INTRO TO CRIMINOLOGY EXAM 1

INTRO TO CRIMINOLOGY EXAM 1 Crime Human conduct in violation of the criminal laws of the Federal Government, a State, or local jurisdiction that has the power to make such laws. 4 Perspectives of Crime Legalistic, Political, Sociological, and Psychological Criminalize To make illegal. Statute A formal written enactment of a legislative body. Deviant Behavior Human activity that violates social norms. Consensus Perspective Everyone agrees its wrong. Conflict Perspective Different groups agree its wrong. Criminologist Studies crime, criminals, and criminal behavior. Criminalist Use evidence to solve crimes; Investigate Criminology Study of crime and criminals and the causes of crime. Social Policy A governments incentive, program, or plan intended to address problems in society. Criminal Justice The scientific study of crime, the criminal law, and components of the criminal justice system, including the police, courts, and corrections. Social Problems Perspective Belief that crime is a manifestation of underlying social problems (macro approach). Social Responsibility Perspective Individuals are responsible for their own behavior and they choose crime over law abiding courses of action (micro approach). Areas of Criminology Penology, Victimization, Law & Society, Crime Statistics, Theory Development, Criminal Behavior Systems Felony A crime punishable by imprisonment for more than one year or death. Misdemeanor A crime punishable by a fine or sentence to a local prison for less than one year. Mala in Se Knows crimes are wrong (ex. Murder). Mala Prohibita Wrong just because the law says it's bad. 4 Criteria of Crime Prohibited by Law: Behavior/Conduct Actur Reus (Guilty Act) Social Harm (Not just phsyical) Mens Rea (Intent, Guilty Mind) For a crime to be committed: Purpose, Knowledge, Negligence, Recklessness Elements of the Criminal Law Politicality Specificity: Law has to be specific Uniformity: No ones above the law Penal Sanction: Some form of penalty by the state National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) An annual survey of selected American households conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics to determine the extent of criminal victimization-especially unreported victimization-in the United States Limitations of NCVS Embellishment/ miss reporting, Embarrassment/ Not wanting to report crime, Definitions of crime doesn't go with official definitions Uniform Crime Reporting Program (UCR) A federal bureau of Investigation summation of crime statitics tallied anually and conspiring primarily of data on crimes reported to the police and on arrests. Limitations of UCR Not everything is reported, Underestimates Crime, Hierarchy Rule (Only major crimes Reported when multiple occur), Emphasis on street crime, inconsistent participation, Different definitions of crimes, Police Practices may differ National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) A crime-reporting system in which each separate offense in a crime is described, including data describing the offender(s), victim(s), and property. Limitations of NIBRS Implementation Self Reporting Surveys Learn about individual factors and criminality. Limitations: Memory Decay, Relay on samples from youth Research Process Problem Identification, Research Design, Data Collection, Review Data Experimental Randomization Quasi- experimental Statistical Methods Data Collection Techniques Surveys, Experiments, Case Study, Participant Observation Qualitative Case Studies/ Participant info Quantitative Numbers, Learn a lot Review Data Mean,Median, Mode, Can it be applied to society Measurement Issues Reliability, Validity Internal Validity (Causal) Responsible for the outcome External Validity Generalizability Internal Validity Threats History, Maturation, Testing, Instrumentation, Statistical Regression, Differential Selection (Selection Bias), Attrition External Validity Threats Reactive Effects of Testing & Experimental Arrangments, Self Selection, Multiple- Treatment interference Purpose of a Theory Describe, Explain, Predict, Control Event 4 Elements of Causation Correlation, Theoretical Rational, Time Sequence, Asbence of Spuriousness Components of Theory Theoretical Constructs, Propositions, Level of Analysis, Explanatory Scope August Comte's Progression of Knowledge Theoretical, Metaphysical, Scientific Theoretical Stage Crime caused by other worldly forces (religious/theologies) Metaphysical Stage Criminal behavior is freely chosen; rationality & intelligence Scientific Stage Crime is beyond our control; biological, psychological, & sociological factors; scientific method to test crime Evidence Based Criminology Social Scientific Approach: evidence based criminology Sumner's 3 Types of Norms Folkways, Mores, Laws Folkways A time- honored custom, Tradition: won't hurt society. Ex. Don't pick nose in front of people Mores Violation that can break up society: Murder Laws Written Thomas Hobbs Wrote "Leviathan". He claimed that before society was organized, human life was "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short". Humans were not guided by reason and moral ideals but by a ruthless struggle for self preservation. He was for absolute power. John Locke