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Theories of criminology
theories of criminology
28
Criminology
Intermediate
10/08/2017

Additional Criminology Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS)
Definition

NIBRS was created to address the many shortcomings of Uniform Crime Report. Each law enforcement agency is charged with reporting on each criminal 

NIBRS uses 52 data elements to describe victims, offenders, arrest, and circumstances. If multiple crimes are committed in an act, each crime gets reported. There are more then 22 group A offenses 

Term
Observational Research
Definition

Used in criminological research to collect data by interacting with the subjects of the research in their natural settings to understand what experiences they may have had relating to the crime. The observation is used to see change over time, it is inexpensive, high on validity. 

Problem: poses ethical questions, time consuming, no control, low on being reliable 

Term
Sampling
Definition

Sampling is used to sample a smaller number of individuals taken from a population for the purpose of generalizing. There are two types probability and non probability. People have to be randomly selected. 

Problem: People can lie on their behavior, fails to measure change over time 

Term
Experimental Research Design
Definition
Two groups: control and experimental. Experimental is exposed to the experiment and the control group is not exposed. The purpose is to find the cause and effect of a crime
Term
Aggregate Data Research
Definition

Using offical crime reports like UCR and any data collected by government agencies. The data is used to reveal trends in crime and to determine increase or decrease of crime. 

Problem: there is a dark figure to crime and much crime never gets reported 

Term
Longitudinal  Research
Definition
Observing a group of people who share a like characteristic for extended period of time in order to explain an outcome. Can explain why experiences made individuals who they are , they may use records to look through long time periods
Term
Survey
Definition

Surveys measure attitudes, beliefs, values, and behaviors. Some surveys may be used as telephone calls or interviews. Surveys are used to find the true dark figures of crime, the quick way to find the data that never gets reported. 

Problem: It only studies one point in time, cant predict future outcomes. 

Term
Positivist theory
Definition
Positivist theory believes that an individual engages in crime because of being impaired psychically or psychologically. When an individual is exposed to great amounts of psychological trauma or crime, they will also engage in similar crime. An individual may suffer from criminogenic environmental influences
Term
Structural classification
Definition
Contends that negative social forces in the environment such as communities or society pushes offenders in the directions of crime without little choice
Term
Processual Theory
Definition
Theory that an individual is processed through crime, they gradually process criminal behavior. One learns and accepts definitions favorable to committing crimes while interacting in personal groups. People are socialized into law
Term
Different types of research
Definition

-Observational

-Survey

-Sampling

-Experimental

-Aggregate 

-longitudinal 

Term

What are the ethics of research ? 

 

Definition

-voluntary

-never injure

-protect anonymity and confidentiality 

-practice full disclosure

-ethics in reporting findings and analyzing  

Term
proportionate sentencing
Definition

punishment is given by a judge in a sentence that is equal to the gravity of the social injury to the crime 

-classical school advocated this so that the punishment could reflect the amount of social harm incurred

-punishment should be only what is necessary to restore social balance

Term
Age of Englightment
Definition

-During the renaissance years 

-englightment thinkers advocated the growth of skepticism and free thought. Enlightened thinkers rejected that the natural order was ordained by god. 

Term
Utilitarianism
Definition
The idea of pleasure over pain, Suggested by Betham. Believed that the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Wanted to normalize fairness and justice for the poor and wealthy
Term
Trial By Ordeal
Definition
Trailed courts used during the middle ages. People were accused of being witches and demonic. The offenders were challenged by the courts to prove their innocence by walking on water, burning coal, they had to show that god would intervene on their behalf. If they could not complete the offense, they were put to death
Term
Armchair Philosophy
Definition
All philosophy and no science
Term
Determinism
Definition

All events including human action are determined by causes external to the will. Implies that individual human beings have no free will and cannot be held morally responsible for their actions 

-positive school of thought

Term
Darwinism
Definition

Theory created by charles darwin. The idea that species are derived by descent through the natural selection of those best adapted to survive in struggle of existence

-positive embraced darwinism because they believed what could be measured and tested

Term
Phrenology
Definition

It examined the shape and size of the human skill as an indicator of tendencies to commit crime

-biological view with crime

-it attempted to link the features like bumps on a persons head to aspects of human personality 

Term
Mesomorph
Definition

One of the three body types developed by sheldon

-type of somatotyping and criminals displayed body builds that made them more prone to criminal behavior 

mesomorphs were muscular, aggressive, and more likely to engage in violent crime

Term
Operationalize
Definition
Operationalization is the process of strictly defining variables into measurable factors. The process defines fuzzy concepts and allows them to be measured, empirically and quantitatively.
Term
Index Crimes
Definition
Part One crimes in UCR, 8 index crimes, murder, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, larceny, motor vechile theft, arson
Term
Ecological Fallacy
Definition

A logical error that results when one attempts to make conclusions about individuals based on group data

 

Term
Triangulation
Definition

A research technique that relies on several methodologies to measure the same subject matter 

-researchers argue its best measurement of any social phenomenon 

-they may use it to get accuracy for total number of crimes each year

Term
White Collar Crime
Definition

typically associated with people in higher social classes who abuse their high positions in society to commit crime. Money motivated. non-violent 

ex: bankruptcy fraud, credit card fraud, embezzlement 

Term
Macro level theories
Definition
Used to explain group behavior, can be used with theories that examine poverty and explains larger social occurrences. Social structure theories is a macro level theory
Term
Micro Level theories
Definition

attempt to explain crime on a smaller scale

examines individual group experiences and interactions

primarily biological and psychological

ex: social learning and social control theories 

examines behavior on a case by case basis 

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