Enlightenment
a philosophical, intellectual, and cultural movement of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries that stressed reason, logic, criticism, education, and freedom of thought over dogma and superstition
marginal deterrence
the concept that a penalty for a crime may prompt commission of a marginally more severe crime because that crime conceives the same magnitude of punishment as the original one
classical criminology
eighteenth-century social thinkers believed that criminals choose to commit crime and that crime can be controlled by judicious punishment
rational choice theory
the view that crime is a function of decision-making process in which the potential offender weighs the potential costs and benefits of an illegal act
reasoning criminals
according to rational choice approach, law violating behavior occurs when an offender decides to risk breaking the law after considering both personal factors (such as the need for money, revenge, thrills, and entertainment) and situational factors (how well a target is protected and the efficiency of the local police)
offense-specific crime
the idea that offenders react selectively to the characteristics of particular crimes
offender-specific crime
the idea that offenders evaluate their skills, motives, needs, and fears before deciding to commit crime
criminality
a personal trait of the individual as distinct from a "crime", which is an event
boosters
professional shoplifters who steal with the intention of reselling stolen merchandise
permeable neighborhoods
areas with a greater than usual number of access streets from traffic arteries into the neighborhood
edgeworkd
the excitement or exhilaration of successfully executing illegal activities in dangerous situations
situational crime prevention
a method of crime prevention that stresses tactics and strategies to eliminate or reduce particular crimes in narrow settings, such as reducing burglaries in a housing project by increasing lighting and installing security systems
defensible space
that principle that crime prevention can be achieved through modifying the physical environment to reduce the opportunity individuals have to commit crime
crime discouragers
discouragers can be grouped into three categories: guardians, who monitor targets (such as store security guards); handlers, who monitor potential offenders (such as parole officers and parents); and managers, who monitor places (such as homeowners and doorway attendants).
diffusion of benefits
efforts to prevent one crime help prevent another; in other instances, crime control efforts in one locale reduce crime in another area
discouragement
crime control efforts targeting a particular locale help reduce crime in surrounding areas and populations
displacement
a program that helps lower crime rates at specific locations or neighborhoods may be redirecting offenders to alternative targets
general deterrence
a crime control policy that depends on fear of criminal penalties. measures, such as long prison sentences for violent crimes, are aimed at convincing the potential law violator that the pains associated with the crime outweigh its benefits
perceptual deterrence
the theory that the perceived certainty, severity, and celerity of punishment are inversely related to the decisions by would-be offenders to commit crime, regardless of the actual likelihood of being apprehended and punished. people who believe they will be punished will be deterred even if the actual likelihood of punishment is insignificant
deterrence theory
the view that if the probability of arrest, conviction, and sanctioning increase, crime rates should decline
tipping point
the minimum amount of expected punishment necessary to produce a significant reduction of crime rates
crackdowns
the concentration of police resources on particular problem areas, such as street level dealing, to eradicate or displace criminal activity
informal sanctions
disapproval, stigma, or anger directed toward an offender by significant others (parents, peers, neighbors, teachers) resulting in shame, embarrassment, and loss of respect
restrictive deterrence
convincing criminals that committing a serious crime is too risky and that other less-dangerous crimes or actions might be a better choice
specific deterrence
the view that if experienced punishment is severe enough, convicted offenders will be deterred from repeating their criminal activity
incapitation effect
the idea that keeping offenders in confinement will eliminate the risk of their committing further offenses
just desert
the philosophy of justice that assets that those who violate the rights of others deserve to be punished. the severity of punishment should be commensurate will the seriousness of the crime
blameworthy
basing punishment solely on whether a person is responsible for wrongdoing and deserving of censure or blame