts about morality and the law.

• Kholbergs theory on mental development 

• not every child advances through all of the stages of development.

  • For those children who fail to fully advance to at least stage five, the “inner child” emerges to engage in deviant and criminal activities

What is the core concept of Differential Association Theory?

• Criminals commit crimes based upon their association with other people (learned behavior) and usually by operant conditioning where behavior is reward and reinforced 

 What are the main points of the social ecology approach to crime?

• emphasizes how social and physical characteristics of neighborhoods, like poverty, social disorganization, and collective efficacy, influence crime rates and deviance

• focusses on external factors

 What is social disorganization theory?

• the examination of Chicago showed disorganization (high population density and poor populations) leads to crime conditions including culture conflict 

• Moreover membership in these deviant groups was handed down by one generation to the next (cultural transmission) 

• This process leads to chronic deviance and crime 

Who are psychopaths?

• Psychopaths are people who are highly aggressive and impulsive. They feel little if any guilt or remorse for their actions, have no emotion, and cannot control their actions