Criminology Final Exam!

Social bond theory

strong connections (bonds) to conventional society prevent crime

Social bond theory: attachment

• Linkage between a person and
  society

• Weak attachments = delinquency

• Strong attachments = unlikely to
  violate social norms

• Parental Attachments = MOST
  important

Social bond theory: commitment

Stakes in Conformity

• Opportunity Costs

• What you have to lose

Investment in social activities and institutions

• commitment to school and other institutions

Social bond theory: involvement

• Youth Gangs

• Similarities: Commitment/Involvement

• Participation in conventional activities

• Structured time in socially approved activities

Social bond theory: belief

• How much you “buy in” to conventional norms

• Questioning or challenging norms?

• Conceptual overlap

• Social Learning Theory

Self-control theory

• Relatively static trait

• Restraint on self-interests

• Family socialization

• Behaviors analogous to crime

• Incorporates classical and
  positivistic though

Low Self-Control

• Immediate gratification

• Risky activities

• Minimal tolerance for frustration

• Pleasure!

• Delinquency/crime more likely

High Self-Control

• Deferred gratification

• Cautious

• Focus on job, family, friends

• More well-adjusted coping skills

• Weighing Pleasure and Pain

• Delinquency/crime less likely

Techniques of Neutralization

justifications criminals use to bypass their own moral standards, allowing them to commit deviant acts by minimizing guilt and responsibility

Denial of Responsibility - Techniques of Neutralization

• Deflect blame attached to violations of social norms

• “It was an accident”

• “Outside of my control”

• “They made me do it”

Denial of Injury - Techniques of Neutralization

• Denies the harm done to victims

• “No one was hurt.”

• “They have insurance, so they’ll be fine.”

Denial of Victim - Techniques of Neutralization

• Not really an injury, rather a rightful retaliation or punishment.

• “They had it coming!”

Condemn the Condemners - Techniques of Neutralization

• The deviant shifts the focus of attention from his/her own deviant acts to the motives and behavior of those who disapprove of his/her violations

• THEY are the problem – not us.

Appeal to Higher Loyalties - Techniques of Neutralization

• We claim that while we violated some social norms – we’re actually just adhering to OTHER norms and loyalties

• They were doing something for the greater good!

Labelling theory

being labeled as "deviant" by society changes a person's self-identity and behavior, leading them to internalize the label and engage in more of the labeled behavior.

The Saints and the Roughnecks - Labelling theory

• Saints - viewed as a good student; cause mild disturbances; treated nicely when caught.

• Roughnecks - viewed as troubled; not failing in school but delinquent; treated with hostility when caught

Rational choice theory

individuals make logical decisions by weighing costs and benefits to maximize their self-interest and utility

Roots of rational choice theory

• Classical school - Cesare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham

• Pleasure > Pain (utilitarianism)

• Fair and certain punishment (classical)

• Deterrence - human behavior is rational and hedonistic (classical)

Routine activities theory

• Crime occurs when three elements converge: a motivated offender, a suitable target, and the absence of a capable guardian

• Environmental factors (i.e., offender skillset, visibility, day/night cycles, weather, etc.)

Force - Human Trafficking

• Physical restraint, physical harm,
  sexual assault, and beatings.

• Monitoring and confinement is often used to control victims and break down resistance

Fraud - Human Trafficking

• False promises regarding employment,
  wages, working conditions, love, marriage, or better life.

• Over time, there may be unexpected changes in
  work conditions, compensation or debt agreements, or nature of relationship

Coercion - Human Trafficking

• Threats of serious harm to or physical restraint against any person.

• Psychological manipulation

• Document confiscation

• Threats to share information or pictures
  with others or report to authorities.

Example Models of Recruitment in Eastern-Europe

• Eastern-European women recruited and
  trafficked in Greece

• Promised employment - forced into sex trafficking

• Psychological abuse and coercion (passports taken away)

• Debt bondage - “pay me back for travel expense and via”

Example Models of Recruitment in the Netherlands

• Loverboy tactics are used to recruit/lure Dutch
  victims into trafficking

• Often times a “pimp” develops a
  relationship with their potential victim

• False promises of love

• After certain time, the boyfriend begins
  to sell their “girlfriend” for sex

• In some circumstances victims do not
  see themselves as victims.

Example Models of Recruitment in Tanzania

• As suggested, for minors (individuals under
  the age of 18), the presence of force fraud and
  coercion is not necessary for trafficking to
  take place

• Girls agree to sex with older men in
  exchange for basic needs such as soap or
  food

• Research suggests that transactional sex
  is encouraged by family members as a
  way to provide for the family

Policies addressing human trafficking

• Public awareness and education (i.e., Cambodia, Nepal, and Israel)

• Controlling borders and transportation hubs

• Providing economic alternatives for those vulnerable

• Regulate the demand

• Legal anti-trafficking measures (U.S.)

• No punishment principle (i.e., Belgium)

The Swedish Kvinnofrid Model

• makes it illegal to buy sex, even
  through a third party

• In 2011, sentences were
  lengthened (from 6 to 12 months)

• Effects not fully known

• According to some recent reports,
  may have opposite effects

White collar crime

• Committed by a person of high social status in the course of their occupation for financial gain using deception and occupational benefits

• Social conflict theory applicable

Ford Pinto - White collar crime

• Ford was eager to have the car ready for model year 1971

• Before producing the car, Ford was aware that the car did not meet the necessary safety requirements when they crash tested the vehicle

• Released anyways because benefits outweigh costs

Bernie Madoff - White collar crime

• American financier

• Largest Ponzi scheme in US history

• Defrauded thousands of investors
  out of tens of billions of dollars

• Sentenced to 150 years in prison
  and forfeited $170 billion in
  restitution

Purdue Pharma - White collar crime

• Failed to disclose risk of addiction of
  opioids

• Falsely representing to doctors that
  patients could increase dosages
  indefinitely without risk

• Told doctors that signs of addiction
  were “pseudoaddiction” and falsely
  stating that signs of addiction suggests
  patients need a higher dosage

• No criminal punishment for Sackler family

Theranos - White collar crime

• Founded by 19-year-old Elizabeth Holmes

• Charged with wire fraud and conspiracy

• Found guilty in 2022

Genocide

• Term Coined by Raphael Lemkin post WW2

• An internationally recognized crime where acts are committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.

• Techniques of neutralization are often used when offenders are tried

5 Categories of Genocide

1. Killing members of the group

2. Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members
   of the group

3. Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part

4. Imposing measures intended to prevent births
   within the group

5. Forcibly transferring children of the group to
   another group

International Criminal Court

• Tries individuals for:

  • Genocide

  • War Crimes

  • Crimes Against Humanity

  • Crime of Aggression

• Publicly indicted 50 individuals

• The US is not a member state of
  the ICC

• Concerned about the extent of
  power held by the court

Southern Strategy

A Conservative electoral strategy to increase political support among white voters in the South by appealing to
racism against African Americans

Dog Whistle Politics

• Coded or suggestive language in political messaging

• Often allows politicians to say racist or
  prejudicial language indirectly

• Used to reinforce racists or prejudiced ideals

• “Thinly veiled” racism

• (i.e.) War on Terror, Tough on Crime, etc.