ADJUS-120: Chapter 2 Vocabulary: Causes of Crime

Causation

The relationship in which a change in one measurement or behavior creates a recognizable change in another measurement or behavior

Choice Theory

A school of criminology based on the belief that individuals have free will to engage in any behavior, including criminal behavior

Chronic Offender

A delinquent or criminal who commits multiple offenses and is considered part of a small group of wrongdoers who are responsible for a majority of the antisocial activity in any given community

Correlation

The relationship between two measurements or behaviors that tend to move in the same direction

Criminology

The scientific study of crime and the causes of criminal behavior

Evidence-Based Practices

An approach or strategy that has been extensively researched and shown consistently to produce the desired outcome

Hypothesis

A possible explanation for an observed occurrence that can be tested by further investigation

Life Course Criminology

The study of crime based on the belief that behavioral patterns developed in childhood can predict delinquent and criminal behavior later in life

Recidivism

The act of committing a new crime after having been punished for a previous crime by being convicted and sent to jail or prison

Risk Assessment

A method for determining the likelihood that an offender will be involved in future wrongdoing

Social Conflict Theories

A theory that views criminal behavior as the result of class conflict

Social Reality of Crime

The theory that criminal laws are designed by those in power to help them keep power at the expense of those who do not have power

Strain Theory

The assumption is that crime is the result of frustration felt by individuals who cannot reach their financial and personal goals through legitimate means

Theory

An explanation of a happening or circumstance that is based on observation, experimentation, and reasoning

Three Main Theories of Social Structure (Social Disorganization)

Assumes that crime rates are constant in areas with certain unfavorable environmental conditions, such as high unemployment, population fluctuation, or material decay. Deviant behavior is more likely in communities where social institutions such as the family, schools, and the criminal justice system fail to exert control over the population.

Three Main Theories of Social Structure (Strain)

The theory that being unable to achieve financial and personal goals through legal means leads to criminal behavior.

Three Main Theories of Social Structure (Cultural Deviance)

Members of certain subcultures reject the values of the dominant culture by exhibiting deviant behavior patterns.

Three Branches of Social Process Theory (Learning)

People acquire criminal behavior, values, and attitudes through social interactions and environmental experiences rather than inheriting them

Three Branches of Social Process Theory (Control)

A series of theories that assume that all individuals have the potential for criminal behavior, but are restrained by the damage that such actions would do to their relationships with family, friends, and members of the community

Three Branches of Social Process Theory (Labeling)

A person labeled a “junkie” or a “thief” will respond by becoming or remaining whatever that person has been labeled.