Criminology, Crime Measurement, and Victimization Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering fundamental criminological concepts, theories, data sources, and victimization models based on the lecture notes.

Criminology

The scientific approach to studying the phenomenon of crime, coined in 1885 by Italian law professor Raffaele Garofalo.

Criminal Justice

The academic and professional field primarily concerned with the agencies of social control, including the police, courts, and corrections.

Deviant Behavior

Actions that depart from social norms, which may be unconventional or immoral without necessarily being illegal.

The Classical School

An 18th-century criminological perspective led by Cesare Beccaria emphasizing free will, human rationality, and deterrence through swift, certain, and proportional punishment.

The Positivist School

A 19th-century perspective applying empirical investigation and scientific methods to human behavior, viewing criminality as determined by biological, psychological, or sociological forces.

Atavism

Cesare Lombroso's biological concept that criminals are evolutionary throwbacks to apelike ancestors.

Consensus View

The view that law is a reflection of shared social values and universal norms agreed upon by the majority of society.

Conflict View

The view that society consists of diverse groups in conflict, and the law is a tool used by powerful groups to control the underclass.

Interactionist View

The view that crime has no objective reality and is defined by moral entrepreneurs who apply labels to behaviors deemed offensive.

Lex Talionis

An ancient legal principle of retaliation meaning 'an eye for an eye', prominent in the Code of Hammurabi.

Mala in Se

Acts that are inherently evil or immoral in themselves, such as murder or rape.

Mala Prohibitum

Acts that are defined as crimes purely because they are prohibited by statute, such as traffic laws or drug violations.

Actus Reus

A voluntary, physical 'guilty act' required for a crime to be established.

Mens Rea

A 'guilty mind' or the clear intent to commit a criminal act.

Strict Liability

A category of crimes (often public safety violations) where criminal intent or mens rea does not need to be proven.

Part I Offenses (Index Crimes)

The most serious crimes recorded by the FBI regardless of arrest, categorized into violent crimes (murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) and property crimes (burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, arson).

Part II Offenses

Generally less serious crimes recorded by the FBI based on arrest data rather than reported offenses, including simple assault, forgery, fraud, embezzlement, DUI, and drug-law violations.

Clearance Rate

The status achieved when at least one individual is arrested, charged, and turned over to court for prosecution for a crime.

The Hierarchy Rule

A UCR counting convention where only the most serious offense in a single multiple-offense incident is recorded and reported to the FBI.

National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)

An incident-based data system designed to replace the UCR by collecting detailed contextual information on every single crime incident.

National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)

A nationwide survey conducted by the BJS and Census Bureau interviewing randomly selected households to measure both reported and unreported victimizations.

Dark Figure of Crime

The substantial volume of criminal offenses that remain undetected or unrecorded by official law enforcement agencies.

Prevalence

In self-report surveys, the overall percentage or proportion of respondents who have committed a given offense at least once.

Incidence

In self-report surveys, the total average number of delinquent or criminal acts committed per person.

Primary Crime Data Sources Comparison

A structural breakdown highlighting that UCR measures murder/arrest data, NCVS captures unreported crime and victim characteristics, and Self-Reports measure the dark figure and juvenile habits.

Desistance Phenomenon

The observational trend where individuals naturally 'age out' or 'mature out' of illegal activities as they grow older.

Masculinity Hypothesis

The proposition that female offenders possess biological or psychological attributes comparable to those of male offenders.

Chivalry Hypothesis

The proposition that lower rates of female criminality in official records stem from the criminal justice system treating female offenders with leniency.

The Chronic 6%

The key finding of the Philadelphia Cohort Study demonstrating that a small fraction ($6\%$) of chronic offenders commit more than half of all serious offenses in a cohort.

Cycle of Violence

The strong empirical link showing that early exposure to childhood abuse or neglect increases the risk of violent and criminal behavior in adulthood.

Active Precipitation

Victim behavior marked by aggressive, provocative actions, threats, or physical aggression that triggers a violent criminal response.

Passive Precipitation

Victimization that occurs when a victim possesses a personal or social trait that unknowingly threatens, antagonizes, or motivates an offender.

Deviant Place Theory

The victimization theory asserting that exposure to crime depends primarily on residing in impoverished, socially disorganized high-crime areas rather than individual conduct.

Routine Activities Theory

The theoretical framework developed by Cohen and Felson positing that crime requires the convergence in space and time of a motivated offender, a suitable target, and the absence of a capable guardian.

Target Hardening

Crime prevention strategies aimed at reducing crime opportunity through physical barriers such as locks, security devices, alarms, and lighting.