criminology exam 1 textbook review

Fill-in-the-blank flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture notes on crime as a sociological problem, foundational criminology theories, and labeling theory.

Crime is viewed as a sociological problem because patterns of crime arise from the interplay of __ forces.

political, economic, social, and cultural

There’s no perfect way to define crime; at times it is in line with the law and other times the law feels __.

inadequate

Corporate crime is any illegal or socially injurious act of intent or indifference that occurs for the purpose of __ corporate goals.

furthering

Political crime includes crimes committed by the state and crimes committed __ the state.

by

Mass media has contributed to the culture of fear and is the method in which information is __ and most influential mechanisms for organizing public sentiment.

distorted

Criminalization is the process whereby criminal law is selectively applied to social behavior and the enactment of legislation that outlaws certain types of behavior through methods of __, policing, and punishment.

surveillance

Mala in se are acts that are inherently immoral and considered evil regardless of whether a law __ them.

prohibits

Mala prohibita refers to actions that are illegal because they violate specific statutes or regulations, rather than being inherently morally __.

wrong

Mens rea refers to criminal __.

intent

Deterrence theory holds that punishment deters individuals from committing crimes by making the costs of crime appear to outweigh the __ for rational actors.

benefits

Routine activities theory emphasizes environmental context and routine activities in creating crime opportunities, shifting focus from offender motivation to the conditions that make a crime event __.

possible

Bentham is remembered for his model prison, the __.

Panopticon

Principles of utilitarianism state that the most ethical decisions are those that benefit the greatest __ of people.

number

Quetelet believed that crime has __ causes.

biological

Quetelet’s criminology used natural science methods to identify the constancy of crime rates, criminal propensities, and the causes of crime; i.e., the __ of crime.

causes

Goring analyzed the physical features of English convicts and rejected Lombroso’s concept of born __.

criminality

Neoclassical school was born to fill the vacuum created by classical and positivist schools with a system of criminal __ based on accountability, individualization of punishment, and treatment programs.

responsibility

David Matza is known for his criticism of the __ approach to juvenile delinquency.

positivist

Matza emphasized that juveniles consciously __ between the conventional culture and the subculture of delinquency.

drift

Differential association theory proposes that criminal behavior is learned through interaction with others, not by choice or individual traits, but by an excess of definitions favoring __ over obedience.

law violation

The Chicago school initially dominated sociological criminology; it is known as the __ school.

Chicago

Shaw and McKay found that juvenile delinquency and other social problems were concentrated in zones of __ populated by white, lower-class immigrants and by blacks.

transition

Albert Cohen suggested delinquent boys inhabit a subculture and lower-class boys are doomed to fail in terms of __ standards.

middle-class

Cohen’s findings were criticized for overemphasizing the extent to which lower-class youth internalized __ values.

middle-class

Cloward and Ohlin argued that lower-class youth join delinquent subculture seeking greater economic success but seek higher status in __ terms.

lower-class

Matza claimed that juveniles exercise __ over their activities, whether delinquent or conformist.

rational choice

Delinquents drift in and out of delinquency and conventional behavior; they __ in and out of delinquency.

drift

The 5 main techniques of neutralization delinquents use to rationalize their behavior include __ (denial of responsibility), denial of injury, denial of victim, condemnation of condemners, and appeal to higher loyalties.

denial of responsibility

The labeling perspective claims that deviance and crime are in the eye of the __.

beholder

Deviance amplification also occurs through __.

stigmatization