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
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
