Week 21: Limitations of Criminal Justice PDF

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts from the lecture notes on criminology and the limitations of the criminal justice system.

Criminal Justice

An official system of law enforcement involving stages such as arrest, sentencing and punishment, implemented by institutions such as the police, the judiciary, prisons and probation.

Social Structure

Enduring, distinctive, stable arrangements that produce socioeconomic stratification and other big social institutions.

Agency

An individual’s capacity to make choices or act according to their own free will.

Power

The ability to achieve a desired goal or influence/control people, ideas, or events.

Inequality

The unequal distribution of resources and differences in recognition/status.

Structural Violence

Unintentional violence that causes harm through social structures, policies, and practices.

Social Harm

Various social problems shaped by the broader social context and organization of society.

Abolitionism

Advocacy for dismantling or reforming the criminal justice system and favoring alternative approaches.

Limits of Criminal Justice

Perpetuates inequalities and may contribute to crime rather than effectively reduce it.

Deterrence

The idea that the threat of punishment discourages crime.

Recidivism

The tendency of a convicted criminal to re-offend.

Culpability

Responsibility or blameworthiness for a crime, often narrowly defined.

Co-option in Criminal Justice Reform

Integration of radical ideas into the existing system, neutralizing their transformative potential.

Pyrrhic Defeat Theory

The idea that CJS failures protect powerful interests by focusing on crimes of the powerless.

Attrition in Domestic Violence Cases

High dropout rates of cases before reaching conviction.

Restorative Justice

An approach emphasizing repairing harm and community involvement, as an alternative to punitive measures.

Conflicts as Property

A critique of the CJS for 'stealing' conflicts by removing individuals' control over their disputes.

Criminogenic Conditions

Factors likely to cause criminal behavior, such as poverty or systemic discrimination.