Criminal Justice Ch 1 Vocab

Front 1

National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)

Back 1

A reporting system in which the police describe each offense in a crime incident, together with data describing the offender, victim, and property.

Front 2

National Crime Victimization Surveys (NCVS)

Back 2

Interviews of samples of the U.S. population conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics to determine the number and types of criminal victimizations and thus the extent of unreported as well as reported crime.

Front 3

organized crime

Back 3

A framework for the perpetration of criminal acts—usually in fields such as gambling, drugs, and prostitution—providing illegal services that are in great demand.

Front 4

mala prohibita

Back 4

Offenses prohibited by law but not wrong in themselves.

Front 5

crime

Back 5

A specific act of commission or omission in violation of the law, for which a punishment is prescribed.

Front 6

crime control model

Back 6

A model of the criminal justice system that assumes freedom is so important that every effort must be made to repress crime; it emphasizes efficiency, speed, finality, and the capacity to apprehend, try, convict, and dispose of a high proportion of offenders.

Front 7

crimes without victims

Back 7

Offenses involving a willing and private exchange of illegal goods or services that are in strong demand. Participants do not feel they are being harmed, but these crimes are prosecuted on the ground that society as a whole is being injured.

Front 8

cybercrimes

Back 8

Offenses that involve the use of one or more computers.

Front 9

dark figure of crime

Back 9

A metaphor referring to the dangerous dimension of crime that is never reported to the police.

Front 10

due process model

Back 10

A model of the criminal justice system that assumes freedom is so important that every effort must be made to ensure that criminal justice decisions are based on reliable information; it emphasizes the adversarial process, the rights of defendants, and formal decision-making procedures.

Front 11

felonies

Back 11

Serious crimes usually carrying a penalty of incarceration for more than one year or the death penalty.

Front 12

identity theft

Back 12

The theft of social security numbers, credit card numbers, and other information in order to secure loans, withdraw bank funds, and purchase merchandise while posing as someone else, the unsuspecting victim who will eventually be charged for these financial transactions.

Front 13

mala in se

Back 13

Offenses that are wrong by their very nature.

Front 14

mala prohibita

Back 14

Offenses prohibited by law but not wrong in themselves.

Front 15

misdemeanors

Back 15

Offenses less serious than felonies and usually punishable by incarceration of no more than one year, probation, or intermediate sanctions.

Front 16

misdemeanors

Back 16

Offenses less serious than felonies and usually punishable by incarceration of no more than one year, probation, or intermediate sanctions.

Front 17

money laundering

Back 17

Moving the proceeds of criminal activities through a maze of businesses, banks, and brokerage accounts in order to disguise their origin.

Front 18

National Crime Victimization Surveys (NCVS)

Back 18

Interviews of samples of the U.S. population conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics to determine the number and types of criminal victimizations and thus the extent of unreported as well as reported crime.

Front 19

National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)

Back 19

A reporting system in which the police describe each offense in a crime incident, together with data describing the offender, victim, and property

Front 20

occupational crime

Back 20

Criminal offense committed through opportunities created in a legal business or occupation.

Front 21

organized crime

Back 21

A framework for the perpetration of criminal acts—usually in fields such as gambling, drugs, and prostitution—providing illegal services that are in great demand.

Front 22

political crime

Back 22

An act, usually done for ideological purposes, that constitutes a threat against the state (such as treason, sedition, or espionage) or a criminal act by the state.

Front 23

public policy

Back 23

Priorities and actions developed by government to use public resources as a means to deal with issues affecting society.

Front 24

Uniform Crime Reports (UCR)

Back 24

Annually published statistical summary of crimes reported to the police, based on voluntary reports to the FBI by local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.

Front 25

visible crime

Back 25

An offense against persons or property that is committed primarily by members of the lower class. Often referred to as “street crime” or “ordinary crime,” this type of offense is the one most upsetting to the public.