Patterns Of Criminal Behavior - Exam 1 Vocabulary

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Scientific study of crime, criminals, and criminal behavior.

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Criminology

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Identify crime problems, collect and analyze data, and communicate research findings to inform criminal justice and related public policy.

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Criminologists

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A means of explaining natural occurrences through statements about the relationships between observable phenomena.

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Theory

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A theoretical perspective which contends that social order is realized because people reach a normative consensus, that is, agreement over right and wrong.

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Functionalism

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Any behavior that is in violation of the criminal law.

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Criminal Behavior

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Based on the premise that wealth and power vary across groups. Inequality generates conflicting social values, the basis of much crime.

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The conflict Perspective

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Patterns of expected behavior that govern society.

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Social Norms

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Focuses on social behavior from the standpoint of the individuals involved in day-to-day interaction and defines criminal behavior as a product of social learning.

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Interactionist Perspective

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Behavior that does not conform to the social norms of society.

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Deviant Behavior

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Refers to behavior that complies with the norms of a community or society.

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Conformity

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The process by which individuals internalize many of the socially approved values, attitudes, beliefs and behavioral patterns of their society.

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Socialization

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Formal norms that have been codified as punishable offenses against society or its citizens.

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Laws

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The more serious of the two basic types of crime, usually resulting in a penalty of one year or more in prison.

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Felonies

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The lesser of the two basic types of crime, usually punishable by no more than one year in prison.

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Misdemeanors

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Means "guilty mind" and defines criminal intent.

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Mens Rea

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Acts that are viewed as criminal simply because the law says so.

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Mala Prohibita

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Acts that are viewed as criminal because they are wrong, immoral or evil in themselves.

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Mala in se

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Deals with non-criminal offenses that are handled by civil rather than criminal courts.

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Civil/Tort Laws

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Refers to illegal acts committed by young people, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age or younger.

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Juvenile Delinquency

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The U.S. government's official source of data on crime that relies on police reports of crimes that they hear about from citizens.

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Uniform Crime Reports (UCR)

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The term used by the UCR for the eight felonies to which it devotes the most attention: murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny-theft, motor-vehicle theft, and arson.

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Index Offenses

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In the UCR, the number of crimes per 100,000 persons in some location or subgroup of the population; in the NCVS, the number of victimizations per 1,000 persons or 1,000 households.

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Crime Rate

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The UCR's term for the "official" number of crimes that the police report to the UCR and that the UCR, in turn, reports to the public.

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Crimes Known to the Police

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The range of crimes that are committed in society but are undiscovered, unreported, or unrecorded.

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The Dark Figure of Crime

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An annual survey given by the government to people in thousands of randomly selected households around the nation that asks residents of these households a series of questions about crimes that they, other household members, and the household itself have experienced during the past six-month period.

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National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)

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Surveys in which respondents are asked to provide information on various offenses they may have committed.

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Self-Report Surveys

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In a self-report survey, the percentage of respondents who have committed an offense at least once within a certain time period.

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Prevalence

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In a self-report survey, the average number of offenses committed per offender.

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Incidence

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The view that people act with free will and carefully weigh the potential benefits and costs of their behavior before acting.

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Rational Choice Theory

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The view that human behavior is the result of personal, independent choices and not of internal or external forces beyond their control.

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Free Will

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Closely related to rational choice theory, the belief that more certain and severe punishment reduces the crime rate.

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Deterrence Theory

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The belief that crime and victimization are more likely to occur with the simultaneous occurrence of motivated offenders, attractive targets, and low or no guardianship.

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Routine Activities Theory