Ch.1 criminal justice

Adjudication

To administer legal process of judgment, and to pronounce a judgement

Arraignment

when a defendant is asked to plead guilty or not guilty

Arrests

to detain a criminal suspect

Arson

willful burning or attempt to burn a structure or vehicle

Burglary

breaking and entering with intent to commit a felony or theft

Corporate crime

offenses committed by a corporation’s officers who pursue illegal activity in the corporation’s name

Criminal justice

a social institution that has the mission of controlling crime by detecting, detaining, adjudicating, and punishing and/or rehabilitating people who break the law

Discretion

the power of a criminal justice official to make decisions on issues within legal guidelines

Due process model

describes the expectation of a just and fair system

Crime control model

describes the expectation of an efficient criminal justice system

Felony

an offense punishable by a sentence of more than a year in state or federal prison and sometimes by death

Larceny

a form of theft in which an offender takes possessions with the intent of keeping them

Mass murder

the murder of three or more people in a single setting

misdemeanor

a minor criminal offense punishable by a fine and/ or jail time for up to one year

Parole

the conditional release of a prison inmate who has served part of their sentence and remains under the courts control

Probation

the suspension of all or part of a sentence subject to certain conditions and supervisions in the community

Rape

sexual activity that is forced on a person without their consent. usually under threat or harm

Robbery

the taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person by force or threat of force or violence

Serial murder

the murder of a series of victims during three or more separate events

Sexual assault

sexual contact that is committed without the other persons consent

Social control

the rules, habits, and customs a society uses to enforce conformity to its norms

Sociological imagination

recognizing how personal experience are linked to broader social forces

Street crime

small scale, personal offenses such as single victim homicide, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, and vandalism

Terrorism

the use or threat of violence against a state or other political entity in order to coerce

Victimless crime

behaviors that are deemed undesirable because they offend community standards rather than directly harm people

Prejudice

pre judging others without thoughtful consideration