Intro to Criminology Exam 1

Mala in se vs Mala Prohibita

Acts considered evil and immoral in nature;

Acts considered crimes because the law has declared them as such in that jurisdiction

Deviance

Behaviors that are not natural

Criminology

The study of crime and reasons why people engage in criminal behavior

Criminal Justice

Various criminal justice agencies and institutions who work towards a common goal

Consensus Perspective of Crime

Agree on what is right and wrong and how those norms are implemented into laws and how those laws are enforced

Conflict Perspective of Crime

When there is conflict between groups with different interest

The CRJ System

Enforce conduct to protect people and the community

Probation

Arrangement between authorities and offender

Jail

For people convicted of minor crimes and awaiting trial

Prison

For people convicted of serious crimes with longer sentences

Criminal Theory; Parsimony

Explains a phenomenon such as criminal behavior with the fewest propositionsor concepts

Criminal Theory; Scope

The range of criminal behavior the theory attempts to explain

Criminal Theory: Logical Consistency

Consisent with existing crime rates and trends

Criminal Theory: Testability

A theoretical model can be empircaly or scientifically tested

Criminal Theory: Empirical Validity

A theoretical model is supported by scientific evidence

Victimology

Study of victims

Victim Precipitation

The Increased liklihood an individual becomes a victim due to something they did (or didn’t) to make them a target

Passive Victim Precipitation vs Active Victim Precipitation

Something an Individual did not or forgot to do;

Something an individual does that increases the probability of being targeted

Dark Figure of Crime

Crime that doesn’t come to the attention of law enforcement

Why are measures of crime necessary?

Describe crime;

Explain why;

Identify differences in crime rates;

Risk assessment of different groups;

Policy and program evaluation

Data Collection Methods: Crime Mapping

Data on crime based on location, distance, direction and pattern

Data Collection Methods: National Prisoner Statistics Program

Data on the incarcerated

Deterrence Theory

Theory of crime associated with Classical school;

Proposed individuals will make rational decisions regarding their behavior

The Age of Enlightment

Late 17th and 18th century where scholars emphasize the rights of individuals in this society;

Thomas Hobbes and the Social Contract

What is Classical School

Assumes a rational person will weigh the pros and cons of engaging in crime

Pre-classical Perspective of Crime and Punishment: Primitive Cultural Beliefs

Violation of the rule was the action of evil spirits

Mens rea vs Actus Rea

If offenders knew what they doing and meant to do it;

A concept;

If the offender engaged in a given criminal act;

A concept

Beccaria

Father of classical school;

emphasized Thomas Hobbes “ Social Contract”;

Against death penalty/ violates social contract;

Free will and Individual choice;

Father of Deterrence theory

Father of Criminal Justice

Deterrence Elements of Punishments: Swiftness of Punishment

Quick punishment = less crime

Deterrence Elements of Punishments: Certainty Of Punishment

the likelihood of being caught and punished is high

Who is the Father of Victimology

Mendelsohn

Deterrence Elements of Punishments: Severity of Punishment

Punishment is severe to outweigh ang future crimes

Specific Deterrence vs General Deterrence

Punishment to an individual to prevent them from offending again;

Punishment given to an individual to prevent others from offending

Jeremy Bentham

Known for his concept “Hedonistic Calculus”

The weighing of pleasure vs pain;

Known for his prison design “Panopticon”;

Inspired By Beccaria and Concepts of rational choice/utility

Neoclassical School

Assumed that contextual circumstances should be taken in account when sentencing and punishment

Rational Choice Theory

Emphasized official and formal forms of deterrence;

Emphasized factors that influence one’s decision to engage in crime;

Classical School Framework

Routine Activities Theory & Hot Spots

Motivated offender;

Suitable Targets;

Lack of capable Guardianship ;

Places where all 3 elements of R.A.T. converge in time and place

Eugenics

Study of the improvement to the human race

Craniometry

Belief that the size of brain or skull represents superior or inferiority of individuals or ethnic/racial groups

Phrenology

Belief that human disposititions were based on distinctions in the skull, which also conform the shape of the brain

Physiognomy

The study of facial and bodily aspects to indicate criminality

Lombroso’s Theory of Crime

Born criminals were the most serious and violent;

Believed identification through stigmata

Lombroso’s Stigmata List

Twisted or flat nose;

Longer arms and lower limbs;

Hooded eyes;

Large or small ears

Protrudling Jaw

Sloped forehead

Lombroso is seen as the father of ?

Father of Criminology and Positive school

What is Determinism?

