Criminology Vocabulary

High School criminology Vocabulary unit one

actus reus

The physical criminal act

Albert Bandura

Creator of social learning theory

alternative sanctions

Punishments other than prison or probation

aggravated assault

An attack causing severe bodily injury

anomie

A state of societal normlessness

appellate courts

Courts that review lower court decisions

arson

Intentionally burning a structure or property

blue curtain

The secretive culture of police isolation

bourgeoisie

The wealthy

burglary

Unlawfully entering a building to steal

Cesare Lombroso

Theorist who claimed criminals are born

challenges for cause

Dismissing a juror for proven bias

community policing

Police partnering with local neighborhoods

community service

Unpaid work as a punishment

conflict theories

Theories viewing society as a power struggle

conformity

Accepting societal goals and legal means

corporate crimes

Illegal acts committed by a corporation

correctional facilities

Prisons or jails holding convicted offenders

crime

An act that violates written law

crime control model

System prioritizing fast arrests and convictions

criminal anthropology

Studying physical traits to explain crime

criminal justice

The study of system agencies and practices

criminal justice professionals

People working in the legal system

criminal justice system

The police

criminalist

A forensic scientist analyzing physical evidence

criminologist

A scientist studying crime's root causes

criminology

The scientific study of criminal behavior

criminology of place

Studying how geographic locations affect crime

deprivation model

Prison culture caused by losing freedoms

detention facilities

Places holding people awaiting trial

deviance

Behavior violating social norms

differential opportunity theory

Crime caused by unequal access to success

direct file

Prosecutor sending a juvenile to adult court

district courts

Federal trial courts for legal cases

due process model

System prioritizing individual rights and fairness

duress

Being forced to commit a crime

ectomorphs

Thin

ego

The rational part of our personality that is seeking to accomplish particular objectives

electronic monitoring

Using technology like ankle bracelets to track offenders

embezzlement

Stealing funds entrusted to your care

endomorphs

Round

exclusionary rule

Banning illegally obtained evidence from trial

expressive crimes

Crimes committed due to hostility in the relationship and feelings like jealousy and anger

false advertising

Involves making false or illegal claims about a product

federal courts

Courts managing cases involving federal laws

federal magistrates

Appointed judges handling minor federal legal duties

fences

Individuals who buy and resell stolen goods

first degree murder

Premeditated and deliberate intentional killing

folkways

Informal social customs and everyday behaviors

Franz Joseph Gall

Founder of phrenology who linked skull shapes to behavior

Gabriel Tarde

Theorist who argued crime is learned through imitation

general deterrence

Punishing offenders to scare the public from committing crime

grand jury

Citizens determining if enough evidence exists for indictment

Hans J. Eysenck

Psychologist linking personality traits like extraversion to crime

homicide

The killing of one human by another

house arrest

Sentence confining offenders to their own homes

hustling

Engaging in casual

id

Unconscious personality component driven by basic urges

individual occupational crime

Financial crimes committed by workers for personal gain

inmate code

Unwritten rules guiding behavior inside prison

innovation

Using illegal means to achieve legal goals

interpersonal violence

Use of physical force between individuals

institutional robbery

Robbing commercial settings like banks or stores

instrumental crimes

Offenses committed to gain material goods

involuntary manslaughter

Unintentional killing through reckless or negligent behavior

jails

Facilities that hold individuals for up to one year and are administered by local officials

labeling theory

Society's criminal tags push people deeper into crime

larceny

The unlawful theft of personal property

laws

Formal norms that have been written down with formal consequences for breaking them

loan sharking

illegal lender who offers cash loans at extremely high or unlawful interest rates and uses threats, intimidation, or violence to collect debts.

manslaughter

Homicide without malice aforethought

mass murders

Killing multiple victims in a single event

mens rea

The guilty mind or criminal intent

mesomorphs

Muscular

miranda warning

Rights read to suspects before police interrogation

M'Naghten rule

Legal standard for insanity based on not knowing right from wrong at the time of the crime

modeling theory

Learning behavior by observing and copying others

mores

Strictly enforced moral norms of a society

nonprimary homicides

Killings involving strangers or casual acquaintances

norms

Standards of behavior

occasional offenders

Individuals who commit crimes infrequently when opportunities arise

occupational crimes

Illegal acts committed through a legitimate job

organized crime

Highly structured groups running illegal businesses

parole

temporary or permanent release of a prisoner before the end of their sentence, on the condition of good behavior and compliance with specific rules

parole board

Makes the decision about whether to release a prisoner and is typically made up of respected citizens

parole hearing

Where the parole board hears the case to parole a prisoner

parole officer

Supervises the person released from prison before their sentence is up

penitentiary

A site of confinement and corrections for offenders

peremptory challenges

Objections to a juror for which no reason has to be offered

personal robbery

Includes muggings and robberies in private residences

phrenology

Suggested that by seeing or feeling a person's skull

pilferage

The theft of materials

plea bargain

The defendant pleads guilty to a reduced charge to eliminate a trial and receive a more lenient punishment

police subculture

A set of norms and values governing police behavior

preliminary hearing

A preview of the trial in front of a judge for the court case to follow

primary deviance

The initial act of deviance that a person might commit

primary homicides

Those in which the victim and perpetrator knew each other as friends

prisons

Facilities that hold those who are serving sentences of over one year

prison argot

A unique vocabulary that is used by prisoners