Exam three review criminological theory

Important people in labeling theory

Tannanbaum, Lemert

primary deviance

the first act of rule breaking that may incur a label of "deviant" and thus influence how people think about and act toward you

secondary deviance

deviance that occurs when a person's self-concept and behavior begin to change after his or her actions are labeled as deviant by members of society

what is the irony of state intervention

Prisons create habitual and professional criminals

Criminal label

When society calls someone criminal because they broke the law

What are the consequences of being given a criminal label?

Once someone gets a label people might treat them differently, less trust or respect

Policy implications of labeling theory

decriminalization, diversion, due process, deinstitutionalization

criticisms of labeling theory

-Focuses on the process of constructing deviance, not the individual

-Does not consider structural inequality enough

Important people in conflict theory

Georg Simmel, George Vold

marxist theory

A theory that government is merely a reflection of underlying economic forces

Two classes of people according to Karl Marx

Proletariat and Bourgeoisie

critical criminology

the view that crime results because the rich and powerful impose their own moral standards and economic interests on the rest of society

peacemaking criminlogy

Attempt to get all players in society to recognize and reduce violence

feminist criminology

the proposal that female criminal behavior is caused by the political, economic, and social inequality between men and women

policy implications of conflict theories

suggest that conflict is necessary but primary source for problems

critiques of radical critical criminology

Doesnt look at racial and neighborhood disparities

What makes lifecourse criminology different from other areas of the field?

It focuses on how criminal behavior develops and changes over a persons lifetime

Describe the age-crime curve

Most deviance occurs from 15 to 17 year olds then tapers off at adulthood

Robin's Paradox

Adult anti-social behavior virtually requires childhood anti-social behavior, but most children do not become anti-social adults.

trajectories of life course theories

criminal, Conforming, and abstaining

turning points of lifecourse theory

Marriage, employment, military service, or parenthood

cumulative continuity

the tendency of personality to remain stable over time through consistency of interpretations, environments, and reactions

population heterogeneity

the propensity to commit crime is stable

important life course theories

Moffitts dual taxonomy of offending

Sampson and Laub's age-graded theory of informal social controls

important people in …… dual taxonomy of offending

Moffitt

Three different life trajectories

Life course persistant

Adolescent limited

abstaining

Life course persistant offendor

Offends throughout lifetime

Adolescent limited offendor

only offends during teen years

abstainor

doen't offend at all

Neuropsychological deficits

Cognitive impairments affecting behavior and decision-making.

maturity gap

in Moffitt's theory, the gap between the average age of puberty and the acquisition of socially responsible adult roles

criticisms of Moffitts theory

not everyone can fit in one of three categories

Important people in age-graded theory of informal social controls

Sampson and Laub

Turining points in Sampson and Laub

marriage, stable employmenyt, and military service

social bonds

the level of closeness and attachment with other individuals

Social capital

the networks of relationships among people who live and work in a particular society, enabling that society to function effectively.

Process of Desistance

gradually reducing or stopping criminal behavior, influenced by increased responsibility and social bonds

How is modern biosocial criminology different from other perspectives

It combines biological factors with environmental and social influences

major areas of biosocial research

Genetics, neurophysiology, hormonal influences, brain structure and function, evolutionary psychology

Evolutionary psychology

the study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using principles of natural selection

R/K theory

r = max # of offspring

k = time and effort into offspring

Evolutionalry neuroandrogenic theory

male criminal behavior is result of androgens on brain development

neuroscience

how the body and brain enable emotions, memories, and sensory experiences

Prefrontal lobe dysfunction

-Impairs the ability to learn from consequences

-decreases the ability to control impulses

-is often found in depression and schizophrenia

Executive functions

higher order thinking processes that include planning, organizing, inhibition, and decision-making

Amygdala

A limbic system structure involved in memory and emotion, particularly fear and aggression.

autonomic nervous system

A subdivision of the peripheral nervous system. Controls involuntary activity of visceral muscles and internal organs and glands.

Suboptimal Arousal Theory

Differences in the autonomic nervous system (ANS) that make it less sensitive to environmental stimuli

fearlessness theory

Low levels of arousal are markers for low levels of fear and that such fearless types are simply less likely to avoid situations that bring trouble with the law

biochemical theories

imbalances in neurotransmitters and hormones cause mental disorders

what biological changes in adolescence might explain the age crime curve?

Puberty

Environmental toxins

Harmful substances affecting fetal development.

The twinkie defense

"too much sugar" to be of sound mind

biosocial research methods

investigate relationships between sociological variables and biological ones

behavioral genetics

study of hereditary influences and how it influences behavior and thinking

nonshared environmental factors

experiences that make individuals within the same family less alike

shared environmental factors

experiences that make individuals within the same family more alike

what are the major findings of behavioral genetics research?

Gene influences on behavior, gene-environment interactions, heritability, gene-environment correlations

molecular genetics

the subfield of biology that studies the molecular structure and function of genes

candidate genes

major genes suspected of contributing to a large amount of the phenotypic variation in a specific trait

neurotransmitters

chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons

genes associated with the breakdown of neurotransmitters

MAOA

COMT

MAOA gene

warrior gene

COMT gene

Gene which has a variation which results in higher levels of dopamine and this variation is more common in patients with OCD

gene x environment interaction

the interaction of a specific measured variation in the DNA and a specific measured aspect of the environment

Gene x environment correlations

passive, evocative, and active effects

Types of rGE

passive, evocative, active

Passive rGE

Parents provide children with consistent genetic and environmental influences

Evocative rGE

A child's genetic traits will influence how others respond to them

Active rGE

Individuals will seek out environments compatible with their genetic dispositions