Introduction to Criminology: Final Exam Study Guide (non-cumulative portion)Presented below is a listing of topics to be addressed on the upcoming 100 question multiple-choice examination. 40 questions or so will be drawn from the list below. Unlike the cumulative list posted earlier, this list is not exhaustive. This is intended as a rough approximation of the subject matter to be included. Direct your attention to revisiting the material covered since the last exam as well as the material covered in lecture and discussion.NamesRobert K. MertonSocial structure of anomieStructurally induced strainCriminal motivation is not inherent; it must be explainedSocietal forces produce pressures to obtain- endsEveryone is expected to meet this standardDictates that everybody should be aiming to obtain more wealthThere are weak regulations on how this imperative is to be met- meansAccess to legitimate means is limitedCollege, corporate employment, family connectionsDesire for social mobility leads to devianceSociety will not tell you how to get the wealthAdaptation to achieve endsConformityAcceptance of culture goals & institutionalized meansInnovationMuch criminal behaviorAcceptance of culture goalsRejection of institutionalized meansRitualismMaintain outward conformity to norms, mitigate strain by scaling down their aspirations to the point where the ends can be reached comfortablyAcceptance of institutionalized meansRejection of culture goalsRetreatismRelinquish allegiance to both the cultural success goal & norms prescribing the meansRejection of culture goals & institutionalized meansRebellionReject but also wish to change the existing systemRejection of culture goals & institutionalized meansMode of AdaptationCulture GoalsInstitutionalized MeansConformity++Innovation+-Ritualism-+Retreatism--Rebellion±±Karl MarxConflict theory (critical criminology)Laws are reflective of the belief of the group in powerDecline of social solidarity leads to more crimeCapitalism leads to decrease in social solidarity as roles in society become more nichePeople will depend on others for the production of various goodsThose who hold the means of production are those in powerFocus on what ought to be rather than what ifsGetting rid of capitalism is the only method of regaining social solidarityCommunism is the key to rebuilding social solidarityClass divisions, capitalismBourgeois- own the means of productionProletariat- the workersLumpenproletariatProletariat- refers to Marxist criminology/conflict theory, those without powerWill never understand their class & that they can never get powerNot helpful to proletariat class at all, will not be the ones to start the revolution because they will never realize that they are in a problem in the first placeConflict of interests between different groups will be increased by inequality in the distribution of scarce resourcesImbalance will inevitably produce revolt- precipitated by class consciousnessConflict theorists generalizedValues and interests in complex societiesA person’s values & interests are generally shaped by the conditions in which the person livesComplex societies are composed of people who live under very different conditionsSocieties that are more complex and differentiated will have more conflicting values & interestsPatterns of individual actionsPeople tend to act in ways that are consistent with their own values & interestsWhen values & interests conflict, people tend to adjust their values to come into line with their interestsBecause the conditions of one’s life tend to be relatively stable over time, people tend to develop relatively stable patterns of action that benefit them personally and what they believe are good, right, just, or at least excusableThe enactment of criminal lawsEnactment of criminal laws is the legislative process of conflict & compromise in which organized groups attempt to promote & defend their values & interestsSpecific laws usually represent a combination of the values & interests of many groupsHowever, the greater a group’s political & economic power, the more the criminal law tends to represent the values & interests of that groupIn general, the greater a group’s power, the less likely it is that the group’s stable patterns of action will violate the criminal lawThe enforcement of criminal lawsIn general it is easier for law enforcement to process people with less economic & political powerAs bureaucracies, law enforcement agencies tend to process easier, rather than more difficult, casesThe distribution of official crime ratesDue to the process of criminal law enactment & enforcement described earlier, the distribution of official crime rates in every society will tend to be the inverse of the distribution of political & economic power in that society, independent of any other factorsConflict theories may serve as a sensitizing mechanismDrawing our attention to a critically important aspect of explaining the crime problemEmphasizes that some crime can be merely social constructs rather than true crimesEdwin H. SutherlandDifferential association theory9 main pointsCriminal behavior is learnedIt is learned in interaction with others in a process of communicationLearning criminal behavior occurs within intimate personal groupsLearning includes techniques of the action & direction of motives, drives, rationalizations, attitudesDirection of motives & drives learned from legal codes as being favorable or unfavorableWe become delinquent because of an excess of definitions favorable to violation of the law over definitions unfavorable to violationMay vary in frequency, priority, intensity, & duration2 dimensionsBehavioral interactional- direct association & interaction with others to engage in a behavior & identification with reference groupsNormative- exposure to different patterns of norms & values through associationsStrengthsIt can account for the group nature of delinquencyWeaknessesWhat is a definitionWhere did the first crime originateWhat group supports universally scorned behavior like pedophiliaHow does learning happenCultural devianceSociologicalCommunity environment plays a key role in crime & delinquencyPeople socialized in disorganized neighborhoods are likely to have associations that will encourage criminal adaptationsBut- not limited to explaining lower class crimeCrime is normal rather than pathological & is learned in interaction with othersCriticismsTestabilityCausal frameworkBreadthRonald
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