norms
social expectations about what constitutes appropriate behavior under different circumstances
deviance
violation of a social norm
mala en se
evil in itself (murder)
mala prohibita
acts considered undesirable although not inherently evil (drug use)
offenses against morality
acts considered undesirable, such as adultery and fornication, prostitution, and gambling
political crimes
acts viewed as a threat to the government
regulatory offenses
activities of a business or corporation that are viewed as a threat to public health, safety or, welfare
overcriminalization
blurring the distinction between rime and merely inappropriate or offensive behaviors
legalization
legislative decision to remove a prohibited behavior from the criminal law
crimes against person
violent crimes involving the use of physical force
crimes against property
crimes in which property is taken unlawfully and misused
crimes against public order
acts that disrupt the peace in civil society
criminal homicide
murder or manslaughter
murder
all intentional killings, as well as deaths that occur int he course of dangerous felonies
manslaughter
a mitigated murder: causing a death recklessly, or intentionally under extenuating circumstances
recklessness
conscious disregard of a substantial and unjustifiable risk
negligence
failure to be aware of a substantial and unjustifiable risk
gross negligence
failure to perceive a substantial and unjustifiable risk when such failure is a gross deviation from the standard of care a reasonable person would observe
rape
sex without consent
sexual assault
forced sex, whether vaginal, anal, or oral
statutory rape
nonforcible sex with a minor
simple assault
a thrust against another person with the intention of injuring that person
aggravated assault
a thrust against another person with the intention to cause serious bodily harm or death
robbery
theft from a person using threats or force
burglary
unlawful entry into a building in order to commit a crime while inside
larceny
taking the property of another person with the intent of depriving the owner
arson
burning property of another without the lawful consent of the owner
uniform crime reports
an annual compilation by the FBI of all crimes reported to the police in the US
crime rates
the number of crimes committed divided by the population at risk. Provides an indication of the risk of victimization per capita
personal risk
an individual's risk of being a victim of crime; determined through calculation
national crime victimization survey
a representative sample of the US population is surveyed annually to determine the extent of victimization and the extent to which these incidents were reported to the police
national incident based reporting system
data collection program designed to gather info on victims, perpetrators, and circumstances of crime
national longitudinal survey of youth
self-report study investigating the extent of delinquency among young people
national violence against women survey
interviews a national sample of 16,000 men and women regarding the circumstances of crimes against women
intimate partner violence
physical assaults between current or former spouses, boyfriends, or girlfriends
crime profiling
analysis of criminal incidents to isolate the precise characteristics of offenders, victims, and situations in order to better understand and prevent crime
offender profiles
examination of offender backgrounds to look for common patterns
victim profiles
examination of a large number of similar criminal incidents to find patterns in the types of persons who are victimized under certain circumstances
crime scene profiles
examination of the circumstances surrounding criminal incidents in a search for patterns associated with criminal offending
gun control
reg. of gun manufacturers, buyers, and sellers in an effort to minimize gun-related crime
classical school
a perspective in criminology that sees crime as resulting from the conscious exercise of an individual's free will
positivism
the perspective in criminology that sees human behavior as determined by internal and external influences, such as biological, psychological, and/or social factors
ethical view
the perspective that sees crime as a moral failure in decision making
structural/conflict view
the perspective that sees the criminal law as reflecting the will of those in power, and behaviors that threaten the interests of the powerful are punished most severely
biological determinism
positivists who see the roots of criminal behavior in biological attributes
psychoanalytic theory
Freudian theory that sees behavior as resulting from the interaction of the three components of the personality: id, ego, and supergo
cognitive theory
view that behavior results from habits of thought and interpretations of reality
differential association
theory that a person becomes criminal or delinquent when he or she associates more with people who condone violation of the law than with people who do not
blocked opportunity
theory that crime results from lack of access to legitimate means for achieving goals
criminal subcultures
different forms of deviance that result when youths cease to adhere to middle-class standards and become part of the adult criminal, conflict, or retreatist subculture
labeling theory
view that adjudicating a juvenile as a delinquent encourages future delinquency through a negative public identity or changed self-image
social bond
individual's attachment to society, including attachment to others, commitment to conventional activities, involvement in those activities, and belief in widely shared moral values
rational choice theories
theories that examine how circumstances affect criminal thinking to explain why offenders commit crimes in some situations but not in others
routine activities theory
the theory that sees criminal events as the result of a combination of a motivated offender, a suitable target, and the absence of a capable guardian to intervene
media portrayals
public perceptions of crime and its victims are based largely on media images, which focus on atypical sensational incidents
Gallup poll on crime
survey of a representative sample of the american public which found that crime surpassed education and economic issues as the most pressing local problem
criminologists
those who study the causes of crime and the treatment of offenders
vigilantism
seeking justice through lawless violence
scapegoating
unfairly blaming and punishing a person or group for crimes
universality of crime
there is no society that has not reported problems with crime and with what to do with offenders, but there is considerable variation among crime rates in different societies
crimes
forms of conduct that society prohibits in order to maintain order
criminal law
a code that categorizes all crimes and punishments by type
felonies
serious crimes that are punishable by incarceration for more than one year
misdemeanors
less serious crimes that are punishable by imprisonment for one year or less
criminalization
the legislative decision to make a behavior a crime
decriminalization
the legislative decision to change a crime into a noncriminal act
victimless crime
offenses in which the "offender" and the victim" are the same individual or in which the behavior is consensual
criminal justice
the management of police, courts, and corrections, and the study of the causes of and treatment for crime
due process
the use of accuracy, fairness, and reliability in criminal procedure to protect individual rights
crime control model
the perspective that views the repression of criminal conduct as the most important function to be performed by the criminal justice system, through speed, efficiency, and finality in criminal justice processing
due process model
the perspective that considers preservation of individual liberties to be the most important function of the crim justice system, through accuracy, fairness, and reliability in crim procedure
policing
enforcing the law by apprehending violators and thereby protecting citizens. crime prevention and social services such as education of the public are the more recent emphases in law enforcement
limited jurisdiction
the jurisdiction of cours that have narrow legal authority over specific types of matters
general jurisdiction
the jurisdiction of courts where most trials for felonies occur, as well as trials in major civil cases
appellate jurisdiction
the jurisdiction of courts that review specific legal issues raised in trial courts
local jails
facilities used to detain adults awaiting trial and offenders serving sentences of one year or less
probation
a system under which a person convicted of a crime serves a sentence in the community under the supervision of a probation officer
mores
norms with strong moral significance
folkways
routine, usually unspoken, rarely made into law
taboo
unspoken, should never do
actus reus
the guilty act
mens rea
the guilty mind
General categories of crime
crime against persons, property, public order
heirarchy rule
if the criminal act involves several different crimes only the most serious act is recorded (UCR)
the dark figure of crime
What is NCVS interested in
endomorphs
short and fat
mesomorphs
athletic, muscular
ectomorphs
tall and thin
social order
A group's usual and customary social arrangements, on which its members depend and on which they base their lives