Sociology of murder exam 1

The more grotesque a murder is the more likely it is to

provide an escape from everyday life

Why are people fascinated by murders

it allows us to escape from reality because it crosses the line into fantasy

One reason people may be fascinated with murder

to learn how to not be a victim

One reason people may be fascinated with murder

allows them to overcome powerlessness and anxiety. Learn to distance themselves from the killers they fear

One reason people may be fascinated with murder

living vicariously through sadistic killers. Fascinated with the power but controlled by conscience

Hybristophilia

sexual attraction to bad boys, attraction to people who have committed gruesome crimes.

How many of the crime stories presented on the media are homicide

more than 1/3rd

Homicide account for what amount of violent offenses

1%

What kind of murders get the most media coverage

sex-related, sadistic, or involving a celebrity

How did People Magazine transation

went from writing about truly inspiring people to having murderers and cases on their front page

True or false: Jeffery Dahmer was on Peoples magazine cover 2 times

True

CrimeCon

first ever true crime conference

Murderabilia

Glorification of serial killers. people buying souvenirs including aprons, boxers, and thongs with the killers face on it.

Son of Sam laws is named after

Serial killer David Berkowitz

What was the goal behind son of sam laws

to stop murderers from being able to profit from selling memorabilia

What happened to son of sam laws

they were ruled as unconstitutional because it violated free speech

Killing

most general notion of extinguishing life

True or false: all acts of kills are illegal

False

Criminal homicide

unlawful and unjustifiable actions or inactions that result in the death of other human beings

Mens rea

concept of guilty intent. state of mind

actus rea

a guilty act

True or false: When a guilty mind occurs with a guilty act it is a crime

True

Failure to act

Omissions, inactivity helps precipitate a death. Doesn’t have to have intention

Ex of failure to act

landlord disregarding a faulty wiring that causes a fatal fire

What is the condition for homicide

the intended victim is a living human being

Ex of NOT homicide

shooting at someone who just died in bed of a heart attack

Feticide

homicide of a fetus

How many states have laws regarding unborn children as homicide victims

38 with 23 recognizing the fetus at the earliest stages of pregnancy

Unborn Victims of Violence Act

recognizes unborn children as victims if injured or killed during the commission of federal/military crimes of violence

Types and degrees of homicides depends on

premeditation, intent, reasonableness, gravity, provocation, and foreseeability.

Murder

requires malicious intent and an aim to cause death/great bodily harm.

First degree murder

Malicious intent AND premeditation

True or false: premeditation must be over a long period of time

False

Ex of first degree murder

road rage, running a car off the road into a fatal encounter with a pole.

When could a crime be considered first degree if there was no premeditation

if it was especially brutal, cruel, or extreme

Felony-murder rule

any death that results during the commission of a dangerous felony such as robbery, arson, or rape

EX of felony-murder

police mistakenly shoots and kills a hostage whom the robber used as a shield.

EX of first-degree murder

Maggie has hated her husband for years. Doubles his life insurance policy and then poisons him.

Aggravating factors

Increases the defendants culpability

EX of aggravating factors

previous convictions, multiple victims, torture, death during the crime, cruel offense, planning, victim was a government official, victim vulnerability

Mitigating factors

May lessen criminal responsibility to a lighter sentence

EX of mitigating factors

Impaired capacity to understand wrongfulness, substantial duress, minor participation, equally culpable defendants, no prior record, mental disturbance, victim consented

Second degree murder

Intent WITHOUT premeditation

EX of second-degree murder

man impulsively stabs his teenage son to death during an argument over a football game

Homicide committed under the influence of alcohol or drugs is considered

second-degree murder

Manslaughter

Homicides that lack malicious intent or reckless disregard for life.

In manslaughter, malice is negated by

heat of passion, intense fear, or provocation

Voluntary manslaughter

Intentional killing due to provocation or emotional duress without time to cool down.

EX of voluntary manslaughter

Someone uses excessive force in self-defense

Involuntary manslaughter

Negligence or recklessness that causes loss of life.

