ACTUAL CJ 355 Theories of Crime

criminology

The study of crime, why people commit crime, and how society responds to it.

crime

An act that breaks a criminal law.

conflict

When different groups or people have competing interests or ideas.

consensus

The idea that most people in society agree on basic values and rules.

ideology

A set of beliefs about how society works or should work.

relativity of crime

What counts as a crime can change depending on the time, place, or culture.

criminological paradigms

core theoretical frameworks that shape how researchers, lawmakers, and society look at, explain, and respond to crime

scientific method

A process of studying something by making observations, testing ideas, and using evidence.

context

The situation or circumstances surrounding a crime or behavior

rational choice

The idea that people think about the possible costs and benefits before making a decision.

postivism

The idea that crime has causes that can be studied scientifically.

interactionism

the idea that people's behavior is affected by how they interact with others and how society reacts to them.

integration

Combining ideas from different theories to explain crime.

life course

Looking at how people's experiences and behavior change throughout their lives.

types of harm

Different ways crime can hurt people, such as physically, financially, emotionally, or psychologically.

theory

An explanation for why something happens.

role of media in perceptions of crime

The media can affect how people view crime and how dangerous they think crime is.

normative

crime is behavior that goes aganist society’s norms

consensus

Crime is behavior that goes against values most people in society share.

legalistic

Crime is anything that is against criminal law

modified legalistic

Crime is behavior prohibited by law, while recognizing that some harmful behavior may not be illegal

conflict

Disagreements and power differences between groups influence crime

new/critical

Looks at how power, inequality, and society influence what becomes defined as crime

criminal justice models

Different ways of thinking about how the criminal justice system should handle crime

actus reus

The actual criminal act

mens rea

The guilty mind or intent behind the crime

criminal law

Laws that define crimes and their punishments

administrative law

Rules made by government agencies

civil law

Deals with disputes between individuals or organizations, not criminal offenses.

deterrence

Using punishment to discourage people from committing crimes

deviance

behavior that goes against society's norms, whether it is illegal or not

due process

Making sure people receive fair legal procedures and have their rights protected

felony

A serious crime that is usually punishable by more than one year in prison

misdemeanor

A less serious crime that is usually punishable by less than one year in jail.

moral panic

When society becomes very worried or fearful about a certain group, behavior, or issue

rehabilition

Trying to change an offender's behavior so they do not commit crimes again.

relativity of deviance

What is considered deviant can change depending on the culture, situation, or time period

retribution

the principle that a person who commits a crime deserves to be punished in proportion to the severity of that crime

victimless crime

A crime where there is no obvious individual victim

mala in se

Crimes that are considered wrong by nature, like murder.

mala prohibida

Crimes that are wrong because the law says they are illegal

NCVS

A survey that asks people about crimes they experienced, including crimes they did not report to police

UCR

FBI crime data based on crimes reported by law enforcement

NIBRS

A system that collects more detailed information about individual crime incidents

self report studies

Studies where people report their own criminal behavior

observation studies

Studies where researchers watch and record behavior

index crimes

The major crimes traditionally tracked by the UCR

dark figure of crime

Crimes that happen but are never reported to or recorded by police

career criminal

Someone who repeatedly commits crimes over time

criminal career

A person's pattern of criminal behavior over their lifetime

victimization

being victim of a crime

initation

When someone first starts committing crimes

escalation

When someone's offending becomes more serious or happens more often.

gender gap in offending

The difference between male and female offending rates.

temporal distribution

How crime changes depending on the time of day, week, season, or year.

Geographical crime distribution:

How crime is spread across different locations.

underclass

a group facing serious  and long-term economic disadvantages

age and crime

Crime usually increases during adolescence and young adulthood and then decreases as people get older

demographics

Characteristics of a population, such as age, gender, income, and education

crime-prone age

The age period when people are most likely to commit crimes

classical criminology

The idea that people have free will and make choices based on possible rewards and consequences

preclassical punishment

early punishments that were often extremely harsh and based on religion, revenge, or fear

Cesare Beccaria

an early criminologist who argued that punishmnet should be fair, certain, and proportional to the crime

hedonism

the idea that people want pleasure and try to avoid pain

impact of classical criminology

Helped influence ideas about fair, proportional, and consistent punishment in the legal system

deterrence

Punishment is meant to prevent people from committing crimes

general deterrence

Punishing one person to discourage other people from committing crimes

specific deterrence

Punishing someone to keep that same person from committing another crime

severity

how harsh the punishment is

celerity

How quickly someone is punished after committing a crime

certainty

How likely someone is to get caught and punished

direct avoidance of punishment

Avoiding punishment by deciding not to commit the crime

indirect avoidance of punishment

Committing the crime but avoiding punishment by not getting caught

base rate fallacy

ignoring how common something actually is when judging how likely it is

risk preference

How willing someone is to take risks

risk aversion

Trying to avoid risky choices

Differentail deterrence

The idea that punishment does not affect everyone the same way because people see risks differently

hot spots

Small areas where a lot of crime happens

extralegal sanctions

Consequences outside the legal system, like losing a job or being rejected by friends

rational choice

the idea that people consider the possible costs, benefits, and risks before deciding whether to commit a crime

bounded rationally

People try to make rational decisions but do not always have all the information, time, or resources they need

journey to crime

The distance or route an offender travels from where they start to where they commit a crime

target hardening

Making a target harder to attack or steal from, such as using locks, alarms, or cameras

situational crime prevention

Changing a situation or environment to make crime harder, riskier, or less rewarding

routine activities of victims

The everyday activities and routines of people that can put them in situations where they are more or less likely to become victims

avoidance of punishment

Actions people take to avoid being caught or punished for a crime

direct avoidance

Avoiding punishment by deciding not to commit the crime

indirect avoidance

Committing the crime but avoiding punishment by not getting caught

routine activity theory

Crime happens when a motivated offender, suitable target, and lack of a capable guardian come together

Cohen and Felson

 Researchers who developed routine activity theory

motivated offender

someone willing to commit a crime

suitable target

a person or object that is easy or attractive to target

absence of capable guardianship

no one or nothing is there to prevent the crime

opportunity

a situation that make crime possible

target hardening

making a target harder to attack or steal from

situational crime prevention

changing a situation or environment to make crime harder to commit

positivism

The idea that crime can be studied scientifically to find its causes

biological theory

explains crime using biological factors

psychopathy

A pattern of traits involving things like lack of empathy, lack of remorse, and manipulation

Cesare Lombroso

An early positivist who believed some people were biologically predisposed to crime.