Crime & Deviance – Vocabulary Review

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from lectures on deviance, crime measurement, victimization, and rational choice theory.

Deviance

Behavior that departs from social norms or statistical averages.

Statistical Deviance

Rare behavior that falls at the extreme ends of a bell-curve distribution.

Moral Judgments (Absolutist View)

Deviance defined as acts seen as inherently wrong (e.g., murder, rape).

Social Judgments (Reactionist View)

Deviance defined by society’s reaction to certain behaviors (e.g., drug use).

Social Norms

Culturally and situationally defined expectations about appropriate behavior.

Prescriptive Norms

Rules that tell us what we should do in a given context.

Proscriptive Norms

Rules that tell us what we should not do in a given context.

Crime

A form of deviance that violates legal norms codified in law.

Nullum Crimen Sine Lege

Latin for “no crime without law”; behavior is not criminal unless legally prohibited.

Consensus View (of Law)

Perspective that laws reflect widely held social values and protect society.

Conflict View (of Law)

Perspective that laws serve the interests of powerful groups over others.

Interactionist View (of Law)

Perspective that laws result from moral entrepreneurs shaping public opinion.

Criminal Law

Body of rules that defines crimes, sets punishments, and guides enforcement.

Goals of Criminal Law

Express morality, maintain order, deter crime, and punish wrongdoers.

Criminology

Interdisciplinary study of crime, lawmaking, and society’s response to crime.

Ethics in Criminological Research

Principles guiding safe, honest, and respectful study of crime and offenders.

Do No Harm

Ethical mandate to avoid physical or psychological injury to research subjects.

Informed Consent

Voluntary agreement to participate in research after full disclosure.

Anonymity and Confidentiality

Protecting participant identity and private data from exposure.

Scientific Integrity

Commitment to honesty, accuracy, and objectivity in research.

Social Perception of Crime

Public beliefs about crime shaped by media, experience, and data.

Uniform Crime Reports (UCR)

FBI program collecting police data on reported crimes and arrests.

National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)

Expanded UCR format recording detailed info on each reported crime incident.

Part I Offenses

Eight serious crimes tracked by UCR (e.g., murder, robbery).

Part II Offenses

Less serious crimes tracked by UCR (e.g., fraud, simple assault).

Hierarchy Rule

UCR practice of recording only the most serious offense in a multi-crime event.

National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)

Household survey measuring reported and unreported victimizations.

Self-Report Surveys

Anonymous questionnaires where offenders disclose their own criminal acts.

Dark Figure of Crime

Amount of crime that never comes to police attention or official statistics.

Crime Clearance Rate

Percentage of crimes solved by arrest or exceptional means.

Crime Patterns: Age

Crime peaks in the teens/early 20s and declines with age (“aging out”).

Crime Patterns: Gender

Males commit more crimes overall; gap widest in violent offenses.

Crime Patterns: Race

Minority groups, especially African Americans, are overrepresented in arrests.

Crime Patterns: Class

Lower socioeconomic status correlates with higher rates of street crime.

Victim Precipitation Theory

Idea that victims may actively or passively contribute to their victimization.

Active Precipitation

Victim provokes offender through actions or words.

Passive Precipitation

Victim possesses traits that unknowingly attract offenders.

Victimology

Study of victims, their experiences, and their role in the crime process.

Physical, Psychological, Financial Harm

Common consequences suffered by crime victims (injury, trauma, monetary loss).

Cycle of Violence

Phenomenon where victims of abuse may later become perpetrators of violence.

Routine Activity Theory

Crime occurs when a motivated offender meets a suitable target without capable guardianship.

Motivated Offender

Individual willing and able to commit a crime.

Suitable Target

Person or object that is attractive and accessible to an offender.

Capable Guardianship

Presence of protection (people or measures) that discourages crime.

Lifestyle Theory

Certain behaviors and daily routines increase risk of victimization.

Deviant Place Theory

Residing or spending time in dangerous areas raises victimization risk.

Repeat Victimization

Tendency for some victims to experience multiple offenses.

Victims’ Bill of Rights

Laws granting victims participation in proceedings and access to services.

Cesare Beccaria

18th-century thinker who argued crime is a rational choice influenced by punishment.

Rational Choice Theory

View that offenders weigh costs and benefits before committing crime.

Cost-Benefit Analysis (Crime)

Calculation of expected rewards versus risks by potential offenders.

Offense-Specific Crime

Criminal decisions shaped by the particulars of a specific offense type.

Offender-Specific Crime

Criminal choices influenced by an individual’s skills, needs, and experience.

Situational Crime Prevention

Strategies that reduce opportunities or increase risks to deter specific crimes.

General Deterrence

Use of threat of punishment to discourage the public from offending.

Certainty of Punishment

Likelihood that criminal actions will be detected and punished.

Severity of Punishment

Harshness of the penalty imposed for a crime.

Celerity of Punishment

Swiftness with which punishment follows a criminal act.

Specific Deterrence

Punishing an individual offender strongly enough to prevent reoffending.