EX of involuntary manslaughter

doctor writing the wrong dosage on a prescription

EX of involuntary manslaughter

Texting and driving, hits a tree and kills the passanger

Misdemeanor-manslaughter

if a death occurs while the offender is engaged in a misdemeanor.

EX of misdemeanor-manslaughter

Someone yells “fire” in a movie theater as a prank, a lady dies in the rush to escape

True or false: misdemeanor-manslaughter is a lesser version of the felony-murder rule

True

Corporate manslaughter and homicide act of 2007

In the UK, allows corporations to be charged with murder or manslaughter. Not used in the US

Justifiable homicide

killing a fleeing felon, self defense, or killings by public officers while executing their duties

True or false: police officers who kill citizens are always convicted if charged

False

What is the rule of self defense

The defense has to match the attack, no excessive force or it can be manslaughter

Retreat Doctrine

If it is possible to retreat in the case of self-defense the victim should, fewer than 20 states use this

Castle doctrine

Allows homeowners to defend their homes using deadly force

Shoot first/stand your ground laws

Gives citizens the right to use deadly force when they believe they, others, or their property are being threatened. More than half the states use this.

Jury nullification

Jury returning with a not guilty verdict because they disagree with the law/its application even though they believe the defendant broke the law

True or false: almost all criminal homicides can result in 2 trials, a criminal one and a civil one

True

Excusable homicide

Homicide with diminished capacity based on mental illness, age, or other conditions

EX of excusable homicide

a man kills his wife under a delusion that she is demonically possessed

Why does the media feature white victims and white perps

they want to appeal to a predominately white audience

A little more than half of homicide offenders are

black

Black people are overrepresented for

felony-related and drug-related homicides

Majority of killings that do not involve the police are

intraracial, within the race

Why are murders more likely within the race

people tend to have relationships with others of the same race

Why do black people victimize white people more

because there is a bigger population of white people

True or false: offenders are most often men

True, 90.6% are men

True or false: most homicides occur in same-sex pairs

True

Cross-sex homicide is more likely to occur with

females

Victim precipitation

men are more likely to start a fight or place themselves in danger resulting in their death

True or false: women are more violent that people assume they just show their aggression differently

True

Women kill

close intimates

Men kill

strangers or acquaintances

What age range represents 40% of offenders

18-24

Superpredators

the extensive, overrepresented coverage of juvenile offenders in the media

True or false: offenders tend to murder victims close to their age

True, intrageneration

Gun use for homicide increases as

the age of the victim increases

After the age of 50, risk of being killed during a felony

increases

True or false: the elderly have the highest levels of fear of violence but lowest risk of victimization

True

Statistical regression to the mean

During the year homicide rates increase or decrease, the following year it is likely to return toward the norm

High murder rates in geographical areas with a high population of black residents are due to

socioeconomic conditions associated with race

True or false: 7/10 highest murder rate states are within the southern region

True

Right to carry laws have

neither increased nor decreased he risk of mass shootings

True or false: fewer people are owning guns

True

Ferguson Effect

during black lives matter the police became gun-shy. People believed they were becoming passive in fear of retaliation.

Was the ferguson effect true

No, it relied heavily of skewed data and opinions of cops who agreed with the sentiment

Uniform Crime Reporting Program

Nationwide, cooperative statistical effort of more than 18,000 city, university, county, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies.

What are the 4 offenses in the UCR program

murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault

The UCR only collects

summary information about crimes not information about each crime

Strengths of the Summary Reporting System of the UCR

shows trends of crime over time and provides crime data at different levels

Weaknesses of the Summary Reporting System of the UCF

Recording is inconsistent, multiple offenses are not recording relying on Hierarchy, not all jurisdictions report crime statistics, and not all crimes are reported to the police

National Incident-Based Reporting System

Data includes information about crime incidents instead of just summary statistics with no hierarchy rule

Supplementary homicide reports

Grew out of the UCR. Includes info on individual homicides including demographics, relationships, date, circumstances, weapon, and number of offenders/victims

National Violent Death Reporting System

A surveillance system that pulls together data on violent death in all states, PR, and DC.