Criminology Test

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Criminology

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the scientific study of the nature, extent, cause, and control of criminal behavior

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How did the Ferguson shooting capture headlines?

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The Ferguson shooting and similar incidents have captured headlines around the globe, raised fascination questions about crime and its control, and spurred interests in criminology. Unlike political figures and media commentators, whose opinions about crime may be colored by personal experiences, biased, and election concerns, criminologists remain objective as they study crime and its consequences.

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What do criminologists interested in computing criminal statistics focus on?

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Criminologists interested in computing criminal statistics focus on creating valid and reliable measures of criminal behavior

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Valid measure

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a measure that actually measures what it purports to measure; a measure that is factual

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Reliable measure

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a measure that produces consistent results from one measurement to another

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White-collar crime

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=illegal acts that capitalize on a person's status in the marketplace.

Edwin Sutherland's pioneering analysis of business-related offenses also helped coin a new phrase, white-collar crime, to describe crime activities of the affluent

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Penology

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= Subarea of criminology that focuses on the correction and control of criminal offenders

The study of penology involves efforts to control crime through the correction of criminal offenders

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What do others argue about crime in regards to mandatory sentences and capital punishment

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Others argue that crime can be prevented only through the application of formal social control, through such measures as mandatory sentences for serious crimes and even the use of capital punishment as a deterrent to murder

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mandatory sentences

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A statutory requirement that a certain penalty shall be carried out in all cases of conviction for a specified offense or series of offenses

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capital punishment

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the execution of criminal offenders; the death penalty

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What areas of interest does victimology include?

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- Using victim surveys to measure the nature and extent of criminal behavior and to calculate the actual costs of crime to victims

- Calculating probabilities to victimization risk

- Studying victim culpability in the precipitation of crime

- Designing services for crime victims, such as counseling and compensation programs

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This more moderate view of criminal sanctions...

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This more moderate view of criminal sanctions can be traced to the writing of an Italian scholar, Cesare Beccaria (1738-1794), who was one of the first scholars to develop a systematic understanding of why people commit crime

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Classical criminology

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Theoretical perspective suggesting that people choose to commit crime and that crime can be controlled if potential criminals fear punishment

The writing of Beccaria and his followers form the core of what today is referred to as classical criminology. As originally conceived in the 18th century, classical criminology theory had several basic elements

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What did this classical perspective influence

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This classical perspective influenced judicial philosophy, and sentences were geared to be proportionate to the seriousness of the crime. Executions were still widely used but gradually came to be employed for only the most serious crimes. The catchphrase was "Let the punishment fit the crime"

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Who was Philippe Pinel? What did he do?

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Philippe Pinel, one of the founders of French psychiatry, coined the phrase "manie sans delire" to denote what eventually was refered to as a psychopathic personality.

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Who was Cesare Lombroso

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In Italy, Cesare Lombroso (1835-1909), known as the "father of criminology" began to study the cadavers of executed criminals in an effort to determine scientifically how criminals differed from noncriminals

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Who created sociological criminology

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The foundations of sociological criminology can be traced to the work of Emile Durkheim (1858-1917)

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anomie

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a lack of norms or clear social standards. because of rapidly shifting moral values, the individual had few guides to what is socially acceptable

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Chicago school

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group of urban sociologists who studied the relationship between environmental conditions and crime

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What did urban sociologists examine and discover in poor neighborhoods?

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These urban sociologists examined how neighborhood conditions, such as poverty levels, influenced crime rates. They found that social forces operating in urban areas created a crime-promoting environment; some neighborhoods were "natural areas" for crime

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Rational choice theory

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Classical theory has evolved into modern rational choice theory, which argues that criminals are rational decision makers

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crime

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an act, deemed socially harmful or dangerous, that is specifically defined, prohibited, and punished under the criminal law

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When does a deviant act become a crime

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A deviant act becomes a crime when it is deemed socially harmful or dangerous; it then will be specifically defined, prohibited, and punished under the criminal law.

Crime and deviance are often confused because not all crimes are deviant and not all deviant acts are illegal or criminal

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Consensus view

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According to the consensus view, crimes are behaviors that all elements of society consider repugnant. The rich and powerful as well as the poor and indigent are believed to agree on which behaviors are repugnant that they should be outlawed and criminalized

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Conflict view

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the conflict view depicts society as a collection of diverse groups-such as owners, workers, professionals, and students-who are in constant and continuing conflict

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Interactionist view

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= The belief that those with social power are able to impose their values on society as a whole, and these values then define criminal behavior

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According to the interactionist view....

