CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM AND PUNISHMENT

Theory - Set of ideas to explain a phenomenon or concept Causation - Direct influence or responsibility for criminal behavior Correlation - Two variables linked to each other Criminal Justice System - Police, courts, and corrections Courts - Determines whether an offender should be charged Wedding Cake Model - Different treatment of cases in the criminal justice system Misdemeanors - Most common type of cases in the criminal justice system Violent Offense - Criminal action against another person Victimology - Field of study placing the victim at the center Murder - Least common type of crime, invokes fear Victim Blaming - Enables people to make sense of victimization Status Offenses - Actions illegal for certain groups, committed by juveniles Ronald Reagan - Established Presidential Task Force on Victims of Crime Espionage - Obtaining secret or confidential information High-profile Cases - Involves media and potential for significant penalties Crime Control Model - Major purpose of criminal justice system is to incarcerate offenders Civil Law - Governs disputes between individuals or private parties Burden of Proof - Criminal law: Beyond a reasonable doubt, Civil law: Financial Criminal Cases - Brought by government against defendant for violating a specific law Beyond a Reasonable Doubt - Highest burden of proof under the law Packer's Model - Justice Model resembling an assembly line Just-World Hypothesis - Major problems: Implies only 'innocent' victims are true victims Voluntary Manslaughter - Intended to take a life, but with mitigating circumstances Statutory Rape - Sexual activity with someone unable to legally consent Crime Victims' Rights Act of 2004 - Affords victims the right to confer with the defense attorney Robbery - Taking personal property using force or fear Macro Theories - Exploring how poverty causes crime Statutory Laws - Laws established by governments