Details Title: Criminology Description: Exam 1 - Ch. 1 Total Flash Cards: 30 Created: 09/25/2007 18:06:55		New Users: To study from this flashcard set, or to create your own your own study flash cards, REGISTER HERE. Existing Users: CLICK HERE. Additional Sociology Flashcards
Cards in this set: Term Actus reus Definition The actual criminal act of which the defendant is accused. Term Mens rea Definition (Guilty mind) criminal intent. Term Causal Order Definition the direction of the relationship between two variables. Term common law Definition the system of law originating in medieval England and emphasizing court decisions and customs Term conflict Definition as used in sociology and criminology, refers to a theory that assumes that people disagree on norms and act with self-interest because of their disparate socioeconomic positions Term consensus Definition refers to a theory that people agree on norms despite their disparate socioeconomic positions Term crime Definition behavior that is considered so harmful that it is banned by a criminal law. Term criminal intent Definition having the desire to commit a crime Term criminogenic Definition crime-causing Term criminolgy Definition the study of the making of laws, the breaking of laws, and society's reaction to the breaking of laws Term customs Definition norms that are unwritten and informal Term debunking motif Definition part of the sociological perspective; refers to the challenge sociology poses to conventional understandings of social institutions and social reality Term deviance Definition behavior that violates accepted norms and arouses negative social reactions Term duress Definition threats or coercion on another to commit a crime Term felony Definition a serious criminal offense punishable by a prison term of more than one year Term generalize Definition to apply knowledge of particular cases to other, similar cases Term laws Definition written, formal norms Term mala in se Definition behaviors that are wrong in and of themselves (ex. murder) Term mala prohibita Definition behaviors that are wrong because they are prohibited by law (ex. prostitution) Term misdemeanor Definition relatively minor criminal offense punishable by less than one year in prison Term private troubles Definition individual problems that many people have that they think stem from their own failings or particular circumstances Term public issues Definition social problems resulting from structural and other problems in the social environment Term self-defense Definition violent or other actions committed to protect oneself or others Term social control Definition society's restraint of norm-violating behavior Term social disorganization Definition the breakdown of social bonds and social control in a community or larger society Term social inequality Definition the differential distribution of wealth, power, and other things of value in a given society Term sociological criminology Definition the sociological understand of crime and criminal justice, stressing the importance of social structure and social inequality Term sociological imagination Definition the ability to attribute private troubles to problems in the larger social structure Term sociological perspective Definition the belief that social backgrounds influence individuals' attitudes and behaviors Term spurious Definition a statistical relationship between two variables that exists only because the effects of a third variable have not been considered