Behavior is determined by factors beyond free will and choice;

Biological, Psychological and Sociological factors determine our choices

Goddard’s IQ Test

Labeled people from highest to lowest intelligence;

Belief morons were a threat to genetic pool;

Belief women could pick out feeble-mined

Mass Sterilization

Somatotying

Linked body type to likelihood of criminal behavior

Nature

the interaction between genetics

Nurture

the interaction between environment

Neurotransmitters

Chemicals in brain and body;

transmit electrical signals from one neuron to another

Dopamine

Neurotransmitter linked to feeling good

Serotonin

Important in all information processing

Psychoanalytic Perspective

Behavior is presumed to be due to three aspects of their personality: The Id, Ego, and Superego

Id

Responsible for our desires and drives contains everything that is present at birth

Ego

The moderator between the demands of the Id and Superego;

Reason and Sanity

Superego

Not part of our nature, we develop this through early social attachment and the Moral Principle;

Person learns the restrictions, mores, and values of society

Anxiety

Can motivate a person to attempt to correct the stressful situation;

Warning and looming danger or a painful experience

Defense Mechanisms

Help people cope in situations where they use irrational measures;

Stem from the ego

Unconscious

Where large portions of the ego and superego remain;

disturbing images, forbidden urges and other experiences are repressed

Manifest v Latent Delinquency

By August Aichorn;

Attempted to uncover the unconscious motives of juveniles engaging in delinquent behavior;

Delinquency is considered Manifest when it results in antisocial behavior;

Delinquency is considered Latent when the same state of mind exists but has not yet expressed itself through such behavior

Hans Eysneck: Theory of Crime and personality

Emphasizes that human personality can be viewed in the three dimensions

High Psychoticism vs Low Psychoticism

Aggressive, Cold, Egocentric, Impersonal, Anti-social, unempathetic, creative, and tough- minded;

Empathetic, Altrustic, unselfish, warm, peaceful, and generally more present

Extroversion

Sociable, lively, active, assertive, sensation-seeking, carefree, dominant, (low-level of cortical arousal)

Neuroticism

Anxiety, depression, guilty feelings, low self esteem, tension, shyness, modiness (fight and flight)

Lawrence Kohlberg: Moral Development Theory

Moral development occurs in six stages

Preconventional Level (Stage 1 and 2)

Level or morality that is considered right or wrong that is defined by authority;

Conventional Level (stage 3 and 4)

Adult approaches to maintain the family and social order;

Postconventional Level (Stage 5 and 6)

Individuals consider why one should be moral

John Bowlby; Attachment Theory

Influenced by the work of freud;

Was interested in the parent-infant interactions

Factors of Attachment theory; Specificity

Attachments are selective between 1 or 2 people

Factors of Attachment theory; Duration

Attachments are persistent can last through one’s lifetime

Factors of Attachment Theory; Engagement of emotion

Strong emotions are associated with attachment relationships

Factors of Attachment Theory;

Course of development

First 9 months of an infants life they develop attachments to a primary figure

Factors of Attachment theory;

Learning

Social interactions in the learning process are key

Factors of Attachment Theory;

Organization

Attachment behavior follows cognitive development from birth

Factors of Attachment Theory;

Biological Function

Attachment has a biological function in terms of survival

Intelligence Quotient

Measure of intelligence

Sociopath

Antisocial personality attributed to social or familial dysfunction

Psychopath

Antisocial beh. may be a result of a defect or abnormality with themselves

Primary Psychopath vs Secondary Psychopath

Primary displays certain characteristics that are maladaptive and pathological;

Secondary Exhibits extensive symptoms of psychological turmoil and emotional reactivity

What five theories determine a good theory?

Parsimony, Scope, Logical Consistency, Testability, Empirical Validity

Utilitarianism

The concept that relates to the idea of the greatest good for the greatest amount of people

Data Collection Methods: Uniform Crime Report

Generate a reliable set of crime statistics that can be used L.E administration operation and management

Data Collection Methods: Supplemental Homicide Report

Apart of the UCR program;

Data provide more detailed information on the incident

Data Collection Methods: National Incident Based Reporting System

Goal is to enhance the quality, quantity and timeliness of

statistical data;

Improve the methods used for compling, analyzing, auditing and publishing the collected data

Data Collection Methods: Hate Crime Data

Collect info on traditional offenses such as murder and vandalism, that have an additional factor of bias

Data Collection Methods: National Crime Victimization Survey

Primary measure of crime in the U.S

Data Collection Methods: Self Report Surveys

Collected through questionnaires or in-person interview;

unofficial

What is the term “Revolving Door”

The in and out of prison and/or jail among offenders with mental disorders

what is the most consistent associations with criminal offending?

Damage to the frontal lobe or temporal lobes

What did Freud develop

Freud originated the Psychanalytic perspective

who coined the term Criminology ?

Raffaee Garfelo

What is the Biosocial approach of crime?

that genetics and environment influences behavior

What is Atavism

The belief that certain characteristics or behaviors of a person are throwbacks to an earlier stage of evolutionary development

What is Positive School?

assumes that individuals have no free will to control their behavior

What impact did Classical Theories have on U.S Policies

Was used as the basis for U.S. policies on punishment for criminal activity

Decline of Classical/Neoclassical Theory

Lost favor in the 19th century after charles darwin 1860’s publication on the origins of species

What are the proponents of biosocial explantions ?

Eugenics, Crainometry, Phrenology, Physiognomy

What are Twin Studies

Determine the relative influence of nature and nurture on criminality of identical twin pairs vs fraternal pairs;

Identical twins known as Monozygotic twins;

Fraternal twins known as Dizygotic Twins;

What are Adoption Studies

Examine the criminality of adoptees. Specifically the influence of biological versus adoptive parents;

Research shows that biological parents have far more influence on the youth’s future criminality