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According to the interactionist view, there is no objective reality. People, institutions, and events are viewed subjectively and labeled either good or evil according to the interpretation of the evaluator

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Definition of crime: Crime is a violation of societal...

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Crime is a violation of societal rules of behavior as interpreted and expressed by the criminal law, which reflects public opinion, traditional values, and the viewpoint of people currently holding social and political power. Individuals who violate these rules are subject to sanctions by state authority, social stigma, and loss of status.

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Definition of crime continued: This definition combines...

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This definition combines the consensus view that the law defines crimes, the conflict perspective's emphasis on political power and control, and the interactionist concept of stigma. Thus crime as defined here is political, social, and economic function of modern life

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Code of Hammurabi

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The concept of criminal law had been recognized for more then 3,000 years. Hammurabi (1792-1750 BCE), the king of Babylon, created the most famous set of written laws of the ancient world, known today as the Code of Hammurabi.

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The present system of law can be traced back...

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The present system of law can be traced back to the reign of Henry II (1154-1189), when royal judges began to publish their decisions in local cases and their legal reasoning began precedent, to be applied in similar cases around the land - hence the term common law.

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felony vs misdemeanor

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The distinction is based on seriousness: a felony is a serious offense, a misdemeanor a minor or petty crime

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Example of felony and misdemeanor crimes

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Crimes such as murder, rape, and burglary are felonies; they are punished with long prison times or even death. Crimes such as unarmed assault and battery, petty larceny, and disturbing the peace are misdemeanors; they are punishable with a fine or a period of incarceration in a county jail

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Definition of crime vs misdemeanor

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Felony: a serious offense that caries a penalty of imprisonment, usually for one year or more, and may entail loss of political rights

Misdemeanor: a minor crime usually punished by a short jail term and/or a fine

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By outlawing these behaviors, the government expects to achieve a number of social goals:

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- Enforces social control

- Discourages revenge

- Expresses public opinion

- Teaches moral values

- Deters criminal behaviors

- Applies "just desert"

- Creates equality

- Maintains the social order

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Criminology vs Criminal justice

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Criminology explains the origin, extent, and nature of crime in society, whereas criminal justice refers to the study of the agencies of social control - police, courts, and corrections

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Criminal justice

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system made up of the agencies of social control, such as police departments, courts, and correctional institutions that handle criminal offenders

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Name a component of the contemporary criminal justice system

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police and law enforcement, which consists of federal, state, and municipal agencies charged with such tasks as maintaining the peace, rendering emergency assistance, investigating crimes, and apprehending suspects

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Although the crime rate has declined substantially...

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Although the crime rate has declined substantially, more than 11 million people are still being arrested each year, including more than 2 million for serious felony offenses.

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Preliminary hearing=...

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= alternative to a grand jury, in which an impartial lower-court judge decides whether there is a probable cause sufficient for a trial

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Preliminary hearing: If sufficient facts are presented...

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If sufficient facts are presented, the grand jury will issue a true bill of indictment; insufficient evidence will result in a no bill. In the remaining states, a criminal information is filed before an impartial lower-court judge, who decides whether the case should go forward and he heard in a felony court. At this preliminary hearing, the defendant is permitted to appear and dispute the prosecutor's charges.

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Arraignment

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At an arraignment the accused is brought before the court that will actually try the case.

= the step in the criminal justice process in which the accused is brought before the trial judge, formal charges are read, defendants are informed of their rights, a plea is entered, bail is considered, and a trail date is set

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Hung jury

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= a jury that is unable to agree on a decision, thus leaving the case unresolved and open for a possible retrial.

The defendant can be found guilty or not guilty, or the jury can fail to reach a decision, thereby leaving the case unresolved and open for a possible retrial.

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Ethical issues in Criminology

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Another ethical issue in criminology concerns selection of research subjects. Too often, criminologists focus their attention on the poor and minorities, while ignoring middle-class, white-collar crime, organized crime, and governmental crime.

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It is critical that criminological research do no harm to subjects...

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It is critical that criminological research do no harm to subjects, but this may not be enough: criminological research can, and should, be empowering and directly useful to research participants