classical school 1 criminology

Criminology

the scientific study of crime (rationale for engaging in criminal behavior, analyzing the process of making laws, breaking laws)

Mala in se

Evil in itself; inherently immoral acts (torture)

Mala prohibita

A wrong prohibited; forbidden by law but not inherently immoral (marijuana)

Acts of Deviance

Behavior that violates social norms but is not necessarily against the law

Goals & Components of the Criminal Justice System

• law enforcement, courts, and corrections

• goals: a) control crime, b) prevent crime, c) provide/maintain justice

Consensus Perspective

People obey laws because they internalize shared societal norms and values

Conflict Perspective

Different societal groups have different interests; conflict exists between groups and is resolved when the group in power achieves control

State Police Model

General police power + special units like intelligence, drug trafficking, and crime labs

Highway Patrol Model

Primary focus is investigating the operation of vehicles on highways; the rest is left to local authority

Probation

Offender complies with terms for a set time to avoid jail (drug testing)

Jail

Facility used for minor crimes or for individuals awaiting trial

Prison

Facility used for major crimes carrying a 1+ year sentence

Victim Precipitation

When an individual increases their own risk of being victimized (more than 25% of homicides, the victim used force first against the person who killed them)

Compensation

The government provides funds to the victim

Restitution

The offender pays the victim (difficult to collect because offenders tend to be broke)

Parsimony

Simpler = better

Scope

How much phenomenon it attempts to explain (more = better)

Logical Consistency

Assumptions must make conceptual sense

Testability

Must be able to be empirically tested

Validity

The scientific community tested and backed it.

Accounting for Spuriousness

Ensuring other outside factors (Z) that could cause the observed association between X and Y are accounted for